Lake of Stars

Market Club 20/02/2011

2011-02-23T13:49:00.001Z

Lake of Stars are pleased to announce that our first Market Club event last Sunday was a huge success.

Many market stalls turned up to sell everything from clothing to CD’s to custom-made bowls. Fenchurch, Fabric and Frockney Rebel all set up stalls, and those were only the ones that begin with ‘F’.

The event officially got underway as our compere Ray took to the stage to introduce Mikel and George. At only 15 and 14 respectively, they were recommended by the English Table Tennis Association to give a table tennis demo and show the attendees how it’s done.

We managed to speak to the boys after their losing to their opponents, albeit with mini-bats, to get the lowdown on how they got involved with table tennis. They’ve only been playing for a couple of years and were pretty inexperienced in playing with tiny bats.

Our first live act of the day was Sam Sallon who gave the audience a helping of his plaintive acoustic sound and in the end was encouraged to play an encore by the enthusiastic crowd. We spoke to Sam afterwards and he even performed a song for us, making it the very first Market Club Session track:

After some further table tennis action, Scubaroots stepped up to play their laid back reggae on a Sunday afternoon.

Their music perfectly suited the atmosphere but we were lucky enough to get an interview with them later and they told us that they have been known to play a lot heavier material and their album Babylon Pharmacy even contains some Drum ‘n’ Bass. Check out our interview with them below:

The final stage of the day was to play the ‘Round-the-Table’ game umpired by the Young Offender’s Institute clubnight. The rules are simple. Each participant gets a bat and two wristbands. When running around the table every time they lose a point, they lose a wristband until only one player remains. The game continued this way for the rest of the night whilst the DJ’s played on.

By the end of the day, many of the stalls had made a great profit from Market Club and we spoke to some of them to see how their day had gone:

If you missed out on the event, worry not, Market Club will return next month on March 20^th. Click here for the event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192869400736380

Angaza Afrika - African Art Now

2011-02-19T19:00:00.000Z

“Africa is as much a global phenomenon as a continent.” Chris Spring

Untitled - Mohamed Omer Bushara - 2008

We are delighted to be working with Chris Spring from the British Museum to bring some images from his excellent book on African contemporary art to our monthly events.

Buy the book from Amazon and 'Look inside the book'

Find out more abour Chris Spring
'Author Chris Spring, curator of the African galleries at the British Museum, has selected 60 thoughtful and creative contemporary artists working now not only in Africa, but also Europe and North and South America, including the Caribbean. Their work challenges our preconceived notions of Africa and its art on many levels'.

Check the October Gallery for information and images from their exhibition

Angaza Afrika: African Art Now by Chris Spring, published by Laurence King (paperback, 350 colour illustrations, 336 pages ISBN 13: 978-1-85669-548-0).

Mary's Meals

2011-02-18T17:38:00.003Z

A mug of porridge offers a simple solution

A little boy sits on a wooden bench at the front of the class, pencil in hand, brow furrowed in concentration, a plastic mug hanging on a piece of string around his neck.

Peter lives in Mangochi in Malawi, just a few miles from the site of last year's Lake of Stars festival.

He is one of the 500,000 children around the world who now receive a daily meal in their place of education from Mary's Meals, a charity which believes that school feeding can offer a simple solution to the problems of hunger and poverty.

A meal a day

Mary’s Meals’ aim is straight forward – to provide a daily meal in school for children who are growing up in poverty, and through this to encourage them to get an education.

In Malawi, that food is likuni phala, a maize-based porridge developed by nutritionists. The mug of porridge draws the children to the classroom each day, and the education they gain there offers them the best chance of escaping poverty in the future.

While funding for Mary's Meals comes mostly from the UK, its projects in Malawi are managed by members of the local community and staffed by Malawian volunteers. Because resources such as ingredients and fuel are supplied by Malawian businesses and small holders, the local economy also benefits.

The charity values support from organisations such as the Lake of Stars festival, which hosted a school feeding demonstration last year, and from British musicians with links to Malawi, including Colin MacIntyre and Annie Lennox - who both recently visited projects.

School kitchens

"The kitchen is the heart of a school, as Andrew Parker, a project worker, explains: “A typical kitchen smells strongly of porridge,” he says. “It is a lovely place to be, especially when you meet the volunteers.”

