In 2015, when Bongo Flava was still mostly a melting pot of Tanzanian hip hop, dansi, taarab with influences from American hip hop, RnB and reggae, ‘Alternative Nights’ sought to introduce Dar natives to a new sound. The live music and poetry event featured a generation of young, independent artists, who were often gracing the stage for the very first time. Turunesh, one of those artists, speaks fondly of a 16-year-old version of herself getting her start at the event. “That was the first time I felt like a gig worthy musician and that I was important and had something to share,” she reveals, “and five years later there is more of a scene for alternative music.”
In Conversation With: Turunesh
