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Mumbi Kasumba's 'You And I' Will Ease You Into the Week

The Zambian singer-songwriter, who's previously been featured in Rafiki, will put you in a dreamlike haze.

Mumbi Kasumba is a rising Zambian singer-songwriter and guitar player.

You may have heard her alluring songs—which blend elements of folk, jazz and soul—in Wanuri Kahiu's film Rafiki, the first Kenyan movie to be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mumbi Kasumba is now sharing her latest single "You And I," a serene composition crafted out of her airy vocal delivery and tight guitar picking, that will put you in a dreamlike haze. The song was produced by Tan Brown, who also contributes some additional vocals.

"This song was inspired by friendship and love in it's purest form," Kasumba mentions. "A dedication to all the people who see the best in us when we forget who we are. If you have just ONE of those in your life, you're wealthy in the most important way."

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Photo by Barun Chatterjee.

Sampa The Great Returns With Stunning New Song and Video 'Final Form'

PREMIERE: Zambian artist Sampa The Great shares a soulful new banger.

Sampa The Great is back with her first single of the year, the hard-hitting "Final Form."

On "Final Form" the artist rhymes fiercely over grand production, offering soulful '70s funk vibes and a message of black power. "Great state I'm in, in all states I'm in, I might final form in my melanin," she declares confidently on the song's chorus.

The vibrant music video was shot in Zambia and Botswana, where Sampa was born and raised, respectively. The striking visual features dancers performing on the street and in the market and tons of colorful ambiance. Sampa serves up a number of bold looks as she performs the song in multiple settings throughout the two countries.

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Illustration by Malcolm Wope, courtesy of Netflix.

'Mama K's Team 4' Is the First Netflix Animated Original To Come Out of Africa

"I hope to introduce the world to four strong African girls who save the day in their own fun and crazy way," creator Malenga Mulendema says.

Netflix has announced its first animated original series from Africa—Mama K's Team 4.

Created by Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema, the series follows four teen girls living in the neo-futuristic African city of Lusaka, Zambia, where they get recruited by a retired secret agent who still strives to save the world. The series' illustrator is Cameroon's own Malcolm Wope, who was inspired by 90s R&B and hip hop girl groups.

Mama K's Team 4 is yet another addition to Netflix's growing slate of original animated programming designed for kids and families everywhere.

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Courtesy of the Livingstone Museum

The Zambian Women's History Museum is Returning to Africans What Colonialism Stole

In this interview, co-founder of the Women's History Museum, Samba Yonga, says that we need to discard the history we're holding onto as Africans. Most of it was never ours to begin with.

In January, Zambian playwright Mulenga Kapwepwe staged a Bemba-language musical in Lusaka based on her father's book Shalapo Chanichandala. When Kapwepwe's friend, the Zambian journalist Samba Yonga saw it, she was transfixed.

For Yonga, the theatrical experience which told the story of the time between Zambia's colonization and mass urbanization was captivating. The colors, music and the lived experiences of the Zambian people during the 50s were brought to life in a manner that for Yonga, wasn't overshadowed by the arrival of the colonists. Instead, it centered Zambians.

It spoke volumes to the narratives which had been cast aside, erased and forgotten. For Yonga, the play shared the same source of Afrocentric inspiration as the Women's History Museum, an ongoing project between the two friends.

Begun in 2016, the museum has largely been a digital archive thus far but will soon be be housed in the Lusaka National Museum in Zambia. A large collection of historical artifacts that both Yonga and Kapwepwe have been collecting over the years, will occupy the second floor of Zambia's national museum.

We sat down with Samba Yonga to find out how the Women's History Museum is challenging mainstream narratives which will ultimately change the way Africans see themselves.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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