Read the latest news and features from Santuri East Africa.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 14TH AUGUST, 2023
Santuri Electronic Music Academy (SEMA) courses in September: Elevating Your Musical Journey
NAIROBI, Kenya, 14th August 2023 - The Santuri Electronic Music Academy (SEMA) has announced its latest course offerings for
music producers and DJs, slated for September 2023. SEMA, the educational arm of Santuri East Africa, the Nairobi-based music
innovation hub, supports music producers, DJs, sound engineers, and alternative music industry practitioners in the region. The
academy runs premier courses in music production and deejaying, with a focus on building community and culture, as well as honing
students’ technical skills.
This September, SEMA is offering cutting-edge courses that cater to both beginners and aspiring professionals. With six-week
courses in beginner-level deejaying (DJ101) and Intermediate Music Production (IMP), interested applicants are encouraged to sign
up on https://santuri.org/New-SEMA-Courses ahead of the application deadline: Thursday, September 7th, 2023.
SEMA is designed and implemented by accomplished artists, music producers, and DJs who have a deep connection to folkloric,
electronic, and alternative music, as well as a core sense of community purpose. The academy adopts progressive pedagogy based
on Project Based Learning, thus students are always hands-on with their own studies - this is not a traditional classroom.
Speaking to The Guardian, a SEMA graduate and industry-leading artist, Nabalayo, recalled “before I would call myself a singer masquerading as a producer, but after [the SEMA course] I felt validated and confident in what I’m doing."
”As an organisation, Santuri is a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and so our mission is to level out the playing field
for our community members from all walks of life,” mentioned Sharon Onyango-Obbo, SEMA’s Project Lead. SEMA will be encouraging applications from non-male-identifying practitioners and is committed to contributing toward greater gender and socio-economic parity in the East African music industry and beyond.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 14TH AUGUST, 2023
Santuri Electronic Music Academy (SEMA) courses in September: Elevating Your Musical Journey
NAIROBI, Kenya, 14th August 2023 - The Santuri Electronic Music Academy (SEMA) has announced its latest course offerings for
music producers and DJs, slated for September 2023. SEMA, the educational arm of Santuri East Africa, the Nairobi-based music
innovation hub, supports music producers, DJs, sound engineers, and alternative music industry practitioners in the region. The
academy runs premier courses in music production and deejaying, with a focus on building community and culture, as well as honing
students’ technical skills.
This September, SEMA is offering cutting-edge courses that cater to both beginners and aspiring professionals. With six-week
courses in beginner-level deejaying (DJ101) and Intermediate Music Production (IMP), interested applicants are encouraged to sign
up on https://santuri.org/New-SEMA-Courses ahead of the application deadline: Thursday, September 7th, 2023.
SEMA is designed and implemented by accomplished artists, music producers, and DJs who have a deep connection to folkloric,
electronic, and alternative music, as well as a core sense of community purpose. The academy adopts progressive pedagogy based
on Project Based Learning, thus students are always hands-on with their own studies - this is not a traditional classroom.
Speaking to The Guardian, a SEMA graduate and industry-leading artist, Nabalayo, recalled “before I would call myself a singer masquerading as a producer, but after [the SEMA course] I felt validated and confident in what I’m doing."
”As an organisation, Santuri is a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and so our mission is to level out the playing field
for our community members from all walks of life,” mentioned Sharon Onyango-Obbo, SEMA’s Project Lead. SEMA will be encouraging applications from non-male-identifying practitioners and is committed to contributing toward greater gender and socio-economic parity in the East African music industry and beyond.
Course details:
DJ101
Monday, September 11th to Wednesday, October 18th, 2023
Every week - Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Afternoon classes. Class time: Mondays & Tuesdays: 1 pm - 5 pm; Wednesdays: 3 pm - 7 pm
Location: Santuri East Africa, The Mall (basement level), Westlands, Nairobi
Intermediate Music Production (IMP)
Wednesday, September 13th to Thursday, October 19th, 2023
Every week - Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
Morning classes. Class time: 10 am - 2 pm
Location: Santuri East Africa, The Mall (basement level), Westlands, Nairobi
DJ101
Monday, September 11th to Wednesday, October 18th, 2023
Every week - Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Afternoon classes. Class time: Mondays & Tuesdays: 1 pm - 5 pm; Wednesdays: 3 pm - 7 pm
Location: Santuri East Africa, The Mall (basement level), Westlands, Nairobi
Intermediate Music Production (IMP)
Wednesday, September 13th to Thursday, October 19th, 2023
Every week - Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
Morning classes. Class time: 10 am - 2 pm
Location: Santuri East Africa, The Mall (basement level), Westlands, Nairobi
Head over to https://santuri.org/New-SEMA-Courses for more information, or email admissions@santuri.org for any queries.
SOUND SYSTERS REFLECTIONS
As part of its Jenga CCI programme, Goethe-Institut Nairobi implemented a workshop, titled Holla Systers – Sound Engineering for Women, in partnership with the Sound Systers Collective. Some of our staff had the opportunity to take part in this with the aim being to encourage non-male participants through skill sharing and exchange, to take the steps needed into the technical, musical and production areas in the live music, cultural or political industry.
Reflecting on their experience, this is what they had to say.
