San Francisco: Afropop By the Bay

<section> <p> The first American city to nurture a thriving community of African bands wasn’t New York, Miami, or Chicago—it was the San Francisco Bay Area. In the 1970s, <strong>Hugh Masekela</strong> brought <em>Hedzoleh Soundz</em> from Ghana, settling in Santa Cruz. Nigerian maestros <strong>O.J. Ekemode</strong> and <strong>Joni Haastrup</strong> made their home in Oakland. South African performers from the touring stage show <em>Ipi Tombi</em> stayed behind in the Bay, forming the trailblazing band <em>Zulu Spear</em>. </p> <p> By the early ’80s, the Bay Area’s <em>worldbeat</em> scene was roaring to life. Bands like <em>Kotoja</em>, <em>Mapenzi</em>, <em>Big City</em>, and the <em>Nigerian Allstars</em> transformed clubs and community halls into incubators of rhythm and resistance. This episode takes you on a tour through the sounds, stories, and spirit of the Bay Area’s catalytic African music movement. </p> <p class="credit"> <strong>Produced by:</strong> Banning Eyre<br> <strong>APWW #713</strong> </p> <h2> <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/24180/san-francisco-afropop-by-the-bay-back-in-the-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> SAN FRANCISCO: AFROPOP BY THE BAY, BACK IN THE DAY… </a> </h2> <figure> <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/24180/san-francisco-afropop-by-the-bay-back-in-the-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/migrated-uploads/2015/07/SanFran_skyline.jpg" alt="San Francisco skyline (Eyre)" width="640" height="480" data-image="2suhdoifouef"> </a> <figcaption>San Francisco skyline (<a href="http://www.banningeyre.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Banning Eyre</a>)</figcaption> </figure> </section>