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Bringing you news from around Africa and the African diaspora about music education and music educators.

Ugandan to keynote ISME conference

Patrick Kabanda, originally from Kampala, Uganda, is to keynote the ISME 35th World Conference (online). Patrick discovered the joy of music as a child when he became a chorister in the cathedral where he found refuge from the political violence of the time. He was awarded a scholarship to Juilliard in New York City where he was awarded both bachelors and masters degrees and then studied a masters in law and diplomacy at Tufts University (USA). He now combines his arts and commerce degrees to pursue a career in development with organisations like the UN and World Bank. He works to advocate for the arts in development and to grow the opportunities for African music outside Africa.

PASMAE 2023 scheduled for Ghana

The early announcement has been made that the 2023 PASMAE regional conference will be held in partnership with the University of Cape Coast.

Details are being finalised, but the date is likely to be July. The intention is that this conference will revert to being face-to-face.

Ugandan music educator receives ISME grant

Lawrence Branco Sekalegga from Kampala, Uganda was the recipient of a 2018 ISME grant for the choral music program at this school, St Aloysius. This was a struggling school, seeking to ​grow self confidence, leadership and self esteem in students through a choral music program. The video of all the grant recipients is from 2020 when they reported on progress and St Aloysius is the first showcased.

Africans win SEMPRE/ISME grants

Africans have been awarded two of the five ISME/SEMPRE grants in the 2021 funding round.

They are Dr Alethea de Villiers for a research study with San and Kho Chiefs in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa and Dr Beatrice Digolo in Kenya for a research program investigating the use of music to address the effects of the pandemic on primary school children.

Full information about the programs are on the ISME website.

Africans serving on the ISME Board

Three Africans now serve on the ISME Board 2020-2022.

They are Otukile Phibion from Gabarone, Botswana who joined the Board for the first time. Elizabeth Andang'o from Nairobi, Kenya who is re-elected for her second term. Emily Achieng' Akuno from Nairobi, Kenya who was elected as President Elect in 2018 and assumed the role of President at the General Assembly 2020. At the General Assembly 2022 Emily will move to Past President, Elizabeth will stand down as two terms are the maximum for any individual member, and Phibion can choose to stand again, if he wishes. Rose-Anynago Omolo-Ongati  from Kisumu, Kenya stands down after her maximum two terms.

Thoughts from ISME Conference, Baku

PASMAE members Benon Kigozi, Judy Thönell and Caroline van Niekerk attended the 2018 ISME World Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan and filed this report.

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