By Ibrahim S.Bangura
Telem Uncommon Sounds and the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs have welcomed three Jamaican artists who will serve as mentors in the Telem Songwriting Retreat and Performance Festival. They are Artist will also perform at the festival which will serve as a platform for budding musicians in Sierra Leone who need developing their musical knowledge which will enable them make and perform original music.
The artistes are Rica G., a multi-hyphante cultural practitioner, innovative educator and storyteller, Jamila Falak, singer and entrepreneur and King Calie, a dancehall artist. They are accompanied by Professor Hamilton Rosalea, the Honorary Consul for Sierra Leone in Jamaica.
At a media conference held in a hall at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs at King Harman Road in Freetown, Solo’s Beat, the co-owner of Telem, said that they were very excited about receiving the international artists.
He added that their involvement in the 10-day of music-making would serve as a period of cultural and innovative exchange. “Exchanging ideas with these international artists will help us as a non-governmental organization as well as the country with better ideas about creative arts especially the music sector. As an organization, we believe that collaboration is the key tool for development. We want to change the narrative of the creative arts in Sierra Leone, so we encourage everyone to join us to make that change we all want to see for Sierra Leone,” Solo said.
He added that the 7-day songwriting workshop which would be guided by four local faculty artists and two faculty artists from the United States of America and Nigeria would be held in Tokeh Beach from November 10th -27th, 2023.
He said that the participants of the workshops and faculty artists would produce and perform new works over the two days of performance during the festival in Freetown from 18-19 November 2023.
The Jamaican artists thanked Telem Uncommon Sounds and Sierra Leone for welcoming them.
They expressed their willingness to share their ideas and experiences with the Sierra Leonean artists so that they would help develop the music industry together. “Sierra Leone and Jamaica are one family. What we love and want for Jamaica, we will want the same thing for Sierra Leone. Nothing can help us grow as individuals if not collaboration. So, we are ready to bring the changes we all want to see in these two nations,” they said.
Dr. Kadijatu Grace Ahene Kamara, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, said that Sierra Leone could grow if the artists, who could tell Sierra Leonean stories through singing, acting, dancing and drawing, are supported. “This is what our ministry is trying to do. One of the things we look forward to as a ministry is to be able to make sure that we showcase, sell and represent Sierra Leone by having young artists. We do love other people, but it is high time we started selling ourselves. I look forward to seeing the international artists and our own local artists collaborating and working together.”
Dr. Kamara asked both the international artists and the local artists to share their experiences with one another so that they could achieve one big goal at the end. “Whether it is love, fiction, true story or anything let us use colorful messages and send them out with soft but strong messages. Sierra Leone and Jamaica are one family now. So let us come together to build, rebrand our countries and make sure that our music is not only listened to but also danced and played. Sierra Leone is ready and willing to receive thousands of you guys to come, teach and train us to grow. Jamaica is known for its great works when it comes to arts and music. We want you to re-enact those gifts here in Sierra Leone. I want us to respect each other’s craft, and support one another. That is the only way we can win,” she said.