Making Music - Connecting Communities

Welcome to Making Music - Connecting Communities!

• Updates
• About the project
• About Ezé
• Funded by
• Project team
• Impressions from participants and team members

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, Lexi Dunley, Olivia Higgins-Darby, Hannah Watt) who filmed and photographed events, workshops, rehearsals, and encounters, and the collaborative work. The documentary premiered on 27 February 2024 as part of Durham Global Week and will be released online soon. 

About Ezé - a Vibrant Energy

Based in Germany since 2015, born Ezékiel Wendtoin Nikiema in Ouagadougou, 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. 

Project Team 

Students

• 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 

• Lexi Dunley, Musician, Film Team, Student

• Hannah Watt, Film Team, Student  
• Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (DUPO) 

Organisation

• Gina Wrobel, DAAD Lecturer, School of Modern Languages and Cultures: Project Lead

For questions and comments, please contact gina.wrobel@durham.ac.uk

• Dr Ellen Crabtree, Vice-Principal University College: Co-Organiser

Project Support - Thank you!

• Rev’d Dr Stephanie Burette, Former 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 
• Leah Fraser, Studio Manager, Mark Hillary Music Studios
• 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 
• Lewis Wilkinson, Assistant Manager, Music Durham
• Nicola Candlish, Senior Manager, Performing Arts
• Dr Samuel Horlor, Lecturer in Ethnomusicology, Department of Music
• Dr Amanda Hsieh, Assistant Professor, Department of Music
• Mel Earnshaw, Assistant Business Partner, EDI Unit
• Ruth Krahe, Director DAAD Branch Office London
• Professor Wendy Powers, Principal University College
• Kim Huntingdon, Administrative Assistant, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Oscar Jack, Musician, Student Modern Languages and Cultures
• Georgina Hughes, Student Modern Languages and Cultures
• Lucy Bowyer, Student Modern Languages and Cultures
• Archie Williams, Student
• Callum Potter, Student
• REfUSE Cafe, Chester-le-Street 
• Collingwood College Mark Hillary Music Studios 
• Music Durham
• Media Durham
• Durham Student Filmmaking Society

Impressions from team members and participants

Ezé

“I try to express myself through music because this is the best way for me to cry, to put my struggle inside, to fight for myself, maybe also for other people … Music is a bridge to connect people together. Music takes me through borders”.

“Everything is allowed to have its place”.

About Making Music with Ezé:

Hannah Foster (Music Student, musician)

“He definitely taught me a lot moving forward, how to approach being an ethic minority within the music industry. How to keep my self-identity, but also how to be an advocate for change”

Aysha Kojima (Music Student, Composer)

“It was a huge learning process for myself”.

“Especially, when we’re talking about such a traditional western canon … being able to carry something like … Ezé’s voice across, using that to an advantage rather than something to supress. I think that’s really what made this project so special”.

Michael Kohn (PhD Student Mathematics, Conductor DUPO)

“With this, we’ve been working on it and it’s come together as we’ve done it. I didn’t know how it was meant to sound and there isn’t so much of a right answer, it was more like a collaboration of what would work best, which I found really exciting and that’s something we don’t get to do very often … To be a part of this, we’re actually a part of the change that Ezé wants to affect. To be able to be a part of something when the message is getting across is really important”.

Oscar Jack (Student MLAC, Clarinet Player DUPO)

“For both of us, it’s been great to have a perspective of different types of Music”.

Alexander Knipe (Student, violinist DUPO)

“It was fun more than anything. It is rare … in an orchestra to have so much fun in a concert. But you can’t help but have fun with Ezé, he is such a charismatic person and that really comes through in his music”.

About the concert:

Dr Samuel Horlor (Lecturer Ethnomusicology, Department of Music)

“The feeling of community at that event, as we all participated in our different roles, was really tangible”.

Lois Sourbutts (Student MLAC)

“Watching him perform was amazing, it was really like fun, joyful vibe”.

About participating and supporting the project:

Tom Cameron (Student Music Co-ordinator, Stage Tech, Bassoon player DUPO)

“It was really excited to see it come off. I’ve been working on it since August … so it’s really exciting to see it all happen and I think everyone had a really good time”.

Mithara De-Alwis (Student Computer Science, In-conversation host)

“He had to almost live up to stereotype and I was able to show that there is more to him than just a stereotype. I found that quite fascinating”.

Anita Lu (Student MLAC, Interpreter)

“When you manage to help people understand through your ability to kind of mediate between two languages, it’s a very rewarding feeling. … I feel like it’s given me a little more strength and courage to consider all these parts that are before me in the future and not to feel so restricted and not to feel so small”.

Lois Sourbutts (Student MLAC, Interpreter)

“I’m really glad that I got involved. It was a very good experience. … A little bit more confidence and a little bit more readiness to volunteer for things even if I’m not quite sure that I’m gonna be amazing at it”.

About the workshops:

Anita Lu (Student MLAC)

“I was pleasantly surprised what we did in the workshop. It was surprisingly really dynamic, really fun, and yet quite informative and thought provoking to just consider the way that people perceive African countries”.

Georgina Hughes (Student MLAC)

“You could just feel his positivity radiate and it was really, really cool having him in the classroom”.

Lucy Bowyer (Student MLAC)

“I loved as well from the session how open he was to answering our questions about certain topics even if they were quite … controversial quite thought provoking. … It really opened my mind to how diverse, how varied the German speaking world can be”.

About the project and team:

Dr Samuel Horlor (Lecturer Ethnomusicology, Department of Music)

“To bring so many people together in different roles … I think this was the unique feature of the project and something that really made it something quite special”.

Ran Wei (PhD Student Visual Arts, Film Team Lead)

“All the team members, we have very different cultural roots. That shared experience of transcultural and transnational experience that is the common thing we have, so I think that’s the thing that brings us together and can work well with each other”

Ananya Nair (Law student, film team)

“It makes you feel like you’re not alone at the end of the day. That there are so many people with you, around you and that at the end of the day, we are a global community and we all may have different things, different ideas. At the end of the day what joins us together is the fact that we are human and we strive to be human and we strive for a better world, for harmony, for peace. And that is something that I’ve taken from this project”.