Sound Communities - Increasing pan-African participation at Kilele 2025
This year we welcome a new partner, the legendary Roskilde Festival, along with their partners Africa Express. Their support for Kilele 2025 is focussed on increasing participation at Kilele from across the continent. Thanks to this support, we have secured the following artists, speakers and facilitators.
Sisonke Papu (South Africa)
Sisonke Papu is a multi-disciplinary artist, breathwork facilitator, iGqirha (traditional healer), and founder of NgoMa Technologies. Hailing from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, Sisonke bridges the ancient and the modern, blending indigenous knowledge, African healing traditions, and contemporary sound technologies to explore the power of vibration in healing and consciousness. Self-taught in sound and instrument-building, he crafts instruments like the uhadi, xitende, nyatiti, adungu and n'goni and reimagines them for modern therapeutic applications.
https://www.instagram.com/sisonkepapu/?hl=en
Nana and Zai (Tanzania)
Singeli comes to Kilele with the duo Nana and Zai, also known as the Golden Girl$$.
Nana and Zai have been an energetic DJ/MC duo since last year. The pair have performed at:
Nyege Nyege (UG)
CTM (DE)
Roskilde Festival (DA)
Afropollination (UG & DE)
Humboldt Forum (DE)
and many more.
Joshua Madalitso Chiundiza (Zimbabwe)
Joshua Madalitso Chiundiza is a music producer, artist development strategist, audiovisual artist and music researcher from Zimbabwe. Crafting unique music brand identities, Joshua has created and scaled local music concepts internationally, signing off projects with acclaimed record labels, touring and publishing houses such as BBE Music (UK), Parma Recordings (US), Nyami Nyami Records (FR) and Bi:pole Productions (FR). His latest project, Bantu Spaceship has garnered significant attention from reputable music and media platforms such as the BBC, Pan African Magazine, Radio Nova, Soho Radio London, Le Monde, Africa Is A Country and KEXP’s live music sessions. He has also given lectures, workshops and keynote talks on the creative and music business at events and institutions like Webster University Geneva, Playable City Future Leaders Lab International, Music Crossroads, the Music Imbizo and Fame Week Africa. Joshua is the founder of Husikisiki, a music and artist development agency.
KEXP Live Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=howPAQkG4Bs&t=359s
Radio Nova: https://www.nova.fr/news/bantu-spaceship-lavenir-de-la-musique-du-zimbabwe-253098-02-04-2024/
Sounds of Renewal (Uganda)
Nilotika Cultural Ensemble will showcase an environmental Recycling Music project called Sounds of Renewal.
The ensemble reimagine the ancient Ugandan practice of cleaning and clearing grounds as an environmental care instruction (Bulunji Bwansi). This age-old tradition of removing waste materials is revitalized through creativity and sustainability. The Ensemble members repurpose collected waste into innovative musical instruments, reflecting their commitment to both cultural heritage and environmental stewardship. These unique instruments, embodying the spirit of renewal, are then used in vibrant performances, showcases, transforming discarded materials into sounds that celebrate the resilience and ingenuity of the culture.
Sophia Mitiku (Ethiopia / Korea)
Sophia Mitiku is a Korean-Ethiopian singer, song-writer and sound artist. Her work delves into a wide range of post-genre exploration, resulting in contemporary productions of RnB, pop, trip hop, and electronic music. Through experimentation of voice, performance, and installation Mitiku creates immersive sonic worlds through both digital and physical mediums.
As she works on her sophomore album ‘all sickness is homesickness’ Sophia studies folklore in contemporary music practices, pulsating between the interplay of tradition and modernity as they shape and redefine cultural landscapes. Her music explores our relationships between emotional and terrestrial landscapes through themes of migration, memory, and change - bridging the reverie of nostalgia and futurism.
SPOTIFY
BANDCAMP
IG: @sophiamitiku