Tommy WÁ, a Ghanaian artist, and Labdi, a Kenyan musician, will perform in Nairobi, Kenya, on 2 October as part of the Goethe-Institut Kenya‘s MobiArts Tour.
The concert is part of a regional project that supports artistic exchange and mobility between African countries by creating opportunities for performers to reach audiences beyond their home markets.
MobiArts brings together artists working across several disciplines:
- music
- storytelling
- stand-up comedy
- dance
- slam poetry
- theatre
The project also seeks to broaden conversations around artistic mobility by encouraging artists to build audiences and partnerships within Africa, rather than focusing primarily on opportunities in Europe.
Nairobi line-up#
The Nairobi concert will showcase contrasting musical approaches from Labdi and Tommy WÁ.
Labdi incorporates the orutu, an indigenous Luo string instrument historically associated with men, into her work. Her practice involves researching and reinterpreting traditional Luo music and cultural archives.
Tommy WÁ is a Ghanaian poet, visual storyteller and singer-songwriter based in Accra. His music draws on Afro-inspired sounds, contemporary folk, indie and retro-soul, and he incorporates influences from his Nigerian heritage and Ghanaian musical environment.
Cross-border pairings#
The MobiArts Tour pairs artists from different countries and disciplines to encourage cultural exchange. Alongside Kenya and Ghana, the current tour includes artists from Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire and will travel across four African countries.
