EMERGE IN THE WEST ARTIST BIOS & PHOTOS SATURDAY MAY 18

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1 EMERGE IN THE WEST ARTIST BIOS & PHOTOS SATURDAY MAY 18 AJAK KWAI Born in a small town called Bor in the Malakal Region of the Upper Nile, Ajak grew up in a musical family and began singing along at all the village ceremonies and celebrations, learning the songs of her heritage. Later on she joined a local missionary choir singing gospel music in their own Dinka style. Since her arrival in Australia, Ajak has worked with a number of ensembles and as a soloist. She brings an exciting African vocal style and repertoire, given a contemporary treatment by the local musicians who work with her. She has released two successful CDs so far: Why Not Peace and Love and, more recently, Come Together a killer example of raw Aussie, Sudanese funk Seth Jordan, Limelight magazine cd review. Ajak sings in her native Dinka language as well as in and English. Her deeply philosophical and global concerns are expressed in her heartfelt songs about freedom, peace, love, marriage, and cows, the source Dinka life. Arabic of Ajak lived in Tasmania from 1999 to 2006 and has lived in Melbourne since. Ajak sings the traditional songs of her Dinka heritage in southern Sudan and her own contemporary work, reflecting on issues of life in the 21st Century. Her history includes childhood immersion in the traditional musical culture of her village, adolescence and early adulthood in exile, in Cairo, followed by humanitarian migration to Australia. Ajak has seen a lot of life, much suffering and much affection. It's all good material for a songwriter. AUSSOM BAND (led by Abdi Mohamed Abdi) Led my master Somali musician Abdi Mohamed Abdi, Aussom Band features members of Melbourne s Somali community who are reconnecting with and re

2 learning the music of their homeland. Somalia was once known as a land rich in culture, music and poetry. Since civil war ravaged the nation, music was banned and many of the great poets were forced to flee in fear of their lives. Somalia is now plagued by negative images worldwide of a country dissolute, infested with violence and desperation. These community members are trying to dispel this imagery, inspiring a renaissance that depicts Somalia as it was; a culturally fertile nation, proud of it sophisticated music and poetry, and overwhelming natural beauty. Abdi Mohamed Abdi is igniting the collective memory of community members, teaching them the music and how to play the instruments of their homelands, which they intend to pass onto the younger generations within the community. Abdi Mohamed Abdi, also known as "Eidle" and "The Man With Ten Hands", is a respected musician and song writer, originally from the southern Somali port of Kismayo. A founding member of Somali Music Band Danan, Abdi also performed with the famous Somali bands Iftin, Khusus, Sunshine Band and Dur Dur Band. Following the Somali civil war, many well known musicians were persecuted by fundamentalist insurgents and so Abdi and his family fled to exile in Kenya for 18 years. There he continued to make music with other Somali exiles such as Abdi Diini and King Khalid before settling in Australia in late Finding his feet and his voice again in Australia, Abdi communicates the beautiful and unique culture of Somalia one that is different from the contemporary image of a failed state undergoing cultural genocide. BITAT SEYOUM Bitsat was born and bred in Addis Abeba. She started singing as a child, mainly in church, which is where people began noticing her voice. She soon found herself in great demand, being asked to sing at parties, and eventually at clubs around the capital. Bitsat came to Australia in She sings modern songs in Amharic about love and traditional songs about life and its cycles. She is very keen to share her culture with all the different cultural groups she has found in Australia, spreading her Amharic language and introducing people to the instruments that are unique to her cultural group. BURUNDIAN DRUMMERS The Burundian community is a very new community and one that is relatively unknown compared to other recently arrived African communities in Australia such as Sudanese and Ethiopian communities. The Australian Burundian Community in Victoria Inc (ABCV) was established in 2005 to represent and unite all 150+ community members who have settled around Melbourne since fleeing a long civil war in their homeland. One of the most significant achievements of the group to date is the formation of The Burundian Drummers featuring up to 30 men and boys from the community. In Burundi the use of the drum, or the ingoma, was historically a symbol of power, used to commentate on the daily life of the king. They were believed to bring peace and unity throughout kingdom and this belief is still present today on an individual and communal level. the

