For example N. African music is still much more popular in Francophone countries than in the UK. Senegalese music is much more prevalent in Paris than in London, too.. the same could be said for much music from so-called françafrique. Brussels, like Paris, also has a strong African music scene.. quite different from the ones you find in the anglophone world.

Everyone talks about the “glory days” of African music in Paris in the 1980s, but really those people are usually just referring to music from certain West and Central African countries, notably Congo. If anything the African population and number of music groups – ok, not necessarily good ones but sheer numbers – in Paris has increased, not decreased, and the overall population has certainly become more diverse than it once was. It seems like Paris doesn’t have as many big African music stars as it once did, but the reasons why are complicated… and it’s not necessarily any better in other countries including the US or the UK. Just different.