What’s up, what’s up, what’s up my good people of the world!

It’s your lady DJ on the master keyboard, my “wheels of steel,” bringing you another eclectic sound for your ears… and a concert heads’ up for you to fill any free time you have to travel in a couple of weeks (especially my NC peeps)!  Like the group I featured at the beginning of the month – Black Violin (who’s currently on tour and traveling through the state this week), this music collective I’m bringing to the stage today has passion for their craft and a purpose behind sharing it!

The Nile Project is a amazing education and development initiative that uses music to open up conversations that help find new ways to share an ancient resource.  Created in 2011 to inspire, inform, and connect Nile citizens and to help them collaborate on cultivating the sustainability of their river, the music side of The Nile Project consists of over 30 musicians and singers that represent the 11 countries along the river.  And, as someone who lived and still has personal connections in two of those 11 countries (Ethiopia and Egypt), your girl is all about anything that brings their music, history, and shared interests together.

Anyway, I stumbled upon the collective sometime last year and have continued to track their efforts and movements off and on since – to include the individual work of its members, like that of Meklit Hadero (from February’s broadcast), Alsarah (and her group Alsarah & the Nubatones, who –by the way– performed in concert on the campus of UNC Asheville fall 2015), and Dina El Wedidi, to name a few.

With that intro, here’s a song from Jinja, their second album, called “Uruzi Nil (Nile River)” featuring Steven Sogo (Burundi).  The lyrics to this song are a great summation of the purpose and work of the collective – here’s a sample in English:

Let me warn you, the Nile water 

that God has given you

don’t fight each other for it,

instead it has to help you all together

and you have to take care of it.

 

I know the river,

I know the Nile river from where it starts and up to where it ends.

And for the concert happ’s…

The Nile Project is currently on its second US tour, which will bring them to both ends of our great state in two weeks courtesy of my two alma maters!  [Whooooohooooo!]

Appalachian State University [Go Mountaineers!] will host the group on Tuesday, April 4th in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts (concert begins at 7pm); and East Carolina University [Go Pirates!] will have them in Wright Auditorium on Friday, April 7th (concert begins at 8pm).  Tickets can be purchased, based on availability, through each university’s box office with prices ranging from $10 (student) to $25 (adult) at App State and a solid $25/ticket at East Carolina.

Want to learn more about The Nile Project and the conversations its members have had about this topic?  I’ve got just the video for you.  And on that note, remember everyone – water is life.  Respect and take care of it, and it will take care of you.

Peace,

DJ Lady Luck