Leshie Lovesong is a Singing Performance Poet, based in Botswana. In 2006, she became Exodus Live Poetry’s Slam Champion, and became a member of the collective itself in 2007. As of November 2007, the young poetess has displayed her craft at every Infinite Word Festival in Gaborone. As an advocate for Environmental Sustainability, the poet has work shopped drama scripts which included her poetry in Angola, Luanda, and Namibia, Rundu, the focus being on the Okavango River.
Morena Leraba is a Mosotho musician and shepherd from of Ha-Mojela in Mafeteng district, located south of Lesotho’s capital Maseru. Lebara’s music (especially lyrics) is deeply rooted in Lesotho’s traditional music, poetry, and it’s sub-genre, Famo, which was introduced as early as the 1920s when Basotho men were migrant workers in South African mines. However, the approach in the beat is significantly different as it hurls almost everything from Electro, Electronica, Afro-House, Folk, and Hip-Hop.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Sereetsi & the Natives, a refreshing definitive reference in the contemporisation of folk music in Botswana and a unique voice in the World Music arena. The act’s strong songwriting and performance in its debut album, Four String Confessions (May 2015), presents a fearless sound that blends traditional Botswana rhythms with Western influences, all built around the signature sound and tradition of the four string folk guitar.
The album has yielded a number of radio staples in Robete, Thaa Kokome, Ngwana’Ngu Wa Enda and Ke Boletsa Mongwe. Sereetsi & the Natives employs master storytelling and poetic lyricism to offer social commentary on topical issues in contemporary Botswana and much of the developing world, sometimes as controversial as homosexuality, or as universal as love and conflict.
Shubert Mwarabu has years of experience in the wildlife conservation sector. Currently, Shubert is Conservation Advocacy Manager to the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program, leading a countrywide campaign to save Tanzania’s Elephants. Shubert is also a musician who sings to raise awareness on wildlife conservation and climate change issues.Shubert is the Elephant Ambassador to the African Elephant Coalition and a core member of the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos. He hopes to run youth advocacy organizations to motivate more local people to employ conservation. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Shubert plans to continue his work to advocate for wildlife conservation.
Maun, Botswana
A living legend in Botswana, we are honored to call Stiger Sola our friend. He’s got a heart of gold, and a voice that personifies years of experience singing and storytelling in Setswana and his mother tongue, se’Yei. Literally born inside the Okavango Delta wilderness, Stiger has that “star quality” that’s hard to describe, but as soon as you meet him, you know that he’s a very special human, and a talented musician!
BeatHaven provides a unique musical entertainment experience by juxtaposing the repetitive characteristic of looping with the spontaneity of improvisation, creating soundscapes and lengthy live electronic compositions, fusing genres such as house/hip-hop with jazz and classical improvisations, often with soulful and refined lyrics. He is currently based out of Harrisonburg, Va. where he is expanding his fan base outwards and working on branding and a recording a debut studio album.
Dr. Mtukudzi grew up in Highfield, a poor neighborhood in Salisbury (modern-day Harare) in Southern Rhodesia, as the eldest of seven siblings[1]. While both his parents sang in a choir, they were initially not supportive of his continued interest in music, consequently breaking his first homemade guitar.[2]
He began performing in 1977 when he joined the Wagon Wheels, a band that also featured Thomas Mapfumo and fellow legendary guitarist James Chimombe. They were given the rare opportunity by Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo, an African nationalist and music promoter, who provided money and resources to the group. With the support of Mutanga, the prayers and blessings of Amai Mutanga, he allowed them to perform at Mutanga Restaurant & Night Club (Pungwe) which, at the time, was the first and only African licensed (obtained by Mkondo) night club available for blacks under Rhodesia’s policy of segregation. Their single Dzandimomotera went gold and Tuku’s first album followed, which was also a major success. Mtukudzi is also a contributor to Mahube, Southern Africa’s “supergroup”.[3]
With his husky voice, Mtukudzi has become the most recognised voice to emerge from Zimbabwe and onto the international scene and he has earned a devoted following across Africa and beyond. A member of Zimbabwe’s KoreKore group, with Nzou Samanyanga as his totem, he sings in the nation’s dominant Shona language along with Ndebele and English. He also incorporates elements of different musical traditions, giving his music a distinctive style, known to fans as Tuku Music.
On 23 January 2019, Mtukudzi died at the age of 66, just a few months after our collaboration. May his soul rest in peace, as his legacy lives on.
When it comes to South Africa, the Jack Mantis Band still has it’s place as one of the country’s top jam bands. When they do find themselves here, they continue to perform on large stages such as Rocking the Daisies, Splashy Fenn, Oppikoppi, Kirstenbosch Gardens and the Paul Cluver Amphitheatre. The past two years has seen them share stages with the likes of Prime Circle, Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones), Ard Matthews, Arno Carstens, Albert Frost and – most recently – Dan Patlansky.
With a history steeped in music and a lifetime spent gaining insight and wisdom the world over, Mantis brings something truly generous to his performances. A sense of common humanity and togetherness. The brotherhood between band members and the sincere heart expressed through their music is tangible. It is undeniable that their vision is to create a conscious shift through their music and to hold a space for meaningful shared experiences.
Maureen is an Afro Jazz singer and songwriter with 35 years in the music industry. Maureen started her music career as a teenager, and she has a collection of five albums (Nandayeya 2000, Coming Home 2002, Evolution 2004, Tetwe 2005, Soul Masala 2007). She is backed by ‘Ashilile Band’ comprising six instrumentalists. The band is inspired by tradition and plays a fusion of traditional Zambian and western music. The band plays all genres of music but their strong suit is the Zambian field.
Maureen is a motivational speaker, and she has addressed in her music as well as at conferences issues on malaria, HIV, child abuse, domestic violence, morality, religion, and dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Maureen has collaborated and shared stages with various artists such as the Malmo Symphony of Sweden, Oliver Mtukudzi, Fra Fra of Netherlands, Magic System, Baba Maal of Senegal, Black Voices of the UK, Leona Lewis, Jonathan Butler, and Seal. Maureen has also led a female Acapella group called Amashiwi to Japan.
Maureen has won multi-Ngoma awards, two Azami awards and Starmaker accolade. She was nominated in the 2006 South Africa Kora Award for Best Female Artist. On March 21, 2014 Maureen was awarded the Born ‘n’ Bred Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also the Plan International Goodwill Ambassador and member of the Zambia Adjudicators Panel (ZAP). On September 18, 2015 she was awarded Africa’s Most Influential Women Awards for Arts in Zambia and the SADC region.