Mwamba wa Imani Langu (Rock of My Peace)

Kurt Ebsary (Swahili 2017), 2017 ADF recipient, recorded and produced a CD “Mwamba wa Imani Langu (Rock of my Peace)” which is a musical collaboration with Swahili speaking artists in Buffalo, NY. One of the musicians he met was Gabby Kaleja, a refugee of the Congo who arrived in the U.S in 2016 via Zambia. The recording sessions brought family and friends into the studio to record backing harmonies and more. The project influenced Kurt both through his Swahili acquisition and his work as a musician and recording engineer. The time spent collaborating in the studio helped Kurt to learn the intricacies of East African music and to learn specialized vocabulary for recording Swahili musicians. As such, the project benefited his own development, raised awareness of his recording studio and it helped Gabby to promote his music.