Mary’s Meals kitchens are equipped with utensils and fuel-efficient cooking stoves, as well as a plastic mug for each child. The programme is feeding about 14 per cent of the school-children in Malawi, a country where poverty is widespread.

It is doing what it can to help, but there are still many thousands of hungry children, and a long waiting list of schools who have asked for support.

Little Peter carries his porridge mug on a piece of string around his neck because he knows it will be filled every day – but he still wants to make absolutely sure he won’t miss out.

"When I was seven, I left school because there was no food in my village. I was hungry all the time, so I stopped coming because I had no energy to walk to school. I came back when Mary's Meals was introduced. It gives us energy to learn and walk home."

Sustainability

Once Mary's Meals starts operating at a school, it makes a commitment to provide meals for as long as they are needed, if funding allows. It works with governments to complement national school feeding policy and capacity and always has a strategy to withdraw in the long term, once the community or economy is in a position to be self-sufficient.

While Mary's Meals' view is a long term one, its aim is to create a generation of skilled and educated young people who will be in a position to break the cycle of poverty and build a bright, sustainable future for themselves and their communities.

When Mary's Meals sets up at a new school in Malawi it builds the kitchen, then holds a 'handover ceremony' at which the keys are presented to local community leaders.

Porridge

At Namiwawa school, the arrival of the truck carrying Mary’s Meals supplies is always a cause for excitement. When the children spot it they shout “Phala!” which means “Porridge!”

There are children across Malawi, and the world, who are every bit as hungry as Peter was before school feeding started. We hope that the Mary’s Meals delivery truck could be pulling into more of their schools soon too.

• Mary's Meals welcomes financial and in kind support. You can help by making a donation, fundraising, volunteering or donating second-hand school bags and writing equipment to our backpack project. Find out more at www.marysmeals.org or call 0800 6981212.

Watch friend of the festival and Mary's Meals ambassador Colin MacIntyre in this video about his recent trip.

Catch Colin live in London next week at The Wheelbarrow, Camden, London

http://www.facebook.com/colinmacintyremull#!/event.php?eid=159544200762302

Pump Aid

2011-02-18T14:41:00.000Z

Lake of Stars have worked closely with a number of charities over the past few years and now we would like to introduce you to Pump Aid. They work to combat the global water and sanitation crisis. With the help of their innovative, cost effective and community-centred technology they establish sustainable supplies of clean water and safer sanitation provisions. Their work improves health and supports the local agriculture and economies in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Many areas in Africa are in desperate need for access to clean water for drinking, water for irrigation, toilets with hygiene and nutrition. Using simple but effective technology, Pump Aid builds special water pumps, called Elephant Pumps, that can be maintained by poor rural communities without any assistance. The local community comes together to assist in the building process, providing materials such as bricks, sand, stones and unskilled labour.

The Elephant Pump can also supply water for irrigating nutrition gardens where communities can grow crops to improve their diet and even grown surplus crops to sell to bring much needed cash into the household. The recent addition to Pump Aid's work is the Elephant Toilet. The toilets use just one bag of cement in their construction along with cast-off materials such as ball point pens and plastic bottles. A naturally occurring local plant with antiseptic properties is grown outside each toilet and users pick a leaf to use as soap to wash their hands with after every visit.

For more info on Pump Aid please click here.

Introducing: The MicroLoan Foundation

2011-02-17T10:41:00.000Z

What we do

The MicroLoan Foundation transforms the lives of some of the poorest women in Africa.

We work with women across Malawi, Zambia and Namibia, helping women to help themselves, changing their lives for the better.

We provide them with small loans and essential business training so they can start up their own business, working themselves out of poverty and live independent of aid.

Why did we get involved with Lake of Stars?

From the charity’s perspective, letting more people know about our work at MicroLoan – our different approach – is absolutely vital for our growth. Lake of Stars help us reach young people who care about helping Africa develop and helping Africans become self-sufficient, away from aid hand outs. Being able to take people out to our projects, so they can see first hand how our ‘bottom-up’ approach working in action often inspires them to spread the word.

Lake of Stars have generously chosen MiroLoan has an adopted charity over the years. We hope this continues.

