OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTS: A CHANCE TO SHIMMER YOUR FLAIR, ACCESS 2020 IS HERE

 

 

YaaYaa(Ghana) and Douglas(Kenya)
During ACCES in Accra Ghana

More than 80 different ethnic groups, over 200 dialects spoken lies a land in Africa known for its own script. One of the world’s popular beverages, coffee was discovered in its region called Kaffa.  With this you must have already figured out what am talking about. You must be probably right.  “The cradle of mankind”, Ethiopia. It is a beautiful city with a unique people’s culture and typography.

Apart from all this interesting facts, an exciting music collaboration took place at its capital Addis Ababa. ACCES (Music in Africa Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases) started here in 2016. By that time it was a small feature on the Music in Africa Foundation’s AGM Plus programme.  Legendary Etgio-Jazz musician Mulatu Astatke was the keynote address; attended by delegates from more than 15 African countries.  Years later, in 2017, ACCES is launched as a fully-fledged international event drawing participants from all over the world. It is for this reason and many more; why you should be part of this amazing program this year.

Here is your chance to prove your shine on to the rest of the world.  There is talent in Africa. What more can be done if we don’t work on what we have and utilize on opportunities presented to us.

Organized by the Music in Africa Foundation, ACCES Africa 2020 will encompass various activities. Among them including pitch sessions, hub exhibitions, panel discussions and networking sessions. It will feature over 80 speakers and net-workers offering a chance to individuals to network, exchange ideas and interact with artists from the continent and diaspora.

East Africa’s Tanzania will be the host of this amazing feature at the Dar es Salaam National Museum and house of culture. One will get to enjoy various benefits of being part of this program. These includes but not limited to transport between venues and accredited hotels. Your logo stands a chance of being added to the ACCES Website and printed programme. In addition your company’s profile will appear on the Music in Africa website Music In Africa and in the dedicated exhibitor’s newsletter. This in return is sent to some 30000+ subscribers in Anglophone and Francophone Africa and the rest of the world.

Despite the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic, the foundation is hopeful for the event to commence on the 26th of November and offset 0n 28^th same month 2020. Isn’t a good time to do something positive to your community and also for personal growth? As we keep safe during this time and staying strong to conquer this virus, let us also build on us. This is why you should begin by registering for Acces Africa. See the original call here https://www.musicinafrica.net/acces

Tout le meilleur et garder en se’curite’ in other words, ‘All the best and keep safe!’

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Building Resilience With Music & Art

I went back to the studio after clearing part of rental arrears to the business premise still not sure of how I’d get the balance. Has

anyone noticed that unlike when we were growing up, time flies like no one’s business during this COVID-19 pandemic? I could be alone in this but back then,during the planting season in the village, food was scarce and days seemed to just take their time. Maybe it’s because I have a bunch of monthly bills, debts and payments to make. Let’s face it, lock-downs have had a drastic economic effects to small businesses especially here in Africa and other third world countries. As an entrepreneur who has gigantic dreams of touching the whole globe some time to come, I must confess that even the very dreams have been put to test.

As I sat, gazing at the piano, holding the guitar in my hand and the monitor speakers looking like they just wanted me to feed them with

what I was feeling, I couldn’t help but allow the massive flow of stories of anguish that crisscrossed my mind from social media, boda-boda guys, fruit vendors, once smiling chaps now rendered jobless. We had just released Better Days and were happy that it was encouraging people, but seemingly, the situations were getting tougher and we still need a voice of resilience.

From the sad episode of a mother boiling stones in Mombasa to a young man throwing himself from a footbridge in Nakuru-where I live yet to one where a friend of mine talked of being thrown out of the house due to rental arrears, my heart was heavy. Writing the verses of this song seemed like I was reading on a certain screen. Normally, my experience has always been,start with the chorus, then the other sections build up, or better still, have an Idea of how it would sound as I write the verse. Two weeks in the month of May, I had everything except the chorus.

