Afro (genre)

Afro is a genre of Cuban popular music with African themes which gained prominence during the afrocubanismo movement in the early 20th century. It originated in the late 19th century Cuban blackface theatre, where some elements from Afro-Cuban music traditions such as Santería and Palo were incorporated into a secular context. As a result, black themes were occasionally portrayed in a stereotypical and derogatory manner. Nonetheless, many afros accurately depicted the working-class life of black communities in Cuba.

Afros are sung in a creolized form of Spanish, often similar to bozal. In the 1940s and 1950s, the genre reached its peak of popularity often mixig with son cubano giving rise to the hybrid style known as afro-son (or son-afro). Compositions not based on the son structure were often labelled as canción afro (afro-song) or canción de cuna afro (afro-lullaby); the latter became a popular form, especially due to the popularity of Ernesto Grenet's "Drume negrita". Among the most notable singers of afro were Rita Montaner, Bola de Nieve, Desi Arnaz and Merceditas Valdés.

African Monetary Union

The African Monetary Union is the proposed creation of an economic and monetary union for the countries of the African Union, administered by the African Central Bank. Such a union would call for the creation of a new unified currency, similar to the euro; the hypothetical currency is sometimes referred to as the afro or afriq.

The Abuja Treaty, an international agreement signed on June 3, 1991 in Abuja, Nigeria, created the African Economic Community, and called for an African Central Bank to follow by 2028. The current plan is to establish an African Economic Community with a single currency by 2023.

Regional currency unions

There are two existing regional currency unions in Africa, using the West African CFA franc, and the Central African CFA franc, respectively. Additionally, the Common Monetary Area links several countries in southern Africa based on the South African rand.

The African Union's plans for further integration encourage the development of more such regional unions as an intermediate step to full monetary union. One proposed union is the eco, a proposed currency for members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Afro (album)

Afro is an album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie recorded in 1954 and originally released on the Norgran label.

Reception

The Allmusic review states "Pairing Dizzy Gillespie with Cuban arranger/composer Chico O'Farrill produced a stunning session which originally made up the first half of a Norgran LP... A later small-group session features the trumpeter with an all-Latin rhythm section and flutist Gilberto Valdes... it is well worth acquiring".

Track listing

Personnel

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Kill the Lights (Luke Bryan album)

Kill the Lights is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released on August 7, 2015, through Capitol Nashville. The album's lead single, "Kick the Dust Up", was released to radio on May 19, 2015. "Strip It Down" was released as the second single from the album on August 4, 2015. The album's third single, "Home Alone Tonight", was released to country radio on November 23, 2015.

Kill the Lights garnered positive reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, moving 345,000 equivalent units in the week ending August 13.

Critical reception

Kill the Lights has received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a "weighted average" rating out of 100 from selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a Metascore of 69/100, based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rates the album four stars conveying: "Kill the Lights winds up feeling happy and generous, an inclusive record that plays to teenage desires as effectively as memories of an adolescence left behind. " The publication Billboard rates the album three and a half stars, and Jewly Hight commenting: "the fact that Kill the Lights features a pensive, black-and-white cover shot -- the rare photo in which he's not smiling even a little -- is a hint: He isn't simply going about his business-as-usual fun on this album."Brian Mansfield rates the album three stars out of four at USA Today proffering: "The hits are fine, but that's the guy who's really worth getting to know." Maura Johnston gives the album a positive review on behalf of The Boston Globe suggesting: "Bryan might have broken up with spring break, but crashing pop’s party will probably offer him just as good a time."

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