Being associated with the event over the last few years has meant we have really benefited from all the positive press about Lake of Stars. The nature of the festival means that people who wouldn’t ordinarily come and find us online do so because of our partnership and exposure on publicity materials.

How important do you feel culture and the arts is in overall development mix?

Our work at MicroLoan is all about creating sustainable communities. Empowering women to start their own small businesses doesn’t just benefit them, it benefits everyone around them that they serve. For example, our solar power entrepreneurs http://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/Case_Studies/solar_women have brought much needed electricity to their village which really does improve the standard of living.

Just as access to commodities is essential to the community, so are the arts. In our work, we find the best stories come out of the closest communities. Arts and culture help bring communities together and this really is the first step on the ladder away from poverty.

It’s easy for anyone that visits Malawi to see, that music, arts and community culture are an unbelievably strong force for good.

What some of the women we help say:

‘MicroLoan enables us to be self-reliant and not just on the receiving end of aid like goalkeepers’

‘We can now go into a bank freely and without embarrassment’

‘Before I started with MicroLoan, my family had only one meal a day and the children were often hungry. Now I can afford it, they usually eat three meals a day’

‘I enjoy being a member of my group and I have learnt a lot from other women about how to run a business’

Videos

You can hear from some of the women we help here http://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/Case_Studies/Video

Market Club is here...

2011-02-14T18:57:00.004Z

Market Club

Market Club is a new kind of free event for the leading East London Arts Centre that will brighten up your Sundays.

The finest festival team in the world are kicking off the New Year moving their Wednesday night sessions to monthly Sunday celebrations of art, music, film, markets and Olympic sports. Live music comes from rising indie-folk star Sam Sallon plus reggae/dub outfit Scubaroots with DJ sets from Fabric’s Ali B, Jamie A, Kid Blue and Young Offenders.

Sundays in Shoreditch are alive from Brick Lane, Spitalfields and Columbia Rd markets – get indoors with the Market Club’s mini market selling everything from books to music to a sample sale from Fenchurch.

Market Club will have Olympic sport tasters each month kicking off with table tennis in February. There will be a demonstration and training by professionals then a chance for everyone to join in. Ping Pong veterans, the Young Offenders Institute, will be there to help get things going using their unique round robin game. Fencing and indoor rowing are planned for March and April dates.

Scrubaroots

One of Bristol's hottest club secrets. At its core, the group is a nine piece live funk, ska, drum and bass act that on occasion swells to include gospel choirs, record geek DJs, Latin percussion outfits and a ton of other party-kinds up for a party. The band forged on the South West college circuit and now has an ardent following here in Bristol, and wherever they have gigged around the country. Pumping out quality new material at a alarming rate, the band have already put out one EP, launched from it, put on too many gigs to mention and have a second album in the works (out 2009).

Expect high energy, disciplined and soulful music that nods to the best kinds breakbeat, funk, reggae and roots influences you can imagine.
Taste beyond their years this is killer stuff.

Sam Sallon

Sam Sallon’s debut album, One For The Road, is set for release in 2011. One For The Road features guest performances from some of Sam’s favourite artists including Kami Thompson and Neil Cowley. The album was lovingly produced by David Watson at Metropolis Studios and mixed by Jim Lowe.

Sam has paid his dues and earned his live reputation on tour with the likes of Pete Doherty, Nouvelle Vague, Dot Allison, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Lyle.

Fenchurch

London 1999, with a new century just around the corner. The world is your oyster. You're young, you think differently, your world is a bright place where all the sounds, colours and styles merge in a delicious mix, which is forever evolving. Create your own brand, name it after the place where you skate and hang out with your friends. Bottle that positive creative vibe, and give it to world. This is exactly what we did. Fenchurch. Born in London, at home everywhere.

Website: www.fenchurch.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FenchurchFamily
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fenchurchfamily

Frockney Rebel

Frockney Rebel Vintage is our brand new vintage retailer in the heart of London's East End. We offer something different from the rest of the vintage stores across London.

Website: http://frockneyrebelvintage.com/
Blog: http://frockneyrebelvintage.blogspot.com/

Zionly Art

African arts and crafts such as wood carvings, corries, djembes.

