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Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity - BANTU!
Pan-African collective · Lagos
The system is broken. Our sound is resilient.

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Tony Allen | Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld - 05.2016 🇳🇬👑

drone shots from Lagos: 📽️ @mirkopolo taken in Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld by @bantucrew

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4 days ago

Live performance footage shot on multiple cameras is always hard to come by, so we dug deep for this one. Here's a special outdoor performance of "No More No Vernacular" in Cologne, Germany, where BANTU was born 30 years ago. Despite the freezing cold, tens of thousands of people turned up for the Arsch huh 20th anniversary concert in 2012 and we did our best to keep warm and channel some Lagos heat while doing our thing. We're posting this in honour of our dear brother and friend Mandjao Fati, who plays guitar on stage with us here. Rest in power, big brother. 🕊️ Special shout-out to our day-one DJ @grzlyadamsberlin for holding it down
#tbt #nomorenovernacular #BANTU30 #arschhuhzängussenander taken in Köln, Germany by @bantucrew

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25 days ago

*For Mandjao Fati (1955–2026), Who Never Made It Back Home*
How does one bid farewell to someone who was always a recurring figure in your life? How do you wave goodbye when all you see is a smile and a wink directed at you?
Denial is easy when you are thousands of miles from the departed. The news of brother Mandjao's death, announced in a three-line WhatsApp message, is too soon to process, yet I must proceed to find words to celebrate him, for I am weary of the potential erasure of his memory if it is not documented and articulated for posterity.
Mandjao Fati was more than a musician he was an elder brother, that friendly uncle who was always rooting for you. In the Cologne music scene there were very few African musicians when I decided to venture into music. He was the only person we could go to when we recorded our very first song as BANTU, titled "No More No Vernacular," thirty years ago. He was the only one who could give us the Highlife guitar feel on which the entire song is built. Although we were just at the beginning of our musical journey, very green behind the ears, he did not try to intimidate us or impose his own ideas on us. He listened keenly as we, the untrained aspiring musicians, hummed lines and gave what in retrospect must have been confusing instructions. With his disarming smile, he strummed his guitar, and out came those magical riffs.
Over the years, Mandjao would continue to accompany us on our musical evolution, playing an integral part in the revolving backing bands we put together in Germany. We toured together, even making it down to the motherland, where we played in Ghana and Tanzania, and our very first gig in Nigeria at the Goethe Institute Lagos. Mandjao graced many of our recordings. He became our secret weapon whenever we needed an authentic African flavour six thousand miles from home.
What also made Mandjao stand out was his instant relatability and likeability. No matter the type of characters (and believe me, musicians are a special breed unto themselves) he got along with everyone. He was selfless to a fault. (Continued in comments section) by @bantucrew

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2 months ago

No More No Vernacular- the song that started it all.

@adebantu walks you through the full evolution of one of our most beloved classics- from its raw demo version to its European debut release to where it stands today as a crowd favourite with a full horns ensemble.

This one holds a very special place in the BANTU story.

Shout out to the original BANTU line up: @abiodunmusic @patricebartwilliams and Amechi. Much love to @tesireepriti -we had someone stand in for her during the video shoot in Kampala, Uganda before the internet detectives start their wahala 😄🙏

Own No More No Vernacular instead of streaming- visit our Bandcamp page. Link in bio.

#bantu #nomorenovernacular #BANTU30 #lagosnigeria #cologne by @bantucrew

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2 months ago

What are you listening to, watching or reading right now that more people should know about?

Drop it in the comments by Monday. The best responses get featured in the next BANTU Dispatch.

Not on the list yet? Subscribe now link in bio 🗞️

#BantuDispatch #OnMyRadar #BantuCrew #AfricanMusic by @bantucrew

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3 months ago

#neue Folge führt uns nach Lagos, Nigeria
#Afrobeats revolution
#deep talk global sounds

https://www.ardsounds.de/episode/urn:ard:episode:dd088f9fdebde593/ by @bantucrew

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3 months ago

Ever wonder how that “Japa Japa” intro came alive? 🥁

Our talking drummer breaks down the story behind the sound, straight from him.
More breakdowns like this on our YouTube, go check it out 🎶

#BANTUCREW #AFROBEAT #JapaJapa
#DrumBreakdown #BehindTheSound by @bantucrew

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3 months ago

“Shake wetin your mama dash you!” That chorus line lol
Oya Oya was never just a song at Afropolitan Vibes-it was a full invitation. To let loose, to come up on stage, to dance like nobody was watching (even though everybody was).
No barriers. No airs. That was the AV magic: pure, unfiltered joy.
Watch the full performance. You’ll feel it. 🎶
Oya Oya -BANTU

#AfropolitanVibes #Bantu#OyaOya #AdeBantu #Bantucrew by @bantucrew

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4 months ago

For Gorilla, we didn’t want express song with visuals that looked good but lacked depth, we wanted something that felt like the song. So every shot was crated to mirror the spirit of speaking out without the polish of a performing!

This is a condensed version of the making for your viewing pleasure.

Catch the full visualizer on YouTube; link in bio.

#BehindTheScenes #MakingOfGorilla #Bantu #Gorilla by @bantucrew

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4 months ago

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!
At BANTU the human connection goes deeper than what you see on our socials. Behind the music there are processes, influences and conversations that shape everything we do.

The BANTU Dispatch brings all of that directly to your inbox: what we're listening to, reading, watching, and why we keep showing up the way we do.
First Thursday of every month. Inner circle only.
Click the link in bio to subscribe before Issue #5 drops.
#BantuCrew #BantuDispatch #NewMusicAlert #AfricanMusic by @bantucrew

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4 months ago

Here’s what the drums sound like in “Na Me Own My Body” 🥁
Stripped down, just the rhythm doing its thing.

We’ve got more breakdown clips like this on our YouTube channel, go check them out 🎶

#BANTUCREW #AFROBEAT#NaMeOwnMyBody #DrumBreakdown #BehindTheSound by @bantucrew

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4 months ago

80,000+ streams!

Three cities, three versions, and you all kept showing up for every single one.

To everyone who streamed this, sent it to a friend, put it on their story, found it hard to pick a favourite version, thank you. Genuinely. You’re the reason that made this moment possible and worth celebrating!

Keep streaming, keep sharing and never stop speaking up!

Stream link in bio.

#Gorilla #BANTUCrew #Adriana #jessejagz #JJD by @bantucrew

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4 months ago