••• [um:’kü:lō] ••• [ˈmyü-zik] •••
The UMKULO Project is a non-profit organization being formed from the ground up by a bunch of college students and recent grads in Nashville, Tennessee.
Our Mission: To alleviate the affects of poverty by providing the opportunity for African children to experience the hope that music education can bring.
“The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope. African music is often about the aspirations of the African people, and it can ignite the political resolve of those who might otherwise be indifferent to politics.” —Nelson Mandela, 1st President of South Africa
“Umkulo” [oom-koo’-loh] means music in many different languages in southern Africa. It’s more than just a few notes and words turned into a song though. Umkulo is hope at it’s basic level. As Nelson Mandela said, “that song gives people hope.” We agree. Imagine your life without music—not as happy, but you’ll get by. Now imagine your life with music but with not much else. Music then becomes your lifeline, your way of holding on to whatever sanity is left.
That is where The UMKULO Project stemmed from. Our goal is to bring out that music in educational settings, to give dreams to underprivileged kids and to give them a way of actually reaching them.
The Umkulo Video
The UMKULO Zone 