Then one day, I just remembered some historical tales. How chanting is part of the African way of showing or calling for solidarity and in most cases our great grandparents chanted to wade off evil. That’s how the idea of Together In This came about. They would own the calamity as a community and fight together, bury the fallen as a family, and would have their thespians lead them in songs of victory, sometimes even before the battle

ends. Having spoken so much and created a somber mood in the verse, it would be too much for the chorus to carry many concepts. It’s when the chorus proved to fit that the title for the song came up.

After the audio production, I sent to one of my analysts who said they loved the many voices in the chorus. And I thought, what if many faces come in to visualize the chorus? With Covid-19 restrictions, the best way would be to have everyone do it from whichever location then have them all appear on the screen at the same time. We are grateful to Leah Wangari for helping us translate the chorus into Sign Language. Should you require such services kindly reach out to info@dowemusicarts.com and we'll be sure to get her to assist you. Allow me, on behalf of Dowe Music and Arts

to appreciate this team below:

BURUNDI

1.
Abiya S. Ibrahim

ETHIOPIA

2.
Semira Ahmed

GHANA

3.
Sumaila Ibrahim

INDIA

4.
Seema Kataria

She is a creative blogger who inspires thousands with her poetry filled with real life enthusiasm. Check out her work on Seema Kataria Blog

KENYA

5.
Angel Michelle

Our youngest participant was a Form II Student at Turkana Girls National School. We can't be thankful enough to the Parent who allowed her to take part. Angel is a talented artist that has interacted with us for mentorship on singing. We strongly believe she has potential in music life.

6.

Beatrice Awuor_YALI

7.

Billjobs Winston

8.

Catherine Igoki_YALI

9.

Cynthia Nakhumicha

10.

Esther Ochola

11.

Jackline Kawira_YALI

12.

Judith Nyangari

13.

Julia Kamau_YALI

14.

Kereni Waeni

15.

Lenah Mwangi

16.

Lochara Benard

17.

Mercy Nyakio

18.

Milcah Mwihaki

19.

Phineas mugambi

20.

Phylis G. Wanja 

is a 25 year old pencil Artist who uses Art as Therapy as a healing tool ,to help victims of ill- mental health as well as use Art ( drawings and cartoons) to educate the society on issues concerning Mental Hygiene , Mental Health and ill- mental health. She is the founder of Afyakili Organization, that brings together the youth for positive change on matters concerning Mental Health. She has partnered with different Organizations to propel change, to reach out to more individuals in need. Currently, she has been running a campaign #ToaMaskCampaign, that is on a mission of educating people on the importance of Speaking Up and not hiding their true emotions and feelings with happy faces and perfect lives,yet they are suffering deep within, with an aim of reducing suicide rates among the children, youth and the elderly.  She is also an entrepreneur who is passionate about finding solutions for the youth,  by educating them about the Business Model Canvas ,Entrepreneurship and how to spot opportunities, with an aim of eradicating youth unemployment, which is a major factor that leads the youth being victims of ill-mental health. Reach Phyilis at Wanja wa Wangeci

21.
Precious Maxine

A gifted singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Precious is a sought after musician in Nakuru County, and the country at large. She plays the Bass Guitar, piano among other instruments and you may see her works and subscribe to her channel on YouTube at Precious Maxine

22.
Simon Ohiambo_YALI

23.
Stella Cheoi_ELF

24.
Waithera itonga

25.
Zipporah Wanjiru

NIGERIA

26.
Adewale Adeyemi

 Adewale Adeyemi is a musician and music consultant with over a decade experience in music business. He has organized various music concerts and music business conferences, inspiring over 500 music professionals in Nigeria.

