Kakuma Sound seeks to provide the Kakuma Refugee Camp with one of the most important cultural resources that is dearly missed by most of the artists in the camp – access to the traditional instruments from their home regions and countries most of them were forced to leave behind as they fled the violence engulfing their homelands. It’s not surprising that even the most dedicated musicians will have little chance to bring their instruments with them when fleeing violence. Yet while modern/Western instruments like guitars, basses, keyboards, and drums, as well as standard percussion, are available at Kakuma or fairly easily obtainable (if at higher prices than can be found in Nairobi or other major cities) traditional instruments – the usually hand-crafted, locally made natural instruments often uniquely associated with one location or area – are almost entirely absent.
Discussions with numerous musicians and other refugees, some of whom have spent almost two decades here, reveal that these traditional instruments were crucial cultural tools whose absence has severely weakened their ability to maintain their cultures, histories and identities. And because traditional instruments are not commercially produced their absence is not easily or inexpensively remedied at or near the Camp.
Goals and Plan of Action
We believe providing the musicians of Kakuma with both modern and traditional instruments they so desperately miss will not just help them preserve the cultures and traditions they’ve been forced to leave behind, but catalyze new cultures and new sources of income for the future. Moreover, we are confident that in providing these instruments and a bit of support (such as using the demonstrable filmmaking talent in the camp to create a series of documentaries on the musicians who, far more than local singers and rappers, are ignored by the media that is a regular presence there), we can empower and enable the artists to create a unique fusion and sound that will literally rock Africa and the planet.
During the last year in multiple trips to Kakuma our team has put together a list of the many traditional instruments from the home cultures and societies of Camp residents, which the musicians have told us are most important to help preserve their unique cultures and religions, perform their music and help educate the new generation about their homelands and histories. Now that we have a fairly comprehensive list of instruments, we have developed the following 1-year plan:
1 – With our partners, sponsors and individual donors and volunteers, raise money to purchase and then begin to bring the traditional instruments from the list to the camp
2 – As a baseline of instruments are at the Camp, begin sponsoring opportunities for local musicians to (re)learn the instruments, including bringing in master musicians from their home countries for workshops and concerts to help create the highest possible level of musicianship.
3 – Once we’ve established a core group of musicians from the various countries living in Kakuma who are proficient (again) on their instruments, provide opportunities for directed musical creation, rehearsal, composition and recordings, in order to help define the Kakuma Sound.
4 – Help spread the word throughout Kenya, East Africa and beyond about the Kakuma Sound and the broader project to bring traditional instruments to refugee communities in UNHCR camps across Africa. Sponsor visiting artists, workshops, recordings, concerts and festivals to raise awareness and encourage collaborations.
5 – Create a stable and routinized financial base for the Camp’s musicians to earn money from their music.
6 – Provide opportunities for the musicians to travel and perform regularly outside the Camp and even Kenya.
7 – Raise money to establish a music school in the camp, providing both employment opportunities and the chance to pass on their skills and culture to the next generation.
Kakuma 