“Music is our gun…” — Maisha Soul
Maisha Soul
Maisha in Swahili means "life". They are (left to right) Prince, Achille, Eric, and Innocent Balume -- four brothers who chose to water the seeds of peace and hope rather than those of conflict and despair. They started their musical careers in 2002 in a refugee camp, after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted and everyone in Goma panicked and crossed into Rwanda.
The Congo war was supposed to be over, but their lives hadn't changed -- they were living as if the war continued. Life was painful in the refugee camp, and it seemed that despair gripped everyone there. This inspired the four brothers to sing. They sang to lighten hearts in the camp. They sang to lighten their own. They couldn't give in to the darkness. With pain and uncertainty everywhere, for them the only answer was love.
The Balume brothers also work individually, and Innocent is now an internationally known musician, Innoss’B. They remain connected to Goma and use their talents to support community.
Succeeding Together
Tushinde Pamoja is Swahili for “Succeeding Together”. Maisha Soul worked with the women in a Succeeding Together cohort on a music video to spread their message of hope. The women wrote the lyrics and Maisha Soul put them to music.
Usinicheke
The culture of silence around sexual violence is present everywhere, and DR Congo is no exception. Women and men take on the silence here.
Achille (as Ach’B) directed and the song was written by the men and women in the video.
Producing a video
This “making of” video documents the process of creating “Tushinde Pamoja” from start to finish.