For decades, MCs or audio tapes were the most popular sound carriers in Africa. With about 2020 cassettes, the Mainz collection offers a unique impression of music produced for local markets. The covers of these MCs are also of interest for researchers, as they often present images of artists that differ from those present to a Western audience. Most of the tapes were recorded in the 1980s and 90s. West African and Ethiopian artists are especially well represented. Furthermore, several non-musical recordings, for instance language courses (Fulfulde, Hausa, Wolof, etc.), are part of the collection.