Local artists are increasingly shaping the sound and scale of African festival culture, as homegrown genres such as amapiano and house dominate stages far beyond the continent.
That influence was evident at Nairobi’s Blankets & Wine Kenyan Summer Edition 2025, where SA’s Scorpion Kings — Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa — and veteran house trio Mi Casa featured prominently in a line-up spanning Africa and the diaspora.
The Scorpion Kings are widely regarded as pioneers of amapiano, a genre born in South African townships that blends deep house, jazz-inflected piano melodies and local rhythms.
Amapiano has become one of Africa’s most successful musical exports, filling clubs and festival stages from Lagos to London.
Mi Casa, known for its fusion of house, jazz and soul, brought a distinctly South African flavour to the festival’s “Come We Dance!” theme — a reminder of how the country’s electronic and dance music traditions continue to influence continental trends.
The growing presence of South African artists on global and pan-African stages reflects a broader shift: festivals are no longer just local gatherings, but increasingly international platforms for African sound, identity and celebration.
For Kenyan-born singer-songwriter and rapper Elsy Wameyo, that shift became personal during a performance in Copenhagen, Denmark, thousands of kilometres from Nairobi.
“I’ll never forget the day I played in Copenhagen and a fan greeted me in Luo,” she recalled. “A greeting in the Kenyan vernacular was the last thing I had expected.”
Wameyo, whose sound fuses hip-hop, traditional African music, rap and R&B, said the moment showed how African musicwas travelling far beyond its origins.
“I feel festivals usually bring out unique and bizarre experiences that you would never get at your regular local gig,” she said.
She has since appeared at major international festivals including Pitchfork and Lollapalooza, and released her debut album, Saint Sinner, in 2024.
Her debut EP, Nilotic (2022), won six awards at the South Australia Music Awards.
“You get to share a stage with multiple artists who may have fans that could be interested in your music too,” Wameyo said.
Across Africa, festival line-ups increasingly showcase a mix of afrobeat, gengetone, amapiano, benga, house, hip-hop and soul — reflecting how live music has become a fixture of the cultural economy.
“What they’ve done well is staying rooted,” said Freddy Milanya, a member of Kenyan-Norwegian collective Matata.
“Despite international production standards and global line-ups, the language, rhythm and stories remain African.”
Matata, formed in 2016, deliver music in Swahili and Sheng, Kenya’s street slang, driven by gengetone and afrobeat.
Their viral hits, including Mpishi featuring Sauti Sol’s Bien, have helped position them as one of Kenya’s most recognisable exports.
Blankets & Wine, now in its 18th year, is one of several African festivals gaining international recognition.
Kenya’s growing calendar includes Mombasa Colour Festival, Underneath the Baobabs and Piny Luo, while similar platforms are emerging across the continent.
Founder and creative director Muthoni the Drummer Queen said the festival was conceived as a space for “alternative, compelling and world-class African artistry”.
“When we launched Blankets & Wine, there weren’t many festivals that celebrated this vision in Nairobi or across East Africa,” she said.
When we launched Blankets & Wine, there weren’t many festivals that celebrated this vision in Nairobi or across East Africa
The biggest change had been the scale and professionalism of festival production.
“What used to be small, localised events have grown into multi-layered productions requiring careful planning, infrastructure and strategic partnerships,” she said.
Today, Blankets & Wine features two stages — a main performance stage and Onja Onja, a curated lifestyle space showcasing Kenyan food, fashion, art and creative brands.
According to the PwC Africa Entertainment and Media Outlook 2025–2029, Africa’s live music economy is rebounding strongly, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
SA leads the continent, with US$76m (R1.24bn) in ticket sales in 2024 and projected growth of 5.9% annually.
Kenya recorded US$1m (R16.36m) in live music revenue, while Nigeria is projected to grow at 1.8% a year.
“Kenya and Nigeria are stepping up their investment in live music and festival culture,” PwC noted, while SA benefits from mature venues, high-end production capacity and integration into international festival circuits. — bird story agency
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.