Bot i Lam

Ethical fashion brand from by Cameroonian British designer. Bot I Lam revisits the classic traditional cuts for a timeless vintage look. Xaverie Bakemhe the designer who featured on CNN last year has a huge belief in giving back to ethical fashion and the growth in African Fashion globally.

Website: www.botilam.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bot-i-Lam/152259668139018

Book Bus

The Book Bus Foundation was founded in 2007 by Tom Maschler with the aim of spreading literacy and the joy of reading to children in Zambia. The Book Bus now operates in Malawi and Ecuador as well as Zambia and the people and connections that we have made along the way have swelled the Book Foundation into a dynamic and international organisation.

Website: www.thebookbus.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51877102976
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thebookbus

Festival Faces

'Festival Faces’ is a free training course for young people who live, work or study in Tower Hamlets and want to volunteer at London festivals and events this summer.

Website: http://www.theatre-venture.org/festival-faces
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Festival-Faces/174814849221256
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FestivalFaces

Mary’s Meals

Mary’s Meals is an international movement to set up school feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. Mary’s Meals provides daily meals in school for over 450,000 children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Use the buttons below to find out more about Mary’s Meals. Mary’s Meals began in 2002 as a one-off school feeding programme by Scottish International Relief. Today in 2011 Mary’s Meals feeds over 450,000 children daily.

Website: www.marysmeals.org.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marysmeals
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Marysmeals

The Book Bus

2010-12-01T17:21:00.012Z

One of the things you’ll notice the most in Malawi is children…everywhere. About 47% of the population is under the age of 15. Malawi is the 13th poorest country in the world with an average literacy rate of just 63%. Politically stable and conflict-free the country became a multi-party democracy in 1995. Free primary education for all children was established by the government, which improved attendance rates but class sizes increased dramatically. Classes sometimes number 100 pupils. Books are seriously lacking. This year vinspired Lake of Stars has been proud to work with the Book Bus; a charity which addresses all of these issues. Both volunteers and artists, including the Noisettes and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly took a trip on the Lake of Stars visit to see what the Book Bus was getting up to during the festival.

What they do: The Book Bus believes that every child should have the opportunity to discover the hidden treasures that books contain. Their aim is to reveal the value of literacy by instilling a lifelong love of reading in young children. Using the spoken word, artwork, puppet-making and a host of other media, our volunteers bring to life the worlds within storybooks. The Book Bus provides a mobile service and actively promotes literacy to underprivileged communities in Malawi. There's no doubt that stories can make a difference to children's lives and with story tellers onboard, the Book Bus can help maintain the link between local society and its own stories as well as providing inspiration with new stories from afar. The bus is supported by a crew of enthusiastic volunteers, local teachers, story tellers, musicians and artists, all of whom were present on site providing activities.

We had a chat with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly to see what they thought about the day...

Why are you at the BookBus today?

We've come out to the bookbus today to see firsthand the work that the volunteers are doing with the project and what the response it gets from the local communities. It's absolutely blown us away how positive the whole experience has been. The kids from the village have all come down, voluntarily to pick up books, to read or to be read to. There seems to be a real spirit here that would be hard to find anywhere else.

What has been your favourite part?

Seeing how much the kids really want to learn to read and to know more about everything. It was amazing to see Andy (our drummer) reading with some kids on the bus. It was something as simple as a football annual and pointing out on a globe where the differant players are from. The children had a genuine interest and you could see the enjoyment in their faces . These kids want to learn and they want to better themselves whether it be from reading or from just meeting people and talking. It really was an event that brought alot of people from the village together and of course it was for such a positive thing for us too.

From your experiences today, how do you feel that vinspired Lake of Stars has helped increase awareness of the BookBus?

I think that the festival being where it is has really spread awareness about these kind of ongoing projects. The festival gives people the chance to really see the positive aspects of the charity/volunteer work that goes on. On a resort that I'm presuming holiday makers would normally hole up in for their stay, the festival has brought people here and encouraged them to go out and to see the village, meet the people and see how the little things we can do to help them can really really help to enhance the lives of others. It's definitely made us all think about how we approach our days. We've been thinking a lot about how positive and energetic the kids are here when by western standards, they seem to have very little. We want to try and continue to support these projects ourselves.

