Goals:

• “Give Africa a voice!”
• Support development of Arusha local musical scene.
• Help local musicians to develop their music by mixing Hip-hop, Reggae with Traditional (Maasai, etc.) music.
• Bring artists from East Africa to share music and work together, so that they can enter international music market in a sustainable way with a music which represent them the most.
• Participate to the rise of a real African music mixing modern and traditional musics.
• Bring youth from all over the world to discover and help the local dynamism of various development projects .

Objectives:

• To challenge artists to achieve excellence through music.
• To unite all youth who are attracted by music./ (To find a way for a global unity of youth through the tool music.)
• Mixing Traditional music with Modern Music.
• Spread youth orientated messages of social and cultural issues (life, HIV/AIDS, poverty, etc.), that both village and urban youth deal with, to other interested youth in East Africa and worldwide.
• Help the local modern music artists to come back over traditions, to rediscover theire roots.
• Develop creative and innovative ways for making marketable music and promote a global unity of local and International Music.
• International and national young people share and learn from each other through music.
• Get local and international musics to meet.
• Establish a sustainable relationship between visitors and local development projects.

Why is it relevant?

To discuss issues that music is facing in East Africa.

It will give a chance for artists to express what they feel about music and life realities.

It will grant opportunity to meet international musicians as well as other East African artists and see what they do.

It will open ideas for artists on how to promote music in East Africa.

To emphasize the dynamism of local development projects by establishing a proper link with international youth visitors.

EARU Festival

East Africa Rise Up is not like any festival, it can be consider as a whole project in the continuity of a local dynamic. Indeed, the UKKUMAS team has already been studying and participating to the local development, so EARU project takes part the in local NGO's and artists work, and is economically and socially relevant.

All organizing partners are collaborating to settle a sustainable project, and a 2009 festival is already planned.

Music is extremely pervasive in the daily lives of all Tanzanians, whether they live in urban or rural areas. East African countries have a lot of different music. Some of this music is coming from different tribes (traditional music).

Traditional music is any music performed by Indigenous or Tribal Peoples using traditional instruments made within the community. All Indigenous music is made for the same purpose as music throughout the rest of world: story telling, education, art, messaging, creativity, pleasure, relaxation, etc. The type of instrument used, if any, depends upon the readily available resources. Maasai, for instance, mostly use chants and a cultural form of dancing, in addition to the occasional use of antelope horn – dependent upon the season. Other groups that have access to a great number of animal skins customarily make drums. Variety of resources greatly affects a group’s cultural and food, as well as their music, and this leads to hundreds of different types of Traditional Music in Tanzania.

Due to some social issues, like urbanization, sedentarysation, etc. which have contributed somehow to loose some culture, many traditional musics have disappeared and only some of them have remained to certain tribes.

Moreover traditional music dances still exist and were used and are still used, as a way of passing a message. The traditional dances music express many issues around the society, e.g. freedom death, oppression tribalism etc.

Now that modern music like, Hip-Hop, Reggae etc, have risen in an amazing way and express different issues in an advanced way; there are countless groups that play conscious music around East Africa.

In the beginning of 1989 music of hip hop and Reggae etc emerged and drew the attention of many youth in East Africa. Groups of hip hop and Reggae grew among the youth especially in secondary schools, and in the street where a lot of youth lives in the ghetto. To many youth, this new music came as a relief. It was a way to express what feelings and ideas they had towards certain issues in the society or to the government.

Since there was not enough recording studios, and good producers, artists had to seek ways of promoting their music individually. One way of promoting their music was to perform in local pubs, bar restaurants and night clubs. People liked the music, because it was hardly talk about real situations. Then modern studios appeared in cities like Dar es Salaam and Nairobi and many artists had a chance to record some of their creation. But as the artist becomes more interested in music recording, cost of recording increased. So musicians had to sign a contract with the studio to make an album, which in return they didn’t benefit. Musician had to work hard again to promote their music. Radio was a good way to promote music, but the Radio Stations was not as many as now. Dj’s, found that was another way of making a profit by asking artist a little bribe for every track that will be played in the radio. Some of the artists did not care whether they will be played or not as soon as they keep their music real.

