[afro-nets] Smile Beat Workshop and Concert

[Janet Feldman <kaippg@earthlink.net>]

Smile Beat Workshop and Concert
-------------------------------
August 6th, Mombasa, Kenya: Bringing Hope to Orphaned Children

Dear Friends,

Hello and see below information about an exciting youth-created
concert called "Smile Beat", being staged in Mombasa, Kenya, on
August 6th, 2005. The concert is being given under the banner of
One World Beat 2005 (http://www.oneworldbeat.org), and will fea-
ture a wide array of youth talents, as well as attendance or
participation by Kenyan nonprofits, government ministries, and
other national and international organizations, among them Ac-
tALIVE (http://www.actalive.org), Global Youth Coalition on
HIV/AIDS (http://www.youthaidscoalition.org), and Global Youth
Partners Kenya (http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/gyp/profiles/kenya.htm).

For more please see
http://www.oneworldbeat.org/owb2005/php_pages/eventDetail.php?eventId=294
and contact lead organizer, Jacqualine Kowa
mailto:jarequil1983@yahoo.com.au

With many thanks and here's to music making a difference for
youth in Kenya!

Janet Feldman
OWB News Director, ActALIVE/KAIPPG International
mailto:kaippg@earthlink.net
http://www.kaippg.org


--
Smile Beat Workshop and Concert:

On June 25th, at the KANCO resource centre in Mombasa
(http://www.kanco.org ), there was a one-day training sensitiza-
tion of 20 artists, including 5 female and 15 males (ages 13 to
21), who have a range of talents covering secular music and gos-
pel, puppetry, graphics design, and painting.

The training was facilitated by Suki Nyadawa and Alfayo Odongo
of PATH (http://www.path.org/), who paved the way for the art-
ists to discuss sexuality and risky behaviours regarding
HIV/AIDS. PATH has spearheaded a youth education campaign on
HIV/AIDS in Kenya, first with the recording of a song,
"Vumilia", by top Kenyan musicians.

Recently they have followed that up with "eQuest", a mobile-
phone based contest (funded by Vodafone and Elton John AIDS
Foundation) involving text-messaging about HIV/AIDS. For more
see http://www.path.org/projects/equest_contest_kenya.php.

Director Clifford Okumu of the Traveling Theatre then gave the
young artists tips on Theatre For Development, and discussed
arts for the betterment of the community. The Society Of Orphans
Against AIDS Network, represented by Esther Kang'ethe, facili-
tated a discussion on who is a child and the psychosocial as-
pects of being an orphan.

The artists wrapped up the day by visiting a children's
home/orphanage, called Restoration Orphanage Center (in Bam-
buri), with the women's group, WOFAK (http://www.wofak.or.ke),
facilitating the transportation. The youth artists displayed a
bit of what they do, which brought great laughter and joy. There
was also an artist who talked to them about the upcoming Smile
Beat concert (see more below). The gratitude from everyone was
shown by the children singing the artists a song, which was
touching!

The artists left the orphanage very happy and looking forward to
the concert on the 6th of August. "Boxes of Hope"--filled with
clothing, art supplies, foodstuffs, and things the children need
and want--are now being set out for collection of the goods, and
posters are circulating in offices and schools asking for items
to donate to the children.

"SMILE BEAT CONCERT ": AUGUST 6th, Mombasa

Plans are moving along with help from local community-based
youth organizations, and from KANCO Mombasa and African Quest
Safaris (http://www.africanquest.co.ke/).

The "Smile Beat Concert", performed under the One World Beat
2005 banner, will be held on August 6th at Loreto Convent Hall
in Mombasa (change from Bamburi sports grounds), from 10:00am to
6:00pm. 50 CBOs, mostly youth groups engaging in art ventures,
have confirmed attendance, and 20 groups will perform a mix of
traditional dances, solo and choral verses, various genres of
music, puppetry, mime, and narrative. The locally famous musi-
cians, "BROSIZ", will also be performing.

For more see
http://www.oneworldbeat.org/owb2005/php_pages/eventDetail.php?eventId=294.

Musicians like BINK (2-man hip-hop, dance, R&B/soul sensations),
Ringtone (a popular gospel singer with one album, "Maisha", and
regional and international collaborations to his name), Athman
(a solo artist who uses an edutainment message to reach youth
about HIV/AIDS), 360 Degreez (a three-person pop band who get
their messages across via radio), and Jimmy Cater (a script
writer who is also a gospel and rock musician).

Jimmy is a member of the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, as
are some of the other organizers and co-sponsors of the concert,
among them lead organizer/coordinator, Jacqualine Kowa
(http://www.youthaidscoalition.org ), who can be reached for
more information at mailto:jarequil1983@yahoo.com.au

BROSIZ are a mixed-gender group of 8 youth musicians and peer
educators, who work at the Mombasa Youth Counselling Center (a
branch of the Family Planning Association of Kenya). They sing
to reduce the instances of HIV/AIDS and STIs in Kenyan youth.
Check out the recent BROSIZ video entry in a UNICEF youth video
contest and listen to their music at this URL:
http://57.69.14.59/voy/videos/Entry50UNICEFlow001.ram ("All for
Love", recorded at FPAK Youth Centre, Mombasa).

Five groups will take part in the exhibition part of the presen-
tation, which includes beadwork, graphics, paintings, and carv-
ings. Through the provincial Cultural Office of Mombasa and the
Education Ministry, schools will participate too, filling "Boxes
of Hope" for the children of the Restoration Orphanage Center.

Several NGOs are interested in attending, and most speeches will
be made by children, youth, and guests from the Cultural and
Education offices in Mombasa. Service teams will be from the
Kenya Girl Guides Association, Kenya Society of the Red Cross,
Mombasa Youth Counseling Center, ActALIVE, Global Youth Coali-
tion on HIV/AIDS, and Global Youth Partners Kenya.

"Boxes Of Hope" posters are located around Mombasa, covering
four divisions: Island, Kisauni, Changamwe, and Likoni. African
Quest Safaris has donated funds and 6 big boxes of toys,
clothes, shoes, and food for the children the concert intends to
benefit.