For More Info on The Book Bus please click here.

Christmas Lake of Stars Rich Mix Gig: Let it Snow

2010-11-30T17:00:00.005Z

The year is drawing to a close so it’s time to reflect on the past twelve months we’ve had at Rich Mix, bringing you fresh, innovative music with a kick of Malawian spirit. To recap; we’ve championed explosive acts such as Tinashe and Afrikan Boy, both clearly making their mark on the British music scene this year, and set to be vinspired Lake of Stars associates for a long time to come.

Tomorrow as we peel away the first day on our advent calendars and begin to gorge ourselves on their sweet goodness, we usher in the start of the festive season. On the 1st December it becomes acceptable to turn up your speakers to Mariah Carey’s dulcet melodies and don the controversial Christmas jumper your Mum knitted for you last Christmas. To celebrate this magical time of our lives in true Lake of Stars fashion, tomorrow night we host our LAST event of the year which sees the ‘Warm heart of Africa’ brought to the snowy streets of Shoreditch. Thawing our frosty souls are Stina and the Soldiers and Holden, offering lilting vocals and warm melodic folk chords as we cosy up against the bleak outdoors.

Of course Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without lots of pressies! So we have organised a variety of different treats for every one of you lovely people attending the night!

Holden have given us an exclusive live track! FREE to download here. From when the band made a mini tour to the The Isles of Scilly.

In The Yard - Live Session by HOLDENofficial

Mulled Wine and Mince Pies will be in abundance tomorrow courtesy of Rich Mix! And you will be able to get a mince pie free when you buy a glass of mulled wine – RESULT!

Christmas Cards and Gifts – Our good friends Ganet’s Adventure School and Mayamiko will have stalls on the night selling goodies for good causes. Ganet’s will be selling Christmas cards whilst Mayamiko will be selling a selection of amazing African print clothing. So bring some money to get some ideal gifts early!

Also going on is the unveiling of video footage from the festival on the plasma screen. You’ll feel yourself warming up and settling in to the beach-side atmosphere with a giant slide show of captivating images from Lake of Stars this October. With Nat King Cole’s soothing vocals drifting through the stereo and the snow-flakes eddying outside the office window, it’s been tough trying to restrain our hearts from overflowing with festive goodwill. So why not unleash your inner Christmas Elf and warm up after work with mulled wine and mince pies before facing the frosty rigmarole that, in simpler times, used to be your commute home.

Let’s set the festive season off with a bang! Join us down at the Rich Mix in Shoreditch from 7pm tomorrow night and we guarantee that you will have that warm fuzzy feeling all the way home.

2010-11-30T14:32:00.009Z

MOET (Mangochi Orphans Education and Training) is a community based coeducational day school for orphans and vulnerable children. It not only provides primary school education but also practical skills training in a caring environment. The teaching of vocational skills lays a foundation for improving the living quality of all children, whether or not they move on to secondary school. The knowledge of sustainable agriculture taught, which is not dependent on expensive fertilisers, enhances the prospects for maintaining their livelihood. vinspired Lake of Stars is proud to support MOET this year. During the festival, many of the headling acts including Afrikan Boy, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Tinashe and the Noisettes visited the school along with volunteers and festival go-ers. We caught up with vinspired Lake of Stars volunteer Jenny Bowie to find out what happened on the day.

1) Hi Jenny! Can you tell us a little bit about your trip to MOET?

At the start of the visit, Headteacher Patterson gave a talk on the school’s development and welcomed the visitors. Then, as the children lined up to receive their lunch, we heard from ‘Marys Meals’ (who were providing the lunch) about how they work in Malawi, and across the world, to feed a child on £6 a year. After that impressive statistic, the visitors chatted to the children and teachers, and even tried some of Marys Meals Porridge (very tasty, and nutritious) .

The group then split to take part in different activities, including compost making and tree planting. The children were also enjoying some arts and crafts which included making the infamous Chibuku Shake Shake Hats! Many of the group were extremely touched by the visit to MOET school and meeting the children and teachers. The HIV/Aids crisis in Malawi has lead to large number of orphans. It was amazing to see the great work and dedication of headteacher Patterson and the community to deal with this tragedy, and many of the group felt that they could do more to help the community which lives and works alongside the festival.

