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It’s 1960 and as part of a wave of independence that is sweeping across the African continent, Congolese musician, Le Grand Kallé, records The Independence Cha Cha. It goes on to become the first truly pan-African hit song, created from a flow of African, Caribbean and European musical influences across the centuries that include the shadows of slavery, the invention of the gramophone and the Wall Street Crash. Simon Zagorski-Thomas talks to musician and musicologist Sara McGuinness about the song’s origins and the lasting impact of Congolese music. Produced by Rami Tzabar for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service. Image: Record label artwork, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½