Kilele Summit 2026 set for Nairobi with international, regional music line-up

The 2026 edition adopts the theme Sound and Solidarity, focusing on collaborations across generations, locations, and technologies. The summit aims to explore new creative approaches and foster dialogue within the regional and international music community.

One of the highlighted projects is the Embodied Archives Residency and Performance, supported by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, the Swiss Arts Council. The residency will see Swiss musician Mehmet Aslan collaborate with Kenyan multi-disciplinary artist Jim Chuchu to explore the body as an evolutionary archive through sound, movement, voice, and collective performance. The project will culminate in a new work premiered at Kilele.

Another feature is the Kilele Residency with South African artist Mxshi Mo, who will collaborate with the Instrument Makers Lab team to develop new, accessible instruments. He will also participate in panels and perform at the final showcase. Last year, a short documentary about Mxshi Mo, highlighting his journey as a visually impaired electronic music artist, received wide acclaim from audiences.

The summit will also host UK music producer Martin ‘Youth’ Glover, who has worked with artists including Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Crowded House, and The Verve. Youth will lead a Producers Masterclass at AMP Africa Studios and participate in conference sessions, in addition to performing a DJ set.

The Pwani Tapes Residency will see musicians from Mombasa’s Mbwana Radio collaborate with a Nairobi-based producer to create and record four tracks over five days. The residency also includes a panel discussion on the ethics of re-releasing music that was previously unavailable, supported by the Braid Fund under the Santuri East Africa/Pwani Tapes project.

The Instrument Makers Lab, returning for its second year, will run for two weeks and focus on accessibility in hardware and instrument design. The 2025 edition saw projects such as a xylophone made from skateboards come to fruition.

Frequency Shift, a community radio initiative, will develop a public-facing multimedia platform featuring storytelling, live performances, immersive media, and DJ sets. Participating organisations include Calotropis Radio, Black Rhino Virtual Reality, and Creatives Garage.

Confirmed performers for Kilele 2026 include Jessica Aslan (UK), Mehmet Aslan (Switzerland), Marko Ciciliani (Croatia), Jim Chuchu (Kenya), Kampire (Uganda), Sammy Karugu & Basile Huguenin-Virchaux (Kenya/Switzerland), Mau From Nowhere (Kenya), Mina (UK), Mizizi Ensemble (Kenya/Australia/Norway), Mxshi Mo (South Africa), R_R_ (Latvia), Maganda Shakul (Uganda), Sisson and Maiko (Tanzania), and Youth (UK). More performers will be announced later January.

The summit will also host music technology workshops, featuring international companies such as Ableton, ADAM Audio, Bitwig, Novation, and Focusrite, providing opportunities for local creators to engage with global innovations.

Kilele 2026 is supported by cultural organisations including EUNIC, Danish Cultural Institute, Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, and the Braid Fund, with collaborations from BRVR, Munyu, Creatives Garage, and COSMOS/Le Guess Who?. The summit’s home base will be The Mall in Westlands, with additional undisclosed locations hosting special events.

Over half of the summit’s programme is shaped by submissions from the local and international community, promising a diverse line-up of artists and activities when the full schedule is released in January 2026.