Africa: A Journey Into Music review – Nigeria's rich musical history is examined

It is a serious, authoritative, fascinating music documentary that demonstrates how ancient rhythms formed the foundations and then punctuated the evolution of Nigerian popular music from juju and highlife to fuji, Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, and now the Afrobeats (with an s) pop music revolution that is sweeping not just Africa but the world.
But it’s not too muso-ish, or dull. Ray is also a massive fan and she’s travelled to Nigeria to find out what makes the country’s musicians tick.
She has a dialog with a talking drum and meets (pop and actual Yoruba) royalty King Sunny Adé. She visits a musical hero, Orlando Julius, who sings along to his 1966 hit Jagua Nana. There’s highlife superstar Victor Uwaifo, who demonstrates his amazing spinning guitar, and then takes Ray for a spin in his equally amazing, apparently rocket-powered, car.
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