Face The Music Speaker Ruth Daniel Records Album With Zimbabwe Community

Award-winning music activist and 2015 Face The Music speaker Ruth Daniel recently took a ten-day trip to Zimbabwe where she collaborated with the people of the Makokoba Township in Bulwayo, to record an album and open the community's first community cultural space. 

In support of her role as the founder of In Place Of War, an organisation that supports artists and creative communities living in sites of war, revolution and conflict, Daniel travelled to the country this past September with a team of musicians, festival directors, publishers, record label reps and filmmakers to offer a program of creative entrepreneurial training. 

Makokoba is one of the largest townships in Zimbabwe with a population of 18,000 people and suffers from high levels of poverty, HIV Aids and maternal and infant mortality. 

It is the second time Daniel has travelled to the country to collaborate with local musicians and the new album is set to be released via The Orchard.

Check out some shots of the trip below — Click on image for a larger version. 

Melbourne Music Week has partnered with Face The Music to bring Daniel to Australia where she will make a keynote based on her travels around the world helping artists in war-torn and remote communities, as well as appearing on the 'Live Music Frontiers' panel, which will explore initiatives of ideas being used to push live music. 

The 2015 event will take place the Arts Centre in Melbourne from 13-14 November. Head to the official website for more details.