2) How do you feel that the festival coverage has helped the school?

MOET School is a local free primary school for orphans in the Mangochi District, specifically from Chipoka and other villages near the festival site. The school is not state funded or funded by an NGO and therefore relies entirely on individual donations. The Press and Media coverage generated by working with Lake of Stars will hopefully generate an increase in donations to the school. All individuals on the trip, including artists donated gifts such as sports equipment, toiletries and financial donations. Some even took the long term commitment to sponsor a child.

3)How important is the voluntary aspect to the school?

The Voluntary aspect is extremely important to the school. Many of the teachers are volunteers themselves. The school is community run, with community members volunteering to teach sports, debating and so on, depending on their interest. The school also has international volunteers who help with teaching, especially of English. Volunteering is at the heart of Malawian culture; in times of tragedy, the community come together. It is often those who can least afford to, that volunteer their time to help those in need.

4) What can vinspired Lake of Stars fans do to help even further?

Firstly, visit the FOMOE (Friends of Mangochi Orphan Education) website and facebook page and consider a donation to the school. Secondly, for those who visited, or plan to visit the festival next year, the best way to help the community of Chipoka, and surrounding villages, is to visit, spend time to meet the community. Finally, MOET school is always open for visitors and volunteers, so If your are planning to come to vinspired LOS 2011 and fancy a bit of volunteering beforehand, contact MOET via the website and give a hand.

For more information about the trip and what you can do to help please click here.

Good Vibrations

2010-11-30T12:42:00.000Z

Good Vibrations is a monthly club night in Manchester dedicated to the very best of 60's, 70's, Rock n Roll, Motown and Northern Soul. This year, they've spread their wings this year and played a load of festivals around the world including: Kendal Calling, Glastonbury, RAG Beerfest, The House Parties in Manchester, Cloud 9 and, of course, our very own vinspired Lake of Stars festival.

Already having played the Lake of Stars festival a year ago, we're extremely happy to say that Good Vibrations is playing at our very special RichMix Free Christmas event next Wednesday on Decmber 1st, in support of Holden and Stina and the Soldiers. Known to drop everything from The Kinks to Kool and the Gang, we're dead excited for the Good Vibrations set. If you really need more convincing to come down to Shoreditch next Wednesday then have a listen to the mix that Good Vibrations knocked up for us below.

Good Vibrations Mixtape by GoodVibrationsManc

Catch Good Vibrations live for free this Wednesday at RichMix in London.

Stina & The Soldiers

2010-11-25T12:46:00.008Z

Lake of Stars are always looking for fresh new talent and we're just as excited to be making new friends as we are to welcome people back. This year alone we've helped oversee the rise of burgeoning stars Tinashe and Afrikan Boy. Both artists began their relationship with us at one of our London gigs and eventually found their way to Malawi at the festival where they received rapturous applause followed by media coverage.

Carrying on with our mission we bring you Stina & The Soldiers, whose unique sound has ensured they are quickly becoming one of London's most exciting unsigned acoustic acts. Before joining her band of talented musicians, Stina played at venues across London gaining a nomination for an Indy Music Award in late 2008. For more info and a chance to hear their tracks check out their Myspace.

Catch Stina & The Soldiers live for free this Wednesday at RichMix in London.

Holden

2010-11-25T11:26:00.008Z

Holden are bringing their raw emotive lyrics & electric shrills to Rich Mix next week. The Garage-Folk band are renowned for their epic live show with a warm classical Cello that enhances their sound.
Growing up in Edinburgh’s suburban town of Dalkieth, the brothers Jedd and Anthony Holden found influence in the compelling nature of storytelling via their Celtic folklore roots. Their day jobs working in the mental health & social care industry, where themes filter through such as alcoholism, homelessness and internal contemplation, provide unique inspiration in their songwriting.
Now based in historical musical spot Abbey Road, Holden continue to wrack up a London to Edinburgh live connection, building their fan-base at venues north and south of the border.
The band-of-four’s line up was complete in June 10’, now armed with a National TV Sync, creative visual team and some Major Label demo’s under their belt, this BBC Introducing band look ahead to an imminent showcase at ‘In The City’ at UMBRO Design Studio’s as well as Canadian Music Week March 11’, loudly hinting to catch them next Wednesday at Rich Mix before they literally go worldwide.