Find out more from Adewale here www.porchmusicbox.com

PAKISTAN

27.
G.J Naseer

28.
Abdul Hameed Buzdar

REPUBLIC OF CONGO

29.
Gerria Sundi_YALI

RWANDA

30.
Tuyishimire Theophile

SUDAN

31.
Flowers John Tito

32.
Mushtaha Abdalla

TANZANIA

33.
Malega Williams Kalembire_YALI

UGANDA

34.
Lynn Nakabugo

UNITED KINGDOM

35.
GEORGE KAMAU

36.
STEPH GRANTHAM

ZIMBABWE

37.
Tinashe Maswaure

Is a final year student at Bindura University of Science Education working towards attaining a Bachelors honors Degree in Accounting. He currently holds Finance Manager Position at WEDB Finance Service with two (2) years’ experience in the field of Finance. He has been involved in various women empowering projects in Zimbabwe through Woman Excel Organisation. Recently, he has successfully assisted in the registration of Empowered Woman Excel SACCo Zimbabwe.

We hope that you enjoyed reading as well as watching the video. Whatever you may be going through, remember, you are never alone!

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Music is A Language: My Experience in Ghana

Douglas with a copy of High Life Time 3

Ebo Tylor receiving an exemplary award

There's so much talent in Africa that I think if we had the right civilization to utilize it, there is no continent richer than this cradle of mankind. Two weeks ago I was privileged to attend ACCES conference organised by Music in Africa hosted in Accra Ghana. Chale (Ghanaian icebreaker term for Friend),there is music in this continent, and there's so much authenticity in West African bands that one can only admire. What is taking so long for the society to embrace art as a legit profession and a source of income? Why are we forcing ourselves to be aligned with the Western Style and  end up revamping the cliche of  'Starving artistes?' Right from the first performance on the night of 28th November 2019 by the legendary Ebo Tylor to the last night epic presentation of the Mokoomba band from Zimbabwe, I am still nursing the imaginations that this conference brought my way with the likes of FRA Band!

Yaa Yaa with the writer after a short interview

Yes, I mean it when I say nursing because consumption of works of art for me happens consciously unlike food where I delegate the duty to my enzymes and intestines. I could only but admire the high level of competence that was graced by great communication skills (non-verbal) among the players on stage.The drummer, guitarist, singer and/or the violinist knows exactly where to stop, start and continue! Without Music Sheets! Oh, that we would mimic this kind of collaboration, teamwork skills and trust in our endeavors as young Africans in the daily struggles for change in this continent. Wouldn't Africa be miles ahead?

As I observed the bands play, I imagined the hours of practice invested in the works. I wondered whether or not these young people have 8-5 jobs and doubted if that excellence can be achieved by occasional meetups where someone comes only at convenient times. Then it dawned on me that all these bands were international stars and that means a 'formal employment' might not be their cup of tea. They would be branded incompetent and lazy. These are people who have gone against all odds, and decided to work on their brands and it's no wonder they are shining. I hope you as my reader (not just musicians) are learning something about success.

Kyekyeku

During the day, there were a lot of workshops and seminars that at one point made me struggle with choosing what to participate in. When I mentioned above that the musicians play so well from memory and not sight reading, the point has nothing to do with them not valuing education. In the main hall was John Collins, a Ghanaian of British Decent and Kyekeku (Pronounced as Checheku), a renowned guitarist and a band leader enlightening us on the history of Music in Ghana. I have to confess that that was the first time I came across the term High Life Music. I was appalled by how a 'normal' guitarist can be so rich in history, understanding music theory and customizing it in the African context. I am more confident that Africa is rich! The discussion and the short presentation of the early music in the country was enticing enough for me to purchase the 600 page book (The most Expensive text I've ever bought) by John Collins entitled "HIGH LIFE TIMES."

A moment with Ghanaian Promoter, Katinkah

Partners such as Boom Play, Appraise music store helped enlighten us on the marketing strategy for musicians. Theirs was a general call that live streaming is a disruptive business technology that every musician needs to be aware of, if indeed they want to succeed commercially. When was the last time you bought a CD, or as a musician, how are the CD sales so far?

