Reviving the Radio Tanzania Archives

Hi backers! By now, I think most of you will have received your rewards. Thank you all for your patience as we got these out to you, and thanks to our awesome intern Jordan Edelstein for his help with packaging and posting them. Please let us know how you’re enjoying the mixtape and your t-shirt! [...]

Yesterday a video of an old man in a nursing home began to go viral on YouTube and I thought it was worth sharing with you. Through your support of our project have shown that you understand the power of music to heal, to renew, and to bring joy… and what a tragedy it would be for any culture [...]

On February 4, 2012, “Radio Tanzania: Reviving the Forgotten Archives” was successfully funded on Kickstarter.com, thanks to more than 200 wonderful supporters. I was in Tanzania working on the project when we hit the magic number, but now I’m in Athens and hope you’ll all join me this TUESDAY, APRIL 3, anytime between 7:30 – 9:30 pm, [...]

Hello, brave followers! We know you are all eagerly awaiting your rewards. Thank you for your patience. I remember the first time I flew over the deep indigo water of the Indian Ocean on a short charter flight from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar island. From a few thousand feet in the air, the water [...]

Hi, wonderful people. I’m sorry for the long silence. My last couple of weeks in Dar es Salaam were a whirlwind. Geert van den Boogaard, a Dutch entrepreneur and innovator, came to Tanzania to lend his support and expertise to the project. We met him in Stone Town, Zanzibar, for the Sauti Za Busara music [...]

February 6, 2012 We never quite know what the reception will be like when we get to the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation. Sometimes, the man at the gate looks at me warily, as if I have disturbed him from a pleasant nap. Other times, he seems outright suspicious, as if I were a spy or policeman [...]

Hi everyone! Less than 20 hours left in our Kickstarter campaign. Thank you so much for helping us to reach $15,000! How much farther can we get in the last day? For our last update before the end, I’m honored and excited to bring you this message from John Kitime, whom I mentioned several times [...]

From the beginning to the end… of our Kickstarter campaign! It’s been almost sixty days and we’re almost there! We didn’t make it to $20,000 as I’d hoped, but we did continue past our goal, and we’re close to $15,000– so let’s see if we can make it there! Also, as I write, we have [...]

Mambo! My name is Nils. I am a student of African Studies based in Leiden, The Netherlands, currently carrying out fieldwork for my Master Thesis on the wonderful Muziki wa Dansi. Also, I’m the proud father of a ukulele named Lily. She’s always with me and in tune with my mood. I have since long been [...]

Hey Guys! Thanks so much for your continued support! Almost 200 Backers AND we’ve just passed $14,000 — that’s incredible! We have only 3 days left before the campaign ends. I know we’ve hit our initial goal, but why stop now!? As Tyler mentioned in our last update, this is only the beginning and every [...]

So we’re nearing the end of our campaign, but starting up on all of the work that needs to be done.  I thought I’d give you guys a run down over what’s happening with Radio Tanzania’s budget. First off, we will be buying audio recording equipment. We’ve got a talented and devoted team, but they’ve [...]

A couple of weeks ago a journalist contacted me with a few questions about our take on Kickstarter. I was happy to answer her questions, and in the process had the opportunity to reflect more on our experience with the crowdfunding model of fundraising. You can see the article in the European webpage “The Beginner” [...]

Hi guys, With just four days left in our Kickstarter campaign, I’m sharing a special message from Benson Rukantabula where he performs an original song and makes a plea for your continued support! Hope you enjoy it! Rebecca (Video available via Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/radiotanzania/radio-tanzania-reviving-the-forgotten-archives/posts/167969)

Hi everyone! We hope you’re having a great weekend. I started off my weekend right by catching the Kalunde Band at Triniti in Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam. I met the legendary John Kitime there (who has been telling me amazing stories about life as a musician during the Nyerere era, not to mention helping [...]

One evening in the Fall of 2010, my mom and I were up late changing the bandages that covered the wounds on my leg that were refusing to heal after my motorbike accident in Tanzania. It was slow, painful, and difficult work, made more frightening by the fact that the doctors were–at that time–unsure of [...]

Jambo, rafiki (hello, friends)! We have just nine days left in our Kickstarter pitch! In the homestretch, I’ve challenged myself to write a brief update each day to help push us to the finish line. I’d be so grateful if you could each challenge yourselves to recruit a few more supporters to the cause! Together, I know [...]

Hi Everyone! I hope you’ve enjoyed our past few updates introducing you to the Radio Tanzania team. I feel so lucky to not only be working with Tyler, Nina, Benson, and Erasmus, but also to count them as friends. I have no doubt that I would never have made it this far without them. Despite [...]

Hi, I’m Erasmus. I’m a Radio Tanzania Project advisor and technical support guru. Along with my brother Benson, I’m working on all technical aspects regarding the digitization process and currently researching the needed equipment for the project. My task is to study and understand what technology and equipment is necessary for the digitization of the Radio [...]

Hello, I’m Benson. In this outstanding project I offer technical support. My job is to study and understand the existing technology and equipment that Radio Tanzania currently has and how it all works. This knowledge will help us know what technology/equipment is missing so that it can be purchased for the digitization and so that the process will move [...]

Hi, I’m Nina, the face behind all things social media at Radio Tanzania. If you’re not keeping up with me yet, check us out on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news. Along with social media, I help out with online marketing, promotions, and (soon) event coordination. I am currently living in Austin, TX. In the past, I have worked [...]

I’m Tyler. Radio Tanzania’s business guy. Things most people find insanely boring (spreadsheets, marketing, copyright law), I passionately devour in a quest to become an all-knowledgable business guru.  Currently, I’m working on the kickstarter campaign, online distribution platform, and legal knick-knacks. In the past I’ve worked for a disaster relief non-profit and ran my own [...]

We’ve been getting some great press on blogs, magazines, and newspapers! Check them out below! http://kibogoji.com/2012/01/07/help-to-digitize-radio-tanzania-music-archives/#comment-857 http://life-in-dar.com/2012/01/radio-tanzania-music-archives/ http://redandblack.com/2012/01/14/alumna-looks-to-save-tanzanian-music-recordings/ http://tellmeaboutafrica.tumblr.com/post/15506338258/radio-tanzania-a-heritage-project-needs-your-help http://www.bombasticelement.org/2012/01/crowdfund-these-kickstarter-projects.html Know of any other press we’ve missed? Are you a blogger yourself? Let us know and we’ll feature you and share some more music! Thanks for everyone’s hard work on this! We’re going to start [...]

Because of a mistake with my booking, I arrived in Tanzania a day later than I’d planned. After a cross-Atlantic flight to Frankfurt and a brief layover in Addis Ababba, I finally arrived back in the country I love. My second home. Tanzania. The familiar smell and wave of heat, the lilting language I know [...]

It’s been far too long since our last update, so we’ve got a big one for you! We’re SO close to reaching $5000! Thank you for of all of your support, particularly in the last couple of days.  As a way of saying thanks, we want to get some music in your hands as soon [...]

We hope you have all had a wonderful holiday. Now that Christmas is past, you can look forward to much more frequent updates from us! We have so much exciting news from the past couple of weeks. First of all, THANK YOU for helping us reach $2,238 in pledges and FIFTY backers! This is awesome! Next, our team is [...]