In addition to producing established African names such as desert rockers Tinariwen, Ian Brennan has shown a good ear for discovering new talent. General Paolino, a blind guitarist from South Sudan, seems a perfect African incarnation of American country blues; not, as one could assume a fusion of country music and blues music, but rather blues from rural, ‘backcountry’ communities across the Southern States. Paolino’s ease is reminiscent of the genre’s elegant pioneer Mississippi John Hurt. South Sudan Street Survivors is thus stylized by fast, incredibly dexterous finger picking, but done so with a naturalness that feels more laidback than frantic.

On some tracks he is backed by Mama Celina, a South Sudanese singer from the Madi tribe who plays both the adungu harp and the somewhat rarer kerige, a two stringed instrument that uses a bowl as a resonator. While John Hurt sung nostalgically about his life experiences on the Delta- Paolino’s opener translates as ‘the mangoes we have are the best’ in a similar theme- Paolino has generally taken a more active societal role throughout his forty year career.

“I wrote protest songs during Sudan’s civil war”, he tells me. “Many people seemed to identify with what I was expressing, and many of the songs became popular. The revolutionary war has gone on for as long as I’ve been alive.” As Paolino remembers, his activism led to a flattering comparison.

“The common association I have with Bob Marley is quite humbling. I suppose when an artist has the courage or conviction to speak out in support of revolution, Marley is the gold standard. I did once record a version of “No Woman, No Cry”, but sadly it doesn’t feature on South Sudan Street Survivors.”

Whilst a blind man with an acoustic guitar will always conjure images of a Delta bluesman, Paolino has a clear understanding of his own musical origins. “I love America”, he says, “but my music comes from my heart. The Nile is the birthplace of the blues, maybe even the birthplace of all music. I speak more than five African languages. I have spent my whole life here. All of my inspiration comes from Africa. And, when your vision is impaired, you learn to listen very well. There are many blind musicians in South Sudan.”

South Sudan Street Survivors has the honour of being the first album to be released from South Sudan. I ask General Paolino’s opinion on the country’s recent independence. “Yes, It’s a wonderful thing to finally be free,” he says with a smile. “Thank god for that!”