Raw Material Takes Music Projects to Festa2h Festival in Senegal

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Jun 12, 2012, 06:42 ET

LONDON, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

On June 14 Raw Material, a music production charity based in the heart of Brixton, London, is heading out to Dakar, Senegal as the only UK representative at the 2012 Festa2h. The team will be performing and tutoring local musicians using their own experiences and cultural outlooks.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/537770-a )
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Founder of Raw Material, Tim Brown will be taking four of those involved in Brixton (Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Jon Bristol, Tanagna Chambers and Floetic Lara) on the trip. "There is great satisfaction in people fulfilling their potential," says Tim. "It's about supporting people through their development; empowering them."

There is a lot of enthusiasm at Raw Material and those going cannot wait to experience the sights, sounds and culture of Senegal. "It'll be a big old collaboration, everyone bringing different things to the table," grins Miles, a producer and tutor at Raw Material. "Working with different tools, teaching new tools - I can't wait!" Tanagna 'Tagz', a singer songwriter, agrees. "Transition's the key for me, seeing how they receive what we do."

One of the opportunities facing the team will be a shift in religious outlook as Senegal is, predominantly, an Islamic society and will bring the idea of transition, a key theme at Raw Material, into focus.

"Will they embrace what we do and how we do it?" questions Tags. "I used to rap about what everyone did - crime. The same old story." Raw Material has engendered a more positive outlook for those that come here through workshops such as Conscious Lyrics and Verbal Elevation. "I was lucky to have that. Not many people thought outside the box, thinking about negativity and looking for solutions."

The team will in Dakar for 10 days. "I'm looking forward to hearing the sound - the original way," says Jon 'JB', another of the producers and tutors at Raw Material. "I'll be getting fully involved, embracing the culture. And the food!" It represents an opportunity for JB to take his experiences out of Brixton where he has been helped and helped countless youngsters at Raw Material and into Senegal - a completely different culture altogether.

"I don't often get to travel," says Tagz, excited by the prospect of a 'return to the motherland', as Miles puts it. The Festa2h festival is another step in the transition of the lives of these young people, thanks to Raw Material.

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SOURCE Raw Material