Kwani Experience “Chant down Fear”
In a climate where violence, hate and fear dominate the headlines, genre-defying band Kwani Experience, has taken a stand to live without fear and want you to join them in their campaign. Dubbed “Live without fear”, the campaign is a reaction to various ills and concerns, which plague our country and need urgent attention. Crime, underdevelopment, disabilities, diseases, unemployment, tribalism, xenophobia and a general doom and gloom dominate. Yet part of the solution to all these problems is a simple change in attitude and a refusal to be gripped by fear. This is the stand taken by the band, whose music is a marriage of funk, jazz, soul, dance, hip-hop, African traditional and urban music.
“The campaign was inspired by our new single ‘Chant down fear’. The overall theme of the song is overcoming fear, because fear is a barrier to freedom,” says the band’s lead rapper/poet Kwelaboge “P.O.” Sekele, “we suffer from a lot of societal fears: we live in fear of crime, we live behind high walls; we fear the pursuit of our dreams; we fear failure; we fear being ourselves.”
Sekele says that some manifestations of these endemic fears are scores of citizens with inferiority complexes, racial clashes and Xenophobia.” With the violence being meted out against immigrants around the country, the campaign could not have come at a better time. “The violence that is going on right now, we saw it coming. Xenophobia is essentially a fear of what you don’t know and as long as you are afraid, you will never know.” says Sekele.
Their central message is that with the eradication of fear, comes clarity and solutions are easier to formulate. Retreating into fear, the band states, compounds problems and is not conducive to solutions.
They have embarked on a media drive to raise awareness about the campaign and will also be posting content online. In the next few months the band is scheduled to perform at a number of venues around the country and will be spreading the “Live without fear” message.
“We had planned to begin the campaign at a later stage, but recent events have shown us the urgency the situation. We are working on securing the right partners to take the campaign to greater heights,” added Sekele.
“Musicians and artists in general have a big role, not only to entertain, but to unite, teach and connect people.”
Kwani Experience recently concluded a 2 month-long tour of The Netherlands, Belgium and Bosnia and will be touring Lesotho and Gauteng later this year. Their second album, Live After Birth is out in stores now.
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