Music: Freed Mushaga

Listen, tell us a little bit about where you are nothing if not a traveller in that sense.

So tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what the music of your childhood sounded like.

Actually, that's a really interesting question.

I grew up in the east of DRC, Bukavu to be specific, a region that is war-torn, but a region that is not only defined by war, but it's also made of very, very diverse soundscapes.

um, ranging from, uh, sounds from Africa, like Western, Western African sounds that, uh, that would really, really like, uh, popular at the moment, especially like Usundor, um, coming to the South African sounds as well as Miriam Makeba that reached us, you know, but that is, um, after the very vibrant, uh, Roomba, uh, music scene that of course wouldn't really remain, um, an audible for somebody who grew up in Bukhava.

So I grew up listening to a lot of Roomba, a lot of great music, but also a lot of music from Africa.

And that is both from my dad's cassette or from, you know, just like all over, like music is... has just been a great part of the community I grew up in.

But also there is this music called Mutole, which is the traditional music of my tribe, Bushi, which unfortunately is facing extinction today.

but was still like vibrant when I grew up.

And yeah, so I grew up, I would say, between the contemporary music and the traditional cultural music of the Bashi ethnic India.

It

sounds like such a rich musical background from which you have been able to sort of mine your own, not only your own love of music, but your own style.

When did you first discover your own voice?

I discovered my own voice when I indeed needed to speak.

I always wrote stuff.

I always created things.

But I never felt the need to share it with the world.

And at first I wanted to share it because it was my need.

But the more I got, the deeper I got into the arts, the deeper I got into the music, I felt like it was actually not just my need.

It was a broad need of the community that was surrounding me.

It was the need of the world to hear what I had to say.

It was the need of the world to hear the voice of hope amid political chaos, as somebody would say.

I think since I started, I always had the belief that actually I never chose music because I started low.

Like for those who know, I started low.

I've got a master's in low.

Listen, tell us a little bit about where you are nothing if not a traveller in that sense.

So tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what the music of your childhood sounded like.

Actually, that's a really interesting question.

I grew up in the east of DRC, Bukavu to be specific, a region that is war-torn, but a region that is not only defined by war, but it's also made of very, very diverse soundscapes.

um, ranging from, uh, sounds from Africa, like Western, Western African sounds that, uh, that would really, really like, uh, popular at the moment, especially like Usundor, um, coming to the South African sounds as well as Miriam Makeba that reached us, you know, but that is, um, after the very vibrant, uh, Roomba, uh, music scene that of course wouldn't really remain, um, an audible for somebody who grew up in Bukhava.

So I grew up listening to a lot of Roomba, a lot of great music, but also a lot of music from Africa.

And that is both from my dad's cassette or from, you know, just like all over, like music is... has just been a great part of the community I grew up in.

But also there is this music called Mutole, which is the traditional music of my tribe, Bushi, which unfortunately is facing extinction today.

but was still like vibrant when I grew up.

And yeah, so I grew up, I would say, between the contemporary music and the traditional cultural music of the Bashi ethnic India.

It

sounds like such a rich musical background from which you have been able to sort of mine your own, not only your own love of music, but your own style.

When did you first discover your own voice?

I discovered my own voice when I indeed needed to speak.

I always wrote stuff.

I always created things.

But I never felt the need to share it with the world.

And at first I wanted to share it because it was my need.

But the more I got, the deeper I got into the arts, the deeper I got into the music, I felt like it was actually not just my need.

It was a broad need of the community that was surrounding me.

It was the need of the world to hear what I had to say.

It was the need of the world to hear the voice of hope amid political chaos, as somebody would say.

I think since I started, I always had the belief that actually I never chose music because I started low.

Like for those who know, I started low.

I've got a master's in low.