#tilinanu

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1 day…

So tomorrow is the day I leave for Malawi to volunteer for a beautiful charity whose name represents their simple yet powerful message… Love. Support. Unite.

As my last post I leave you with this music from Diko Fils. This is Kiri…

Please is you have any spare pennies and have enjoyed this Music for Malawi then please donate to my Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lovesupportunitemalawi

It feels good to give and the love will be received whole-heartedly from the people of Malawi and Love Support Unite, who really are changing lives…

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6 Days...

Nneka Lucia Egbuna is a Nigerian hip-hop, soul, reggae singer, songwriter and actress. She sings in both English and Nigerian Pidgin. She sings about political issues in many of her songs, talking of the plight of the Niger Delta and the corruption in her homeland.

My soul sister Lainey introduced me to this beaut… This is her 2007 single; Africaans…

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22 Days...

“The numerous relocations, all the travel, and the global adaptability this entailed – all these things strongly influenced me. Yet I feel no sense of displacement or inner conflict. On the contrary, it is all these stages of a journey, all the impressions and experiences en route, which together, form a sum that is greater than its parts – a greater whole – the sum of me, my totality.”…

Strong words from Y’akoto when she was questioned about her nomadic lifestyle. She is half Ghanaian, half German, grew up in Ghana, Cameroon and Chad and now resides between Hamburg, Lomé and Paris. A restless wanderer that has no plans to stop – I know a fair few wonderful people that feel exactly the same way!

This is “Tamba” taken from her debut album Babyblues. You can definitely hear the Badu influence in her music…

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28 days... One of the first two pieces I have chosen for ‘Music for Malawi’ is ‘Zvichapera’ by the late Chiwoniso. Special thanks to my friend Abi for posting this beautiful track as it was after hearing this for the first time that I realised that I don’t know very much about African music. This is what inspired me change that!

‘Zvichapera’ was the last studio recording from Chiwoniso Maraire before she passed away at the age of 37. Poignantly, ‘zvichapera’ in the language of the Shona people of Zimbabwe means ‘end’. She stood as the Queen of Mbira – an instrument traditionally played by men only in Zimbabwe. At the age of 15 she was amongst the first to merge the mbira sound with contemporary music in the afro-fusion hip-hop trio - ‘Peace of Ebony’.  

The instrument takes many forms and different names across Africa. The one she plays is called the nyunga-nyunga which means sparkle-sparkle!

Listen to what she has to say in her last ever interview as she talks about travelling in her dreams, the whispering sounds of trees and connecting with people through music.

Here is ‘Chemutengure’ played by her father and teacher Dumisani Maraire and Ephat Mujuru - another master of the mbira. ‘Chemutengure’ means ‘imitating the sound of wheels’. It was first composed in the 19th century and is used to teach beginners on the nyunga-nyunga.