Artists

Kasai Allstars are a 25-piece musical collective based in Kinshasa, DRC. The group is unique in the history of Congolese music as the members hail from multiple tribes and bands, all from the Kasai region.  Historically, these tribes endured conflicting relationships over read more

'Kidum' is the name given to a 20-litre jerry can in Kirundi, the official language spoken in Burundi. His mother gave him that nickname due to his chubbiness as a child. Ironically, Kidum (whose ‘real’ name is Jean-Pierre Nimbona) taught himself to play the drums by practicing on read more

Maia & The Big Sky experiment with coastal polyrhythms, mixing these with funk, reggae, jazz and folk, creating a familiarity and warmth that transcends continents. Maia von Lekow’s lyrics in both English and Kiswahili touch on power, love, politics and the strength of women.

Maia has shared stages read more

Makadem, aka the Ohangla Man is one of Kenya’s most talented performing artists. He has successfully fused different genres of music from Kenya, Africa and the world with his native Luo benga music.

Makadem’s humorous and witty lyrics address deep socio-economic struggles in modern day Kenya. His command read more

Mapanya Band is an energetic, young and talented 'you've-gotta-dance-to-it' group that started in 2015, when all its members were students at Zanzibar’s Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA).

The seven musicians who are from Zanzibar and Tanzania play an energetic mix of reggae, soul, r’n’b, hiphop, afro-fusion, Arabic read more

Matona's Cultural Band is comprised of musicians from Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania. Mohamed Issa Haji 'Matona' is one of Zanzibar's most legendary musicians. He is a teacher at the Dhow Countries Music Academy and has been performing music for over 40 years. 

 For the past two years Matona read more