Innocent

November 2009

With five albums under his belt from “Kilimanjaro” to “Shine Africa,” his latest album, Innocent Galinoma is a pioneer of reggae music. Born and raised in Tanzania, Innocent discovered music at a young age when he heard a band playing and became inspired. He then met a peer who could play the guitar and taught him how to play. From there Innocent started performing, playing local African music which evolved into him playing popular American music, as he was also inspired by the likes of jazz, soul, and funk sounds coming from African Americans in the U.S. more...

Josiah Kibira
July 2009

Josiah Kibira is that man; the man that came to the U.S. to attend school at Bethany College in Kansas, and ended up founding his own production company, Kibira Films. For more than 20 years in the U.S., Josiah dreamed big, and turned those dreams into reality. By day he’s a software testing engineer, but during the rest of his life, he’s a writer, director, and producer. And it all began with an interest he had in writing scripts as he exercised this interest while he was in college. After college, he moved to Minnesota and began to recruit actors from local Twin Cities colleges and Universities for his first film titled, “Bongoland.” 

newcomers. more...

Siama Matuzungidi
April 2009

Siama’s story started on the east end of a flight pattern across the Atlantic. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he first got his fingers on a musical instrument in a Jesuit seminary, Siama has shared band and stage with all the big names in African and Caribbean music, he has performed on four continents and entertained dignitaries. In a career spanning over 30 years, Siama has not only brought new audiences African music, but indeed African culture in all its vibrant colors. He has captivated old fans of amazed newcomers. more...

Joe Shalita
December 2008

Long before Somali became synonymous with African, African music in Minnesota had one name: Shalita. It was Loketo, Kanda Bongo Man, Prince Nico meet Kassav in Jamaica. It was African music with no continental borders. It would be years before I realized Shalita was not only the name of that band I first heard at the Blue Nile Restaurant and Lounge many years back, but actually the name of one man in particular: Joe Shalita, lead vocal and guitar. Joe Shalita’s history in the Twin Cities shares some of the same chapters with the history of African music in the Twin Cities. more...

Mankwe Ndosi
July 2008

Many know her as the Director of the Center for Independent Artists, however, Mankwe Ndosi has been weaving together her work and artistic skills for years. She is a performing artist, writer, singer, composer, dancer, and theatrical performer, who visualizes and exemplifies the continuum and connection between all of these things. “The majority of my work has been about weaving connections between different kinds of art,” she stated. more...

Koffi Mbairamadji
May 2008

Marcus Garvey once said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Though, what good are roots to a people without an outlet and avenue to facilitate their knowledge of the past and personal growth toward the future. Well, at the root of the African community in the Twin Cities lies Koffi Mbairamadji, an accountant by day; painter and storyteller all the time. From Chad, Koffi came to the U.S. in 2002 and took part in the Twin Cities French Festival the following year. He got his start at Intermediate Arts and from there met other Africans to start his own collective group of artists called, Gosso. more...

Mpambara
March 2008

In his own words Mpambara stated, “America is filled with all kinds of excellent musicians.” Over the years, Mpambara has become one of them. As a bass player who used to make his own instruments as a child in Mbarara, Uganda from twigs, he has come a long way, across the Atlantic ocean and with musical instruments. In 1978 he came to the U.S. to go to school at U-W Platteville in Wisconsin. Eventually, he arrived in the Twin Cities. more...

Mukama Morandi:
February 2008

If you ask singer, songwriter, and actor Mukama what his motivation is behind his career, he’d probably tell you, “I always loved music.” Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Mukama Morandi, by day is an account manager, but when he’s not managing accounts, he’s making music and connections with other artists. Although his accomplishments have been many, there have been times in his life when, “inspiration was my biggest gig and I had no band…not even my own guitar. I just wrote songs and sang,” he said. Similar to many artists, Mukama has been faced with setbacks; however, it was during these difficult times that allowed him to enhance his craft. more...