John Kitime – Listening Session
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| free admission |
| no ticket required |
| English |
| Mechanical Arena in the Foyer |
| Belongs to: Histories of Tanzania |
John Kitime has been a passionate companion of Tanzanian music culture for over 50 years. In a specially arranged listening session, he guides us through the Histories of Tanzania and makes them tangible and audible. As a member of some of Tanzania’s best-known bands, such as Orchestra Mambo Bado, Orchestra Makassy, Tancut Almasi Orchestra, Vijana Jazz and the Kilimanjaro Band, he has toured India, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, the United States and Europe.
In his music lecture, he plays hits and rarities from his unique archive and tells all the stories behind the record covers, demo tapes and vinyl treasures – from the struggle for independence, through the moulding period of Ujama socialism to the present day, accentuated with various anecdotes, tour photos and other totems of a long musical life.
As a member of the contemporary art centre NAFASI, Kitime has built up an extensive archive that also serves as a research platform and source of inspiration for young musicians. He travels the country tirelessly to catalogue, digitise and make accessible supposedly lost recordings. Every Sunday evening, he presents pearls and re-discoveries in his radio programme, which lasts several hours.