Making Music - Connecting Communities

Welcome to Making Music - Connecting Communities!

• Updates
• About the project
• About Ezé

Updates

Please find some impressions from the latest events below.

About the Project

Making Music – Connecting Communities is about communication beyond borders, about the people and the ‘togetherness’.   

Musician and activist Ezé joined us in Durham from 18 October – 8 November 2023.  

With Making Music – Connecting Communities we invited people from Durham and beyond to engage with Ezé’s creativity, passion for music, and activism – to make music together, listen, ask, dance, share, and enjoy this experience together.  

Everybody was welcome to join! Our aim was to foster connections between the local communities and the university and bring people together through music. We encouraged students and the community to stay curious, open and encounter different ways of working together! 

In Durham, Ezé lived in the Castle (home of University College) and worked alongside students and staff. Ezé engaged in college life and connected with students and the local community.  He played music, communicated and exchanged experiences with students and local people who dropped into REfUSE cafe in Chester-le-Street. Together with other musicians, he created music and a vibrant atmosphere during jam sessions at The Old Cinema Launderette in Gilesgate and the Holy GrAle.  

Students from a variety of areas actively participated and supported the project. Their work and contributions, their ideas, experiences, and expertise, their curiosity and passion together with Ezé brought the project to life! 

In the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Ezé worked with students of German. The workshops centred around music, movement, and multilingualism, his song Germ-Afro-Trap, being Black in Germany, Racism, Migration, and Images of Africa in Germany.  

At the In-Conversation event (Castle), Ezé talked about his background and projects in Burkina Faso and Germany, about experiences with racism in Germany, and his research about images of Africa on German TikTok and surprised the audience with a musical performance. Final year student Mithara de-Alwis engaged him and the audience in a thought-provoking conversation. Anita Lu and Lois Sourbutts, also final year students, supported them through interpreting (German-English).  

During his stay, Ezé rehearsed with DUPO (Durham University Palatinate Orchestra) and worked closely with Aysha Kojima, a dedicated and passionate music student, who orchestrated two of Ezé’s songs ‘Abendland’ and ‘Die Leiden des Schwarzen W.’ for DUPO. Both songs premiered at the concert at Castle and were recorded at Collingwood Music Studios. The team is working on a public release of the songs. To help Aysha and DUPO (and the audience) to understand and engage with the songs, both were translated into English by final year student Lewis England.  

At the concert, Ezé also performed two of his songs together with Hannah Foster, music editor for Indigo. They met through her research for her article about the project, discussed and exchanged ideas, and played music together during the jam sessions. You can read Hannah’s article here. 

To capture the events, activities, and the spirit of collaboration and cultural exchange, we are grateful to a team of students (Ran Wei, Ananya Nair, Riccardo Boiteux, Olivia Higgins-Darby, Hannah Watt) who filmed and photographed events, workshops, rehearsals, and encounters, and the collaborative work. We are currently viewing and editing the footage to create a documentary and promotional video about the project, to be released for Durham Global Week. 

Reflections and quotes from the team and participants will be posted soon.  

_{For questions and comments, please contact Gina Wrobel (Project Co-ordinator), gina.wrobel@durham.ac.uk} 

About Ezé - a Vibrant Energy

Based in Germany since 2015, born Ezékiel Wendtoin Nikiema in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, Ezé initiates and engages in projects that build connections between people and countries. 

Ezé is an experienced musician, activist, and trainer, who has delivered workshops and concerts, engaging with communities, refugees, and schools. His music is funny and poetic with a critical view of society. He addresses issues such as racism, stereotypes, and integration among other topics. He has two published albums in Germany and is currently working on the third.

Ezé sings in German, French, and Mooré. He plays drums and the guitar and recently started to rap. His current music is influenced by Afro-beats, Amapiano, and West African rhythms that mirror his various experiences.

He offers concerts for private, corporate, and public events, and is on tour with his music.  

His workshops involve music, movement, and active participation. They raise awareness, foster personality development, and provide critical perspectives to participants of all ages.

Engagement 

Ezé initiated a variety of projects in Burkina Faso and builds bridges between his home countries. He founded two non-profit partner organisations: TAM e.V. (Dresden, Germany) and APECA (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso). Both work collaboratively on Ezé’s projects.  

Projects 

The “Centre-Warc-En-Ciel" is a Centre for Art, Education and Environment in Nahartenga, a village 30 km away from Ouagadougou. It opened its doors in 2021 and now provides an organic garden, a secondary school, and different possibilities for education and practical training.  

“La-Cour-Warc-En-Ciel" is a Cultural Centre in ‘Pissy Bonnam’ in Ouagadougou that offers music lessons for children and art workshops. It has a music rehearsal room, a stage and is a popular venue for local musicians and smaller concerts.  

The “BurkinAfro Festival” in Dresden (Germany) took place in July 2022. Its aim was to give room and voice to Afro-German, Burkina, and other African Artists to introduce themselves and possibilities for exchange with people from Germany about ‘Africa’, especially Burkina Faso.  

Visit his website (in German) or listen to his music on his Youtube Channel. 

A big thank you to the following for their support:

• Aysha Kojima, Composer, Student of Music 
• Ran Wei, Film Team, PhD student Visual Arts
• Ananya Nair, Film Team, Student 
• Riccardo Boiteux, Musician, Outreach Officer DUPO, Film Team, Student of Music 
• Michael Kohn, Conductor DUPO, PhD student Mathematics 
• Brooke Christiansen, President DUPO, student 
• Hannah Foster, Music Editor Indigo, Student of Music 
• Tom Cameron, Student Music Co-ordinator, Musician 
• Lewis England, Translations and Project Support, Student
• Anita Lu, Interpreting, Student in Modern Languages and Cultures 
• Lois Sourbutts, Interpreting, Student in Modern Languages and Cultures 
• Mithara de-Alwis, In Conversation host, Student in Computer Science 
• Olivia Higgins-Darby, Film Team, Student 
• Hannah Watt, Film Team, Student  
• Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (DUPO) 
• Dr Ellen Crabtree, Co-Organiser, Vice-Principal University College 
• Rev’d Dr Stephanie Burette, Chaplain University College 
• Dr James Weeks, Assistant Professor, Department of Music
• Professor David Cowling, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Professor Abir Hamdar, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Dr Phil Bolton, School Manager School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Heather Fenwick, Finance Manager, Faculty of Arts and Humanities 
• Professor Luke Sunderland, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Astrid Buschhoff, Arts Faculty Communications Coordinator 
• June Alltimes, Marketing Manager, Communications Office 
• Kieran McKeen, Senior Legal Officer, Legal Services 
• Paula Christon, UKVI & Relocation Support Administrator, Human Resources 
• Nicola Dixon, University College Administration Co-ordinator
• Jim Manley, Senior Insurance Assistant, Finance Department 
• Kim Huntingdon, Administrative Assistant, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• REfUSE Cafe, Chester-le-Street 
• Collingwood College Mark Hillary Music Studios 
• Music Durham
• Media Durham