3 ESHAK AWI Eshak Awi is a guitarist and prolific composer with over 25 years experience in the music industry, who has earned himself an undisputed reputation as a virtuoso of African guitar styles, in both Sudan and Egypt. Eshak delivers a profoundly emotional and dynamic performance of his compositions that tell stories of village and family life, love and the hardships faced in Sudan today. His lyrics are sung in Madi, Arabic and English, in choral style, with beautiful harmonies that complement his guitar arrangements. His repertoire incorporates many Sudanese styles (there are over 260 languages spoken in Sudan, and each has its own musical style), Eastern African styles, Jazz and Funk and other Western generic styles. In 1975, Eshak started playing in a big band in Southern Sudan, called 'Rajaf Music Band' located in Equatoria, Juba. In 1980 he moved to the capital city of Sudan, Khartoum where he played with several bands. During this time he also performed at numerous locations in Western and Northern parts of Africa. From 1993, the situation in Sudan became politically volatile and he was forced to leave Sudan. This period was a difficult time for Eshak. He lived in Egypt for two years, playing with Egyptian musicians and eventually managed to leave Africa and immigrate to Australia with his family in Since his arrival in Tasmania as a refugee (May 2006), Eshak has collaborated with Australian musician Jane Baker (guitarist, specializing in African styles), to form a band that includes bassist, Charles Harris, drummer Sean Bradey, backing vocalists Loro Emmanuel from Sudan and Maxwell Makalani from Malawi. JAZMARIS Ethiopia has long been a land of exceptional musicianship and innovative hybrid styles, infusing influences from all four corners of the globe. Nine piece Ethio Jazz ensemble, The JAzmaris pay tribute to this music, unique in its sound, skill and scale structure, through combining a mix of original compositions with those of the great Ethiopian composers who have come before them. The group was established by pianist Daniel Atlaw Seifu, a professionally trained Ethiopian jazz, traditional and

4 contemporary musician who graduated from the Yared School of Music in Ethiopia s capital, Addis Ababa. Before arriving in Australia in 2007, Daniel was a resident musician, composer, arranger and teacher at the Ethiopian National Theatre. JAzmaris are fronted by energetic dancer & singer Seble Girma, representing the varying regional costumes & dances of Ethiopia. She is backed by a horn & rhythm section made up a mix of Australian and Ethiopian musicians based in Melbourne. JAzmaris where honoured with the offer to support & back the legendary Mahmoud Ahmed on his Australian tour in January 2013, performing at the Arts Centre Melbourne and the MONA FOMA festival in Hobart. MXC WOL Mxc Wol is a rapper intent on telling his story through Hip Hop to ensure the new generation of African Australians emerge with identities and cultures to be proud of. Born in South Sudan, he left his family at a young age and travelled to Kenya with only his older sister. Surviving became instinct and every story pocketed for a day when it might be told to help himself, or better yet someone else, rise above a history that tried to smother any chance of success. Since arriving in Melbourne, Australia in 2003, Mxc Wol has seized every opportunity. Learning English, finishing Year and 12 beginning a degree in International Business is one half of the story. Every other spare moment became dedicated to hip hop. Attending workshops, and receiving ongoing mentorship from Australian hip hop icons such as Mantra and Momo (Diafrix) has strengthened and shaped this young rapper s skills as a musician and a performer. With content and story the crux of the mission, Mxc Wol delivers a clear and unique message though his music. A strong young fighter in the struggle, Mxc Wol will not stop until his voice, and all like his have been heard. NAZAR YOUSIF I moved to Egypt in 1991 with my family seeking refuge from political turmoil in Sudan. There wasn t much opportunity in Egypt for further education or work though. Then a friend who was living in Australia offered to sponsor me. I came here when I was 21 and have been living here now for 12 years. In my country at the time I left, the government was a fundamentalist regime tending to target artists and musicians and persecuting them many of our best musicians were fleeing Sudan. People were beginning to become scared of going to celebrations like weddings because the police would come and break up parties if there was a musician there. I didn t know much about Australia before I came here but I was amazed at how much freedom there was here for people to express themselves through music and how organized the arts are in this country.

