For Zainab Muse, the Creatorland founder and a Carleton University media production and design instructor, “highlighting ordinary people as extraordinary” ensures the sustenance of communal history.
“Erasure became a theme for us at Creatorland,” Muse said. “We started realizing that if no one was documenting the stories of the communities around us and that represent us, that erasure is likely to happen to them.”
In union with Ottawa’s Woke Studios, Creatorland is producing Afrosphere: a docuseries on Afrobeats’ liberatory history and the local musicians evolving the genre. Scheduled to premiere in the fall on Bell, the four-part series wrapped up with a July 5 launch party in Manor Park.
Afrosphere’s title encapsulates flourishing imagery to unite the communities surrounding Afrobeats, according to Muse.
“Afrosphere is this … ideal place that could exist if we supported, recognized and accessed the history of Afrobeats,” Muse said. “Afrosphere is the global movement towards this ecosystem of support, this ideal world where everything thrives.”
The Afrosphere launch party, which will be the subject of the docuseries’ fourth episode, included live Afrobeats performances, a sneak-peek screening, vending from the Baccanalle African-Caribbean restaurant and colourful vendor displays curated by Afrotechture.
Muse said the party was an opportunity to “show on camera the level of support the community can contribute to the journey of an artist.”
Banggz, a musician and recent Carleton graduate, performed a set at the launch party. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria — the birthplace of Afrobeats — Banggz explained that the genre is how he expresses himself.
“My favourite part about being an Afrobeat musician is the energy, the grooves, the vibes, the community,” Banggz said.
He added that the joyfulness of the genre, coupled with meaningful lyrics, present a plentitude of ways for listeners to enjoy his music.
“If you want to read between the lines and listen to what I’m actually saying, or you just want to groove and enjoy the moment, I want to give people different options,” he said.
“Creating an atmosphere where people feel chill, where they feel like they can connect with others, is really important,” Ringis said. “It’s unique.”
Ringis said Afrosphere aims to invite viewers into collective imagining.
“In mainstream TV, I feel like it’s a big problem when you see exciting stories but you have this feeling that it’s not gonna be you, that it’s too far,” Ringis said. “To me, Creatorland’s whole production is about removing that feeling.
“It’s for everyone.”
“We followed them and experienced how they operated as a collective,” Muse said.
Banggz said he’s excited to see the documentation of Afrobeats in a Canadian context.
“It’s been amazing. We’ve been really working on documenting our thoughts and what’s going on right now with Afrobeats and ourselves.”
He added that the docuseries is especially important, given “there’s no real voice for Afrobeats in Canada.”
“When you look at festivals, there’s hardly any Afrobeats programming there, which is an interesting question to try and learn about,” Banggz said. “It should not be like that at all, but we have things to work towards.”
The documentary aims to preserve this moment in history.
“My hope for the documentary is to tell a story of culture. A dignified story of Afrobeats, how it’s traveling and what our role is in that situation,” Banggz said.
Afrosphere also carries “thematic elements of community and relationships,” according to Muse. She said documenting the origins of Afrobeats is crucial to preserve its message.
“If we’re not documenting the history of Afrobeat as a music genre, which was pioneered by Fela Kuti in a period when liberation was important for West Africa, then as the genre evolves towards more mainstream audiences, people are going to forget the history.”
Banggz said his creative process evolves as he connects deeper with the Afrobeats genre. After meeting Femi Kuti, Fela Kuti’s son, Banggz reworked a number of songs for his upcoming album, 4 THE BANGGERZ.
“It’s a play on my name and trying to build community and give people a sonic escape. I had to rework a lot of that project to kind of fit within who I know I am,” he said.
“I became more infatuated with the infusions of the grooves. That’s a prime example of how you have to get it from the source to really appreciate it.”
By highlighting musicians like Banggz, who are dedicated to creating with Afrobeats’ history in mind, Muse said she believes we can further appreciate learning from the past.
“If we look back to history and see how pioneers before us existed in society, then we would know we just need to access that history, to learn from what they did,” Muse said. “We don’t need to start from the beginning.”
Featured image by Ky Vellinga/The Charlatan.