HOLDEN - Cider Sunday

For more information on Holden, check out their Myspace.

Catch Holden live for free this Wednesday at RichMix in London.

The MicroLoan Foundation

2010-11-24T14:59:00.006Z

vinspired Lake of Stars have proudly supported the MicroLoan Foundation for the third year running. Established in 2002, this vital organisation provides microfinance services such as small loans, business training and ongoing financial guidance to women in Malawi, Zambia and the Philippines. This enables them to develop self-sustainable livelihoods, feed, clothe and educate their families, and work their way out of the poverty trap. Micro loans have so far been made to 14,500 women. A large and committed volunteer base helps to run the organisation, which in turn allows operations to run with very low overheads in the UK. This means that a huge proportion of the donations received go straight to the people who need it most.

One of the festival’s key aims is to help develop people in Malawi through skills training and opportunities. During this year's festival, we provided artists, volunteers and festival goers alike with the opportunity to find out just how MicroLoan do this, with visits to the villages of some of the inspiring women that they support. During the trip, Paulo from MicroLoan answered some of our questions.

What are the ways in which the vinspired Lake of Stars festival has helped the MicroLoan foundation this year?

The more people that know about our work at MicroLoan – our different approach – is absolutely vital for our growth. Lake of Stars help us reach young people who care about helping Malawi develop and helping Malawians become self-sufficient, away from aid handouts. Being able to take people out to our projects, so they can see first hand how our ‘bottom-up’ approach working in action often inspires them to spread the word.

Can this partnership be developed even further in future years?

We certainly hope so. It’s beneficial in so many ways for local Malawians, their culture and their economy. In the future we would love to get all Lake of Stars supporters interested in helping MicroLoan and all our supporters helping to tell the world about Lake of Stars.

vinspired Lake of Stars is built on the work of volunteers. Is this a key ethos of MicroLoan as well? What are the benefits of volunteering?

Our volunteers are our lifeblood in so many ways. MicroLoan runs a very small head office in the UK so the skills that volunteers offer play a massive part in both our operations and fundraising efforts. Because of this, our volunteers really do get the chance to get stuck in right away, whether it’s in the UK or out in Africa at our projects. It gives them the opportunity to create real social change and gain invaluable skills and experience.

How can vinspired Lake of Stars fans do more to help?

Support us! Spread the word! Absolutely anything that helps us show people the massive benefits of what we do to alleviate poverty is he biggest help of all.
Please see http://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk for more information and to find out how you can help.

Wheels In:Motion

2010-11-18T15:17:00.006Z

Motion have just launched their In:Motion series and the word on the street is that the masses have been storming the place every weekend. Undoubtedly the most off the hook venue that the South West of Britain plays host to, by day the club is used as a skate park. By night though, 2 rooms, a large warehouse and a huge outdoor terrace are packed to the rafters with over 1200 party-goers looking for the best clubbing experience on offer.

The club boasts one of the best soundsystems in the country and although it can be a challenge to navigate yourself around the ramps, walls and passageways, once outside the club is only a five minute walk from the train station. You really have no excuse not to come and witness Beardyman, Rob Da Bank, Jakwob, The Nextmen and Drums of Death lay waste to the dancefloor, even if you're not from Bristol. Motion demands to be checked out, with many labelling it the South of England's answer to the Manchester Warehouse Project, and when better to experience the madness than during the clubs In:Motion season. Just watch the video for a glimpse at what the In:Motion series has in store.

For more info on the Team Love event next weekend click here.
Or click here to find out more about the In:Motion season then.

Team Love Introduces...Beardyman

2010-11-17T16:36:00.001Z

Headlining the incredible Team Love night that we're involved with on Nov 27th is the one and only Beardyman. A tirelessly innovative performer, Beardyman has always pushed the boundaries of what people expect from human beatbox, merging phenomenal beatbox skills with his leftfield sense of humour and incredible musicality. Winner of numerous Beatbox competitions, he has gone on to change the way beatboxing is performed live. As well as bafflingly good solo human-beatbox, his show utilises cutting-edge sound-mangling technology to create dance-inducing layered rhythms, breath-taking soundscapes, fully produced songs and tunes, all improvised and created entirely from the human voice. No pre-recorded material is used, and everything is created live and in real time in front of the audience, who he takes on a mind-bending journey from dumbstruck to dancing and back again.

