Strangely, Madagascar of all countries in Africa seems to have some of the biggest crossover with Western rock music (that I’ve been to - I haven’t spent much time in South Africa where I know there’s a completely different scene).

Before being in Antananarivo, I could distinctly remember one time hearing a rock song being played on the continent (“Chop Suey” by System of a Down, in a hotel in Liberia). But in Mada you hear Western rock songs all the time; the Smiths and the Cure are played constantly in restaurants, I heard Deltron 3030 the other day, and I was in a Chinese restaurant this weekend where they were playing an entire Mogwai album. I even saw a rock concert a few weeks ago which wasn’t bad - Hendrix-style blues rock, sorta grunge-influenced. Nothing extraordinary, but after 30-some trips throughout the continent it struck me that I’ve never seen anything like this here before.

Also - I may have mentioned this before, I can’t remember - but I spent some time talking to a club-owner in Addis Ababa who is friends with The Ex and Flea. Apparently Flea - or maybe all the Red Hot Chili Peppers? - played at his venue. All I could think is about how pissed I would be if I went to go see some classic Ethio-Jazz in Addis Ababa and I happened to go the night the fucking Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing. Anyways, his band is called Negarit and they tour the US every few years or so and you should go see them if you ever have the opportunity.