project journal

Since 2016 Beats Across Borders, the Danish municipality of Egedal and the Usangi Secondary Day School in Northern Tanzania have been working together to facilitate musical encounters between young Danish and Tanzanian musicians, film makers and music teachers. We have started building local studio facilities from sponsored equipment and expect to conduct yearly workshops for Danish and Tanzanian young musicians and music teachers. We are currently planning the 2018 trip focused on expanding the so far strong in-depth reach to other creative and geographic areas of the Kilimanjaro region.

Project owner: Egedal Municipality Youth Center

Workshop partners: Usangi Secondary Day School and Egedal High School

Local management: Bariki Kabewa

First workshop trip, July 2016

Bringing artists to the field of action:

The toolbox for the workshops included headphones, laptops, soundcards, Ableton Pushes, midikeyboards, microphones, small manitors and all cables and cameras and photo editing software. 

Conducting music production, photo and film making workshops with:

  • 150 students of Usangi Secondary Day School 
  • 10 students of Egedal High School and Egedal's Youth Center

The focus points of the workshops were on:

  • Beat production, looping and sampling
  • Recording of a wide variety of local and traditional instruments
  • Vocal rhythm and groove, rap, singing and reading to beats 
  • Still photography for large prints
  • Travel documentary production and editing

The results of the trip were:

  • 10 final, mixed and mastered tracks presenting the 1:1 creative encounter of Danish and Tanzanian young songwriter, musicians and film makers
  • 10 gB of original samples to the Beats Across Borders sound library
  • Exhibitions, articles and talks around Egedal Municipality focusing on the importance of sincerity in developmental projects and efforts