Music for Wildlife series debuts on Trace TV

Produced by conservation NGO Wild Africa in collaboration with immersive music platform OAS1SONE, the series seeks to reach over 350 million viewers in 190 countries, celebrating Africa’s rich musical heritage while spotlighting the urgent need to protect its iconic wildlife and natural spaces.

The Music for Wildlife series features more than 150 African artists, each contributing their talent to a unifying message: the time to act for wildlife is now. Backed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the project addresses the escalating threats facing Africa’s wildlife, including poaching, habitat loss, climate change, illegal trade, and human-wildlife conflict. According to the WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Index, global wildlife populations have declined by 76% in the past 50 years, underscoring the severity of the crisis.

Despite the grim statistics, the project channels hope, harnessing the power of music to drive emotional connection and inspire change.

“Africans should care about protecting wildlife,” South African amapiano pioneer Focalistic said. “Wildlife and national parks create a lot of jobs in Africa, such as attracting tourists from across the world. Let’s use music and arts to protect our amazing wildlife.”

Airing weekly from July 2025, the 24-minute episodes feature studio performances interwoven with storytelling, visuals, and conservation content. The artist line-up includes some of the continent’s biggest names such as CKay (Nigeria), Feli Nandi (Zimbabwe), Ugandan artists Azawi and Vinka, as well as South African artists Focalistic, Musa Keys, Kamo Mphela, Shekhinah, Zakes Bantwini and Joyous Celebration.

Vinka said: “Music for Wildlife has changed how I think about myself in relation to the natural world on which we all depend, and my role in shining a light on the things that threaten it. Music is the most powerful connector in the world.”

CKay added: “We Nigerians love our music and culture, but where is the love for our wildlife? Because of habitat loss, poaching, deforestation and the illegal bushmeat trade, we risk losing them forever. Let’s give our wildlife some space and some love.”

From Cape Town to Lagos and Harare to Windhoek, artists are lending their voices in solidarity, using music to inspire their fans to reconnect with Africa’s national parks and support conservation efforts.

Joyous Celebration founder Lindelani Mkhize said: “Music is our prayer, our power, and our protest. With Joyous Celebration, we raise our voices not just in worship, but in a divine call to protect Africa’s majestic wildlife. This is our sacred duty to preserve the beauty God entrusted to us.”

The project is being hailed as a breakthrough in advocacy. Trace Group co-founder and executive chairman Olivier Laouchez said: “Trace is proud to open its global network to host the Music for Wildlife shows that perfectly align with our values and initiatives.”