Espen Sørensen aka Mzungu Kichaa was born in Denmark but grew up in Africa. He holds a BA in ethnomusicology and a Masters in African Studies. He is also widely recognised as one of the pioneers of Tanzanian bongo flava. He recorded with Juma Nature, TID, Mangwair, Ferooz and others in the late 90s at P-Funk's Bongo Records in Dar es Salaam. With the release of Mambo ya Pwani he topped the East Africa charts in 2001. This song was one of the first songs to take traditional Tanzanian music and fuse it with hiphop. In 2006 he founded the group Effigong, but in 2008 he decided to go solo and release an album in Swahili for his fans in East Africa and the diaspora. This has resulted in 10 original and inspiring songs that speak out about political injustice, poverty, inequality and ways in which we can unite for a better world. Tuko Pamoja During his promotional tour at the beginning of 2009 he performed and featured regularly on radio and TV in Mombasa, Nairobi, Arusha and Dar. The media responded with accolades: “Mzungu Kichaa drives Dar crowd mad” (The Citizen) and “Kichaa has brought a new meaning to the word crazy” (The Guardian). His performance on East Africa TV was viewed by millions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Tuko Pamoja features Professor Jay and Mwasiti, who are both big names in today's bongo flava scene. On his Single oYa oYa, Kichaa boasts of his musical achievements from performing alongside some of the biggest Congolese artists, to playing violin in the legendary Zanzibari taarab orchestra Ikwani Safaa Musical Club. The song also describes his experiences living with the Maasai where he learnt their language and took part in Maasai culture. Mzungu Kichaa (Swahili) literally means The Crazy White Man. It's the name he received in his early days on the Tanzanian underground scene. Kichaa wants to help make urban youth music of East Africa more readily available outside East Africa. “There is so much talent out there that can open our minds and expand our horizons”.
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