5 I started my music career as a lead singer in a gospel group back in Sudan and Cairo. When I came here there weren t many Sudanese musicians in Melbourne but I was very determined to carry on with my music. I started learning keyboards so I could accompany myself when singing. I was very successful as there was no competition and I had the full support from my whole community who wanted music from the homeland at community celebrations I got a lot of performance experience during those first years here and I feel very lucky. More recently though I have started to look at how I could integrate Sudanese music into the wider Australian community. This has been more of a challenge In the last two years I have formed a band with other Sudanese musicians El Nazeer (oud/ Vocals) and Mohamed Masoud (violin). Our aim has been to try and introduce Sudanese music in a new form so we can have a chance to be part of Australian arts community. I am co founder of the Sudanese Community Association in Victoria. I have done a lot of volunteer work organizing and coordinating events in the community and administration. I spend a lot of organizing my band, Sudan Azza and we are currently planning our first recording. As well as all this I earn a living driving taxis. My dream is to get the chance to see Sudanese musicians and dancers showcased alongside other new Australian artists on a big stage. I can t wait for the day that Sudanese musicians and other culturally diverse artists here feel as valued as any other musician in Australia. RAS JAHKNOW Ras Jahknow Band, Melbourne s freshest 6 piece live reggae band, fronted by roots heavyweight Ras Jahknow, blaze a new soul and sound into reggae. Passionate vocals in English, Portuguese, and Creole weave though the culturally diverse influences of multi instrumentalist band members. From the African island nation of Cape Verde, Guinea Conakry, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, to Australia, the band embodies a vision of unity, respect and peace, built on the foundation of irresistible reggae rhythms. Ras Jahknow Band, debuted in late 2010 and have already established an impressive performance history. Establishing themselves at community events and city venues, Ras Jahknow has performed at the 2011 Black Harmony Gathering, The West African Immigration Museum, Brimbank Festival and many more, already receiving positive radio reviews and media acclaim. It s just a way of life, lived from the heart. We don t see colour or difference, we just see one world (Ras Jahknow Brimbank Weekly) The organic sound is a product of many talented musicians with music and performance in their blood. All members are multi instrumentalists and come from professionally skilled music backgrounds. The full lineup performs as a 6 piece band, and also as an acoustic trio. SINIT TSEGAY

6 Sinit arrived in Australia from her home country Ethiopia at the age of 10. Now, 15, she is in year 10 at Mt. St. Joseph s Girls College in Altona. Sinit has always loved to sing and learnt her African songs whilst singing in her church in Addis Ababa. When she arrived in Australia, she was given a scholarship to the Greentree Drama School in Williamstown and still attends weekly classes there. Through drama she has appeared in several short films, often given a role that requires her to sing as her talent has become apparent to all who hear her. She has sung for Rotary, the Lions, Oxfam and several times with Actors for Refugees. This year she has also sung at a School Teachers Conference, attended by teachers from all over the world. She has sung for the Essendon Uniting Church and many times for school performances. Recently Sinit was flown to Sydney to play a lead role in an Ethiopian drama which will also be seen in Melbourne later this year at the Footscray Arts Centre. In May she will be a featured artist singing in aid of Ugandan orphans at a fundraiser for Kwaya at Harambe Restaurant in Footscray. This will be Sinit s debut for Multicultural Arts Emerge Festival and she is excited and grateful for this opportunity. To arrange interviews with any of these artists contact Jess Fairfax, projects@multiculturalarts.com.au or (03)