Ladies and Gentlemen, brothers and sisters, chale, I fell in love. I fell in love with Yaa Yaa's music! I have to confess that sometimes I feel that I am the odd one out. I get an invite to a big event (Well not so big as I am yet to be that famous here) and all artistes have come with playbacks which they sing along and act like DJs. You know, that feeling you get that you are the odd one out and since our audience is okay with that, your performance looks like one from Mars if not Pluto. As a string player, you play carefully because if your string
happens to snap, none of the artistes will come to your rescue. Wasn't it fun when this happened during the performances and the lead guitarist asked for a nother guitar while his was being tuned and trust me, except for music nerds like me, no one could notice.

Yaa Yaa on stage

YAA YAA(BertherBridget Kankam), comes on stage and introduces the percussion with her majestic art on the tom drum. I saw great energy especially when she psyches her team in dancing to the original compositions that everyone would join in regardless of whether or not you know the language. We had a chat the following day and something struck me. Well, not all, but for a few that I've met, when an artiste gets to perform in such a high end event, they at most have a minute for you, and sadly, it's normally, "Hi, I'm good!" I managed an interview with Yaa Yaa and there's so much wisdom that I will share in an exclusive post to come.

A group of guitarists and 
composers/producers consulting

 This post won't mean a thing if I don't talk about the respected legend Obrafour when it comes to rap music in Ghana. His original name is Michael Elliot Kwabena Okyere Darko.  Prior to his coming, we were in a workshop with producers. This was a continuation of the presentations each one of us was giving on our works. I got to showcase my piece on forgiveness which you can get by clicking on the link Msamaha This was termed as very emotional by the audience among whom was a lead HipHop Producer, Mr. Koffi. One can only wonder the power of music. That the mind can decipher a psychological piece even without words is just a miracle. That is when I got to learn a lot on film scoring that has been part of my desire for as long as I can remember. BY the way, some days to come I will be starring! Now, people were not ready to break for lunch lest they miss a seat to hear Obrafour. 

Time elapsed, entered a short man, with a hat covering clean but very dark long dreadlocks almost reaching his waist. The room became frighteningly silent and he began to talk. Now I am fond of writing the main points from speeches; it turned out I was going to be writing everything! With the release of yesterdays Wajinga Nyinyi by the Kenyan rapper King Kaka, now I know that RAP just means Rythmic African Poetry as defined by Obrafour.  Never had I heard a successful rapper speak in a humble manner, attributing his success to God and when asked how he manages to write epic pieces he said; 

I am a student of the Bible. My mother brought me up training me in the fear of the almighty God. I took that up. In my work, I reckon that I am speaking to families and so, dignity is important, I need to inspire generations (Paraphrase).

Douglas in ACCES studio on collaborations

This popped  open a section in my mind that was blocked years ago as I joined High School. I composed a lot of songs and some of them were pieces for rap. Sadly, none of them got an extra ear because the role models I'd have wanted to look upto were just profane. Either about sex, alcohol or drugs. If you are in Kenya, find out hip hop artists in Kenya around 2004 and beyond. Since then, I wouldn't listen to a Hip-hop piece until after campus but still, getting my hands on writing rap gave me chills. Maybe, it's time!
As always, making friends is a good thing to help one appreciate diversity. The show was over and I had friends back where I was staying. The names I remember( I am poor with names at first instances) are Maiu Pachamama and Ibrahim. Perhaps because they were my company at the beach. The photos below include them and a few others at the residence.

The writer at the Ghana
Academy of Arts and Sciences

 I am sure, those who know me have been wondering how I got there, because Ghana is miles away. My gratitude goes to Music In Africa for giving me the opportunity to participate and Prince Clause Fund for facilitating my travel and accommodation. Thank you for reading!

The writer is and artiste at and founder of Dowe Music &Arts as well as the pioneer of Art4Leadership.

