Emmerson and Mula

Emmerson Bockarie describes himself as someone who isn't afraid to speak truth to power. But being a bête noire of politicians in Sierra Leone for nearly two decades does not come without risk: he has received death threats because of his outspoken lyrics, which also criticise things like tribalism. On his new album, 9 Lives, he shows no signs of mellowing with age. He tells TIA about his new sound and why he fears for freedom of speech in Salone.

Mula is a young chanteuse from Côte d'Ivoire at the other end of her career. The 21-year-old has so far only released one of her own songs, Paradis. It already has over 1.5 million views on YouTube. She caught the eye by recording cover versions of everyone from Djadju and Fally Ipupa to Bob Marley.

Image: Mula (Credit: Ibrahim Canaan) and Emmerson (Credit: Nex Studios)