Sharon: "The Soundsysters workshop was an incredible experience. I got to interact with topics I was always intimidated by, feeling like I didn't have any concrete ways to learn in a safe space. The environment was great, and we dove into live sound engineering fundamentals such as signal flow, DIY cable-making, set up, and set down. We also put on a concert at the end of the workshop, with performing artists in the scene such as Janice Iche, Polaris, Njerae, Wendy Kay, Vallerie Muthoni and Corinne Kahi. I look forward to being part of a really supportive and ambitious group of femme audio engineers!
Moige: The SoundSysters workshop was incredible and different from any other workshop I’ve eve attended. Every morning before class, we would have a grounding session where we got to connect to each other and the earth, and set intentions for the class ahead. The classes would have a brief period of theoretical instruction but ultimately we had more practical sessions. I felt empowered everyday for several reasons:
1. There was a pack of tampons and pads right at the entrance of the classroom, no hidden in any way. I have never felt more welcomed to a space as a woman, or more at ease.
2. Working with cables, there’s a lot of redundant language around naming the parts i.e male and female parts. Right off the bat, our instructors cancelled those terms and introduced calling them by their proper names - receivers and senders. It was givin crushing the patriarchy through the destruction of problematic language structures.
3. The instructors are very good at their professions; it was so inspiring to see non-male people talk so passionately/knowledgeably about things that are stereotypically for men. It made me feel like I could do it too.
4. I learned so much. I can confidently set up both a DJ and live stage as well as d mixing and even though I am not that experienced, the training gave me lots of confidence. Coming from a background where I was the only girl in the band, in several bands, I feel almost vindicated now that I have learned the basics in soun engineering and I can stand up for myself and other femme artists in the space.
5. During the grounding sessions, we would sometimes sing a song by Nalini Blosso called the Circle of Women and bonding in this way was empowering in a very spiritual way. It’s so important to have spaces for women to be vulnerable togethe and to remind each other how strong and beautiful and worthy we are in the wake of all the gender based violence and oppression that goes on everywhere; th workshop definitely provided that space.
I had lots of takeaways: I can solder my own audio cables now which makes the femmes of Santuri that much cooler (because I’m pretty sure the guys can’t do it as professionally). I have more passion for contributing to making femme safe spaces through teaching others, and showing up to support my fellow soundsysters who are also artists and musicians in their own right. I’ve made wonderful friends and from them, I have learned so much more than just sound engineering. This workshop has made me a better producer and in general,a better musician for sure.
Welcome to Jadili Sessions, a platform dedicated to thought-provoking panel discussions and deep dives into various aspects of music, culture, and creativity. In these sessions, we bring together artists, entrepreneurs, and experts from diverse creative backgrounds to explore complex topics and spark meaningful conversations. From examining the ethics of sampling traditional instruments and cultures, to discussing the history of electronic music and the role of traditional music in contemporary contexts.
How do you feel about Gengetone music? Love it? Hate it? Not sure where to stand?
On this Jadili session moderated by DJ Raph, the panelists RaFiiKi and SnSe dissected the good, the fad and the "ugali" of urban Kenyan music.
On this Jadili session moderated by DJ Raph, the panelists RaFiiKi and SnSe dissected the good, the fad and the "ugali" of urban Kenyan music.
This Jadili was a deep dive into the ethics of sampling traditional instruments and cultures. This complex topic raises questions about cultural appropriation, intellectual property rights, and artistic expression.
The conversation was interspersed with performances and demonstrations that attempted to unpack some of the knotty questions around this theme.
We were honoured to welcome Olith Ratego and Sven Kacirek of Odd Okoddo, Labdi and Bernt Isak of Unganisha, David Tinning and LaMusicJunkie.
This panel discussed and highlighted the struggles non-male music practitioners go through as they navigate the music scene. Moderated by Wairimu Sisian.
Black communities have recently been reclaiming House, Techno and electronic music more broadly as part of the legacy of Black music.
In this Jadili, we talked about the origins, evolution and outlook of electronic music within Black history. How did the story of Detroit Techno begin and what was the scene like in its early days?
This panel was on Creative Entrepreneurship with two amazing guests - Nikhil Shah, the founder of Mixcloud (amongst other enterprises), and Federico Pirzio-Biroli, who is behind several start-ups and creative ventures in Kenya.
Santuri invited Ketabul Music's Tabu Osusa, percussionist and TED Fellow Kasiva Mutua, along with Congolese artist Fiston Lusambo to discuss the role of traditional music in contemporary genres.
The conversation steered toward musical identity, collaboration and everything in-between.
The conversation steered toward musical identity, collaboration and everything in-between.
In our inaugural Jadili session, this insightful panel discussion covered topics ranging from IP, copyright, publishing, working with labels and beyond.
Santuri was honoured to welcome Blinky Bill, George Mwangi from Mookh, and Mnikelo Qubu for the disucssion, hosted by our very own Wairimu Sisian and Justin Doucet.
This was made possible thanks to the support by Goethe-Insitut's Jenga CCI on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in collaboration with the GIZ.
SANTURI SIGNAL ON OROKO RADIO
Santuri is a resident on Oroko Radio, a not-for-profit independent internet radio station which is based in Accra, Ghana. Oroko aims to connect, inspire and empower through conversation, collaboration and community.
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