A lot of respected Artists have brought East African music to a recognized level such as groups like UkooFlani MauMau, Hardcore Unity, Warriors from the east, X-Plastaz, Wateule, Watengwa and Nako 2 Nako Soldiers, Kwanza Unity. Hip-Hop and Reggae (which are culturally linked in East Africa), like most music, have been used as a tool of expression and passing message for current social issues, as well as being done for pleasure, relaxation, emotional expression etc. Because of Hip-Hop’s and Reggae historical roles as an outlet for the expression of social ills – like racism, death, disease, oppression, exclusion, etc., - and because Traditional music has also been used in the same manner, (describing social issues, disease, death, spirituality, love, pleasure, etc.) the three fit well together for the context of our festival project. These three types of music are an aspect of culture that youth in East Africa come in contact with on a daily basis; urban youth more so with Hip-Hop/Reggae, and village youth more so with Traditional, although both know of the other. Through these three distinct types of music the youth discover messages and expressions of life. The East Africa Rise Up festival will expound upon this by providing the two peer groups (urban and rural)an open time and space to perform and mix music together, and to discover as well the different sides of their culture and the music that drives it.

The EARU festival will include different artist from Africa, France USA, Europe etc. This will stimulate artists of East Africa to participate their music International.

Why youth from East Africa?

In Tanzania alone 60% of the population is youth. We need to look at their development processes for self actualization and participation in nation building. Tanzania’s social and economic well being depends on how it can inspire its young people to work for a better life. There is rapid growth and augmentation of the youth labor force of ages between 15 years and 45 years. The inability of the Tanzanian economy to employ these people and supply their income is a big problem. The labor force reaching about 90% is concentrated in the rural areas, which are dominated by the smaller holder agricultural sector. Though there are many prospects for living in rural areas, urban migration is occurring, but it has not shown a way to a solution.

East African countries have been facing a lot of civil war and poverty for a long time, as a result these issues have not only destroyed the infrastructure of the society but it also had a bad effect on youth spirit. These countries still lives under low economy level, such that it cannot support the number of youth with all the required necessities. A number of things such as employment, education, health etc in East African countries is still a disaster. The result of war and governmental adjustment has some how affected the majority, and especially youth.

Furthermore the fast urbanization of last decades has cut this urban youth generation from their ancestors culture and knowledge, that is why this generation nowadays wish to come back over tradition, especially through music where youth have found a way to express their feelings.

The organization of UKKUMAS has targeted youth from East Africa because, the music in East Africa has hardly been promoted in comparison to countries like West Africa, and South Africa. There are numbers of talented youth musicians in East Africa that in one way or another have found difficulties in promoting their own music creation. Lacking access to powerful musical recording facilities, marketing and ownership of the music has also put East African Musician in hard times.

The festival will remind people the importance of keeping culture and feel pride and ownership of their own traditional music. UKKUMAS will try to empower youth of East Africa by helping them to explore their cultural heritage and by finding contacts that will help to spread their music internationally.

In addition UKKUMAS have arranged this Music Festival so that youth will get a chance to come up with ideas that will help themselves and some how raise the economy, by using traditional knowledge, that will help them to get in a healthy and sustainable development.

Presentation of organizing partners:

UKKUMAS

UKKUMAS, .."Umoja wa Kimataifa Kwa Uhuru na Maendeleo Asili na Sanaa..", is Swahili acronym and means .."International Association for Cultural and Artistic Freedom and Development..".

We are an association of French youth which stands for an international conscience through the mix of different arts and cultures. By working with various international organizations, we want to participate to a conscious globalization by establishing a clever link between tradition and modernity.

UKKUMAS was founded in 2006 by BRUNO Mathieu and MOREAU Benjamin.

It is still a youthful association but we are already working on different local and international projects and feed (have) long-term goals.

We also have an African drum band performing with circus artists and dancers.

Number of current members: 15

AangSerian, www.aangserian.org.uk

Aang Serian is not funded by any specific donor agencies, or linked to any specific religious or political group. We are young people from many tribes and nations, working together with like-minded individuals around the world, believing that: By refusing to be labeled ‘underdeveloped’, we can build our self-esteem. By rediscovering our traditions, we can build our identity. By using the skills and knowledge of our ancestors, we can build our economy. By promoting dialogues between ethnic groups, we can build a peaceful society. – Aang Serian creed

History:

Aang Serian was founded by a group of Arusha youth in 1999, with the aim of supporting urban and rural youth through art by giving them a place to make and sell their works, as well as exchange ideas with other like-minded individuals. The second goal, that came some time later, is to provide a space to learn about indigenous knowledge and traditions, which turned into the Aang Serian mantra: To promote and preserve Indigenous Knowledge through art and music.

Edmund Brown Ntwale

Edmund is a Tanzanian curently living in Arusha, he is the Director of Marurani and Mungushi Training Centers in the Maasai land (in the rural area). His volunteer work has empowered him with local people recognition and various international contacts. His motivation and his communication skills make him a central member of the organizing team.

UAACC (Black Panther cultural center in Arusha), www.uaacc.habari.co.tz