CollaboNation musicians in studio ahead of 2023 MTN Bushfire fest

16 May 2023 - 19:50

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

The four Southern African music acts that were announced as part of House on Fire’s CollaboNation initiative have begun recording music before they perform at MTN Bushfire Festival in eSwatini on 26, 27 and 28 May.

Lesotho musician Morena Leraba in Harare. Photo: House on Fire
Swazi musician Thobile Makhoyane playing her musical bow in Maputo, Mozambique. Photo: House on Fire
The Hood Brodz and Thobile Makhoyane during their recording session in Maputo. Photo: House on Fire
Thobile Makhoyane recording her musical bow in the Mozambican capital for the CollaboNation project. Photo: House on Fire
Morena Leraba and Mokoomba tracking vocals for their collaborative song. Photo: House on Fire
More Leraba during his studio session in Harare. Photo: House on Fire

CollaboNation is funded by the Music In Africa Foundation’s Sound Connects Fund and features musical collaborations aimed at connecting the Southern African region, weaving together Africa’s rich and diverse musical genres, and building linkages between cultural industries and networks.

It also seeks to extend the reach of Southern African artists, exposing them to new audiences, media, promoters and other industry professionals, in order to access new markets and communities while developing their brands.

The selected pairings are Thobile Makhoyane (eSwatini) and The Hood Brodz (Mozambique) as well аs Mokoomba (Zimbabwe) and Morena Leraba (Lesotho), who are in the process of producing music for the project, in Maputo and Harare, respectively.

Each recording pair is being hosted in studio for two days to create a unique collaborative song, which will be documented in a music video filmed and produced for MTN Bushfire 2023.

CollaboNation fans can follow the creative journey of the artists as they come together to record music through intimate in-studio snippets and short documentaries hosted on YouTube.

The production of the reels and the final CollaboNation videos are also providing a skills training and development opportunity, with award-winning production house and long-time MTN Bushfire videography team Makhulu Media mentoring the eSwatini-owned and -based Motion Skies Pictures.

CollaboNation is funded by the Sound Connects Fund, an initiative of the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) and Goethe-Institut. The Sound Connects Fund is made possible with funding from the ACP-EU Culture Programme, a project implemented by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and funded by the European Union (EU). The fund is also co-funded by Goethe-Institut and Siemens Stiftung.

For more information, visit the CollaboNation website.