Artists

Comprised of Addis Ababa’s finest acoustic musicians, the “Addis Acoustic Project” brings forth Ethiopia’s popular tunes from the 1950s and 1960s in a new light. Ethiopia’s pop music of this era predominantly featured acoustic instruments such as the mandolin, accordion, clarinet, and double bass, played alongside traditional instruments such as read more

In 2008, Misoji Nkwabi was a winner of Bongo Star Search, a nationwide singing competition in Tanzania.  The same year, she recorded an album of her songs “Utu wa Mtu” (Dignity of a person).  The album consisted of 12 songs carrying different themes, mainly social and health issues affecting young read more

Afrodynamix was founded by the Austrian trombonist Werner Puntigam, who also appeared at Sauti za Busara 2007 with the legendary Mo' Some Big Noise (Austria/Mozambique). This is another intercultural project, which crosses borders in several respects and unites musicians of his Austrian Rave-Orchestra Blow & Order and musicians and dancers read more

Blick Bassy is the new soul voice of Cameroon - soul in the sense of vocals that come from within. Bassy says: “The soul of my music isn’t so much in the words; it’s in the way of singing.”   [[[In fact, the melody is a mould for the words. ]]]On his read more

Debo Band is a nine piece Ethio-groove collective that has quickly earned an ever-growing and enthusiastic following in the USA performing for American, Ethiopian and Eritrean communities. Since 2006, Debo Band has been immersed in the unlikely confluence of traditional East African polyrhythms and pentatonic scales, classic American soul and read more

Guinean singer and composer Djeli Moussa Diawara is foremost among world players of the kora, the African harp-lute of the Manding people of the Senegambia. Born in Guinea in 1962 into a family whose musical roots span generations, his father was a famous player of the balafon (African wooden cousin read more