African Music Archives
The African Music Archives (AMA) is dedicated to collect modern African music from all sub-Saharan countries. Founded in 1991, it today consists of roughly 14.000 shellacs and vinyl-records, audio- and videotapes, CDs and DVDs. In order to facilitate research, all items can be reviewed in the OPAC online catalogue of the JGU Library. Large parts of the collection are already digitized, but, due to copyright reasons, cannot be made available online. For any information concerning the archive and its collection, feel free to contact the archives’ director Hauke Dorsch.
>> LINK OPAC
>> LINK Virtual Tour of the AMA
>> LINK OPAC
>> LINK Virtual Tour of the AMA
Events / News
July 4, 2024
We are excited to present you episode #449 of WeltBeat host and selector Jean Trouillet's far-reaching broadcasts, another 'African Presence' special in cooperation with Hauke Dorsch, director of the African Music Archives at the University of Mainz. The show offers an introduction to the music of Tanzania by special guest, Prof. Dr. Imani Sanga.
July 4, 2024
Show #447 of WeltBeat host and selector Jean Trouillet's far-reaching Globalwize format happens to be another 'African Presence' special broadcast. Recorded in the Bali Bistro in February 2024, this edition of the Globalwize Radioshow features the African Music Archives' (AMA) latest 'Artist in Residence' Eric '1key' Ngangare.
June 6, 2024
Starting on Wednesday, June 26, 5 pm at the AMA Lounge (Central Library), Prof. Martin Stokes from Kings College London presents his three lectures on "Listening beyond landscape".
AMA Relistened
October 1, 2020
“Can't you pronounce 'makossa' like everyone else? You stutter: 'mamako mamasa.' You think they're going to accept that in Yaoundé?” (Dibango 1994:83) This was according to Manu Dibango his father’s reaction when listening to “Soul Makossa” for the first time.
September 1, 2020
In 2004, the independent label No Format! recorded the first album of the friends Gérald Toto, Richard Bona, and Lokua Kanza, and the pan-African band project TotoBonaLokua was born. This is their second album, an easy and playful jazz record of three great vocalists, each being a master at their respective instrument, underlined with smooth atmospheric sounds by the producer and label founder Laurent Bizot.
August 1, 2020
„Twice As Tall“ (2020) is Burna Boy’s fifth album, and the third one to be marketed to international audiences. Whereas „Outside“ (2018) was a respectable kick-off, „African Giant“ (2019) managed to fulfill the claim of its title with a Grammy nomination, Coachella performance and large popularity among critics and fans, both within Nigeria and abroad. It is thus no surprise that „Twice As Tall“ offers plenty of continuities.