Africa Express began as a reaction to the lack of African musicians featured in the 2005 Live 8 charity concert, but over the next decade, it evolved into a multifaceted charity and musical collective. While the lineup is ever-shifting, the musical group Africa Express is anchored by Damon Albarn -- the Brit-pop veteran who made it a mission to look outside his home country after his group Blur became stars -- and always keeps the spotlight on cross-cultural collaborations between African and Western musicians.
The instigating incident for Albarn and his partner Ian Birrell w...