Highlife, Afrobeat, Afrobeats: Nigerian Sound, Decolonial Politics, and Global Pop
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper was presented on 10 April 2026 at the “Crossing Boundaries 2026” conference, University of Lethbridge. It traces the historical and political evolution of Nigerian popular music through Highlife, Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Afrobeat, and contemporary Afrobeats. It argues that Nigerian music has functioned as a laboratory for African modernity, where debates over sovereignty, representation, and value move from colonial ballrooms and dance bands to the Afrika Shrine and digital Afrobeats playlists, showing how new forms of decolonial politics emerge as much in Afrobeats’ sonic aesthetics as in Fela’s overtly political Afrobeat rhythms.
Author: Soneye, Oluwaseun
Institution: University of Lethbridge
Language: English
Topic: Music History and Culture
Subfield: Music
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7155599574
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