Mory Kanté, who is in his sixties, has created an album filled with empathy for his fellow-countrywomen in his latest release, La Guinéenne. In 1987, he showcased his ability with Yeke Yeke, the album where he made his indisputable mark on African music. An interview.

When the Guinean Djeli Moussa Condé moved to Paris he set up home in Ménilmontant. In the heart of this working-class neighbourhood, the kora player dreamed up a world-style album with the help of percussionist, arranger and producer Vincent Lassalle.

He’s 33 and comes from the Congo, but don’t expect Léon Malele to play rumba. With its resolutely Anglo-Saxon sound, his maiden album, Chocolate, could almost be taken for American soul.

Music, sex and politics: it’s an explosive cocktail, and just the stuff to feed the kind of controversy that Koffi Olomide is used to. Not only is he the target of anti-Kabila campaigners who apparently pirated his album Abracadabra by pre-empting its release, the Congolese star is also at the heart of a rape case currently appearing before the French courts. But did he really turn up for trial in the Paris suburbs last February as he claims to have done?