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WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING

Bishop TD Jakes Addressing Entrepreneurs 

“I hear people from outside talk about opportunities in Africa more than I hear Africans talk about opportunities in Africa…the globe today is ready for your Idea,”

NunuNtshingila, the Regional Director Facebook Africa pointed out this truth during SOAR AFRICA 2019 as she stood up to address enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

SOAR AFRICA is a platform for African Leaders to get peer mentorship, knowledge sharing and executive engagement that embraces servant leadership. 5^th-6^th September 2019 mark the inaugural dates for the event that has been the talk of the day at least by many in the country for the past one month. The event brought together admirable leaders not only in the business world but also from the Public as well as the Spiritual aspects of life. 

The main speaker being Bishop TD Jakes from the US, the audience were surely blessed by his colleagues of the day including Strive Masiyiwa, Joshua Oigara (KCB), Sylvia Mulinge(Safaricom PLC), CS Fred Matiang’I to mention but a few.

There had been a fuss all over the media about the charges to the event but some of us just chose to focus on the main thing, which was, “SOAR AFRICA.” I was not going to afford this summit but was positive that at least I could get some nuggets of wisdom even if it meant through leaked videos or the social media titbits. 

You can imagine the joy when I got a message to express interest in attending the summit through the YALI alumni email. KCB had decided to sponsor a few of us. That is one of the mails I normally respond to first, doing the necessary before asking questions. Doesn’t Steve Covey advocate for pro-activeness in his 7Habits of Highly Effective People?

Let’s just say I had to attend this no matter the circumstances. I had been down with a fever and I once thought about cancelling my travel plan but… Years ago I read a book with a title “THE PRINCESS WITHIN” by Sarah Jakes which made me admire the man, her husband. I looked forward to becoming a resilient husband, open and honest as well as God-fearing. 

So, when an opportunity comes to hear and see the man you read on paper and/or watched on electrons, what more can one ask? The fact that he is a man of God showing the world that business can be clean and money after all was meant to serve man and not the other way is inspirational and maybe for once…I had to pause because I think the statement needs its own sentence break.

For once, young Christians (and even believers of other religions) have evidence that being religious is not a license to foolishness and poverty as it is always shoved down our throats right from primary school by some who believe in nothing. 

According to TDJ, the success of a nation is like a table. The four legs are Entrepreneurship, Religion, Political Leadership and Technology. Knock any of them off and there you have a crisis. He advocates for an inclusive society where children, the youths and the elderly are part of the cake baking process.

I could see the passion he has for Kenya and the longings for the rising of the black continent. We danced to the beat led by the stamping of his foot encouraging Kenyans to start marketing their products.

“Success is no longer a local Idea…business is a brand. A brand is a promise…a promise is built on trust. Make it easier for people to trade with you…It is not about who’s next…find people who do what you can’t…collaborate…” 

A few months ago, during the National Youths and Devolution Summit, the speakers emphasized on the need for young people to advance from noise to voice. TDJ called on Kenyans to channel their energy into marketing their products because,

“We (outside Kenya) need your products, we need your music, your normal to us is amazing…the wind is right for your dream…wake up! Wake up Kenya, it’s morning!”

To sum up this write-up, my salutation goes to Joy Wachira, the founder of SOAR AFRICA for dreaming big and helping us get the motivation we needed to forge ahead. To KCB and the Yali Fraternity, one day books will be read as people overseas will be looking for the formula that made Africa arise, these titles shall be remembered.  Meanwhile, let me finish reading my copy of SOAR authored by Bishop TD Jakes. You can order it online at Amazon 

A section of young Entrepreneurs after the summit

Dear reader, thank you choosing to read this post under Art4Leadership with sponsorship of Dowe Music &Arts. We endeavor to highlight the positive change taking place in Africa as we rebuke the stench of evils that thwart her progress. Please stay tuned.

The writer has sole responsibility for the post.

Douglas Ogutu is a gifted 

musician and writer

 at Dowe Music & Arts

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