Help us Celebrate Georges Collinet!

Feature May 5, 2026

Since October, 1988, Georges Collinet has been the talented, charismatic, deeply knowledgeable host of our weekly public radio program, Afropop Worldwide. But before that, he had another spectacular career as the host of the Voice of America music program, Bonjour L’Afrique. Years before he introduced Americans to the vast world of African popular music, Georges was the guy who brought American pop—James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and on and on—to African ears. That reputation was palpable when the producers of Afropop started doing field work in Africa. From Douala, Cameroon, to Bamako, Mali, to Kinshasa, Congo (then Zaire), the response was consistent: “You work with Georges Collinet! Wow!.” And doors opened.

Georges and the VOA team in 1965

Born in Cameroon to a French father and a Cameroonian mother, Georges had been a world traveler long before he landed in Washington, DC, working for VOA in around 1960. As a musician and broadcaster in Paris, he had championed the rise of African musicians long before they entered the global pop arena. He was deeply beloved by all who heard his voice and rallied behind his mission to promote musical exchange between artists on the continent and around the world. Parts of Georges’ remarkable story have been told on Afropop Worldwide over the years. But now, as he moves through his ninth decade, we feel it is time to give him the props he deserves on a special edition of the program. That’s why we are reaching out to listeners to share memories, accolades and stories that we can excerpt on that program. If you have been touched, moved, turned on or steered right by Georges Collinet over the past 38 years, pull out your phone and record a clip for us. Keep it short and sweet, and send the file to <a href="mailto:info@afropop.org">info@afropop.org</a> with the subject line “Georges Collinet.” We’ll keep you posted when the program airs.