Malawi: From Music to Massive Collaborations
Our ethos has always revolved around finding and promoting undiscovered talent. Music has no boundaries and is deeply routed in every culture.
Part of our recent journey to Africa was to forge a collaboration with the Dzaleka Refugee Camp community. Dzaleka is about an hour north of Lilongwe, Malawi. Dzaleka, now home to almost 40,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Ethiopia has been there for over 20 years and a vibrant melting pot of creative talent. Most, are unaware that this town (or camp) even exists.
Katie had previously worked in Dzaleka on a partnership around connectivity and engagement creating a software development center that is now in full flow. During her time there she discovered the vast talent across many domains and we're lucky to be able continue that engagement.
Our first bit of news, we have a new producer, Hugo PRO, who within just an hour transformed a song from our Barry Locke into a cross-cultural mix of beats and sounds. Hugo brings new ideas, now sounds and new ways of creating music we had not thought of. Stay tuned for the final production or better yet, come see it live at the Tumaini Festival in November this year. Tumaini Festival, now the largest music event in Malawi, led by the poet, musician and creative Trésor Nzengu Mpauni (AKA Menes La Plume More than just music, this is two days of thriving cultural and economic activity. With five stages, over 67 acts, poetry, dance, music, arts and cross-cultural exchanges through food, fashion and beyond.
We will be back on the plane soon to work with Hugo, The Tumaini Festival team the Salama Africa Dance Crew and more that will create a cross community engagement from Rooftop Records, InHouse and a new entity called Local CityZen - bringing partnerships that promote progression to prosperity.
This visit was just the beginning of something beautiful and already blossoming into a few new paths.