At the time it gained political independence, the island of Madagascar, which played a strong cultural role in the region, started developing and modernizing its tradition-inspired music, and even dabbling with a western sound.

Congolese rumba is the quintessential music of the African continent and a cultural phenomenon. It first emerged at a decisive politico-economic moment that clearly influenced its unique development and drew the shape of an eventful history.

Guinea was the first sub-Saharan country in Francophone Africa to celebrate its independence, in 1958. It is also something of a model country in terms of music, thanks to the proactive (but also ideological) cultural policy of its president Sékou Touré. The political climate favoured the creation of a number of high-quality government-sponsored bands, such as Bembeya Jazz, whose reputations have crossed borders and transcended their era.

What do Dakar, Havana and New York have in common? Musically, more than you might think. While Senegal was gearing up to celebrate its independence in 1960, the country’s musicians were seeking to liberate themselves from French influence through the jazz and salsa that was at that time filtering across the Atlantic.

From the 1960s to the 1980s Abidjan underwent an extraordinary development, starting as the capital of Ivory Coast and ending up a cultural beacon of all Francophone Africa. Galvanized by the energy of the city and the "Ivorian economic miracle", the musicians of the period created whole new genres of music, as rich in inventive energy as the burgeoning era itself.

In the 1960s, Mali’s own culture provided firm foundations for the construction of a new African state. In their enthusiastic embrace of independence, young artists and musicians came together to renew their traditional cultural heritage and invent a new, globalised electric sound.

Home to Manu Dibango and many other renowned international artists, Cameroon boasts a high musical profile today. Indeed, the era of independence largely coincided with the arrival of makossa and modern bikutsi, the two pillars of the country’s musical identity.