Songhoy Blues, Courtesy. At one point a decade ago, the members of Malian rock band Songhoy Blues weren’t allowed to play shows. The ban had nothing to do with pandemic shelter-in-place orders and everything with an Islamist group that had taken over northern parts of the country and imposed sharia law,…

This isn’t the first time in this nation’s history we have discriminated against people based on their skin color or religion—just look at Native Americans, African Americans, Jews and Japanese Americans. Yet, in this era of knowledge available with a single click, many seem to be less tolerant than ever. As…

Bombino, who plays Sunday at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, recently released his second album. Nomad was recorded and produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. But less than a decade ago, Bombino lived in constant danger, during a crackdown by Niger’s government. Read my story on how…