︎PWANI TAPES ︎
HELP US RELEASE A POETIC COLLECTION OF KENYAN COASTAL MUSIC
Pwani Tapes is a new Kenyan label with the sole purpose of reissuing music from the coastal region.
The first release will be the wonderful Zuhura Swaleh. Her music, recorded at Mbwana Radio Service in Mombasa, has only ever been released on cassette. We plan to reissue it via Bandcamp so the artist can receive revenue from her work again.
We would love to raise a minimum of KES 40,000/= which is equivalent to circa €300. This will go towards the release scheduled for the end of this year. Our plan is to release a compilation by another artist early in 2025.
Despite having amazing volunteers who support this reissue, certain members need compensation for their time and effort.
Of the fundraising goal, the coordinator Nassoro Mwinyi and the artist Zuhura Swaleh will receive 33% each, with the person who re-masters the music and the visual designer splitting the rest. Any excess funds we raise will go towards the 2nd release.
In return we will list you as a supporter at least of this release and we will give you a free download link for the compilation.
DONATE NOW!
If you would like to donate via M-Pesa, you can use Santuri East Africa's Paybill number: 4054299, account: PwaniTapes.
Santuri is providing support and assistance to the independent project Pwani Tapes, such as this webspace.
More about Mbwana Radio Service
More about Mbwana Radio Service
From the late 1960s to 2022 musicians from the East African coast recorded at Mbwana Radio Service in Kibokoni, Mombasa. Some of the catalogue’s music styles are taarab, mwanzele, kayamba or gozi. On the roster of the cassette label were stars like Zuhura Swaleh, Maulidi Juma, and Nyerere wa Konde. At the end of 2022 the studio and shop closed its doors permanently but the cassettes still exists albeit in a precarious state. The event featured music and conversations that celebrate the rich heritage, addressing current issues and exploring possible futures.
In 2023, with the support of the Braid Fund, a documentary was filmed in Mombasa that highlights the history of Mbwana Radio Service and the work to archive and revive the music. See the full documentary here︎︎︎
FUNDRAISERS
Listen back to the fundraiser held on May 9th 2023 with Nassoro Mwinyi, custodian of the collection
Prof. Mwenda Ntarangwi, cultural anthropologist
Wairimũ wa Nduba, founder of @werjokenya
WORKSHOPS
Preserving Coastal Music Heritage - @Kilele Symposium, Nairobi 2024
Workshop with Immaculate Juma, Entertainment Lawyer. The session focussed on musicans’ rights and was specifcially for artists who had recorded at Mbwana Radio Services.
Kalanzi Music Distribution Workshop
Thursday, 27th April
Konjo Kolio from Malindi and have previously recorded at MRS, in the Santuri Studio at Kilele after their showcase performance the night before.
Tangaza Magazine project manager Kalanzi facilitated an enlightening music distribution 101 workshop for our SEMA production students and our wider audience. He delved into the history of musi
