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Fete Jen Presents: The Lounge - Tanzania

Hi friends and family,
As a lot of you know, over five years ago in March 2014 I created the The Lounge - Tanzania (formerly known as Lyricist Lounge Tanzania) show in Dar es Salaam in response to a lack of places where one could go and experience original local talent in a comfortable setting; be it poetry, singing or rapping. The Lounge's mission is to provide a positive, cultural safe space for artists -- established and amateurs alike -- to express themselves, with an emphasis on their original lyrics. The goal is two-fold:

1) To provide a platform for newer artists and those who have never performed live in front of an audience, to gain that experience and help them with their professional development; and

2) For the more established artists, to give them access to a new, diverse audience with whom to share their work with and build upon their fan base.

Little did I know that almost 5 years later it would still be going strong, despite me moving out of the country almost two years ago. This has been a testament of how I was able to transfer my passion and love for the arts into a local team and the determination and capability they've had to keep it going. We started out on a voluntary basis and slowly over time started to charge a small entrance fee just so that we could at least give the performers and DJ a nominal honorarium that would mainly cover their transportation costs to get to the venue. To date we've had no corporate sponsors. I've been amazed by the goodwill, generosity and support that everyone has shown over the years. It truly has been a love fest and we've become like family. 

We are coming up on the 5th anniversary and we'd like to curate a very special show to celebrate this huge milestone on Saturday, March 23rd. We'd like to hire an indoor venue since it will be the rainy season and this is the costliest part of our planned budget so far. Then we'd like to do a lot more media coverage before the event and during the event so that our performers can receive heightened coverage and exposure. We'd like to hire a live band to play throughout the night and install extra lighting and other decor to jazz it up. We'd also like to give the performers a bit more extra cash as a thank you for supporting the Lounge movement consistently and recognize the hard work they put into their craft. 

This show will have at least 16 local artists, 1 international act, 4 renowned DJs and hosts. Plus surprise celebrity appearances. The theme for the 5th anniversary is "Daraja: Bridging gaps and paving the way for a bright African future." The show will be dedicated to Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP)/Jabba - a dear friend of mine  and South African pioneering hip hop artist who embodied the spirit of daraja and Pan Africanism. He unfortunately passed away unexpectedly a few months ago in October 2018 and the show will be honoring the legacy of his Daraja Walk movement.

It would really mean a lot to me if you could donate anything you can spare to make this show a real standout. It will be even that more meaningful to the young Tanzanian artists who see the Lounge platform as an avenue to reach their life goals. Some of you have offered to assist me as a federal employee during the recent Trump Administration shutdown and I respectfully declined as I had enough of a cushion to get me through that time period. It would be great if instead you could donate what you were thinking of giving to me to this cause instead.

I love ya'll and hope you'll help me make this dream of mine a reality!

Hugs,
Jennifer
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Donations 

  • Frank Williams
    • $35 
    • 5 yrs
  • Mavere T
    • $65 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Naomi Serbantez
    • $45 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Milly Kayongo
    • $40 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Lillian Benjamin
    • $25 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Jennifer Erie
Organizer

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