To get an idea of how Beardyman uses technology to take beatboxing to the next level, check out the video below to see his triumphant set at this year's Reading festival. He stormed the Dance Stage, packing out the whole tent and leaving many latecomers stuck outside, peering in to try and get a glimpse of the maestro at work. Make sure you are not one of the people left peering into Motion on November 27th, wishing you were inside.

And check out this video of Beardyman cooking up some breaks, in the clip that made him an internet sensation and demonstrating both skills and a sense of humour that would eventually take him all the way to daytime chat shows and made him a staple on every festival line-up:

For more info on Beardyman click here. Or check out his Myspace here.

And for more info on the massive Team Love clubnight coming up on November 27th in Bristol, click here.

vinspired Lake of Stars joins forces with Team Love

2010-11-12T17:26:00.009Z

We are very proud to announce that our final event of the year outside of London will take place in Bristol in collaboration with the amazing Team Love.

Featuring friends of vinspired Lake of Stars; former UK champion beatboxer - Beardyman and Bestival founder - Rob da Bank, as well as Nextmen, Ratpack and remix master Jakwob.

Crowds will be treated to the finest underground music featuring an eclectic range of mind-blowing talent ranging from live beat boxing to bass-driven electro and straight up underground house and techno.

The event will take place in Bristol's most promising and exciting clubs – Motion; a skate park by day, which by night offers a unique venue to party the night away.

We have undoubtedly saved the best till last!

Come down and join us at what promises to be one of the most exciting events to date!!

Join the Facebook event page here: http://on.fb.me/dCgz20

vinspired Make the Team

2010-11-12T16:16:00.005Z

Right here at Lake of Stars, we love a good bit of volunteering. During the festival everyone volunteers - from the stewards to the stage managers to the UK headliners - they all give up their time to get involved. Whilst in the UK, volunteers from all over England help out with the events we run, ensuring their success.

Now vinspired have started 'Make the Team' a new initiative encouraging and inspiring a new generation of volunteers through the medium of Premiership Football. Yes if you volunteer you have a chance of winning Premier League Football tickets for a club of your choice!

Getting involved is easy. All you have to do is register if you’re not already a vinspired member (this is free and easy to do), select your favourite Premier League team, decide how you’d like to volunteer (which doesn’t have to be football related) and upload a photo of yourself volunteering. To get started, click "sign in to do this" and register. Perfect for the legions of Lake of Stars volunteers..

Winners will be selected at random by a prize draw. However, just for fun, why not make your picture as creative as possible!?

If you need any further persuasion check Sky Sports commentator and football hero Chris Kamara's thoughts on the matter..

Around the World in 80 Minutes

2010-11-11T17:10:00.000Z

Yesterday, the Lake of Stars crew made our way to the monumental ExCeL building on the other side of London for the World Tourism Market. We wanted to make sure that as many people as possible were aware of the inspired Lake of Stars festival and to see what we could do in collaboration with other businesses around the world, particularly Africa. Upon entrance we were immediately blown away by daunting size of the place, worrying that perhaps we had got lost and ended up in an Airport Terminal rather than the World's biggest meeting of Travel-centric minds.

Situated in what seems like a never-ending room is a labyrinth of business stalls grouped by nations and then, on a larger scale, by continent. Despite having our sights set on Africa, and in particular its 'Warm Heart', we couldn't resist a walk around the whole hall checking out what every nation had on offer, in a trip that took us well over an hour. People from literally every country in the world had come thousands of miles to set up stalls and do business.

Eventually, after getting our hands on some free food and drink from all over the planet, we headed back to Malawi, where the country's businesses were centred around a large hut, full of people who were only too happy to help and spread the good word of Malawi.

We went around chatting to all kinds of businesses from all over Africa, spreading the Lake of Stars love and building up links in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Big up to our new friend Christopher from Woni Safaris in Kenya, who spoke with us at length about all the benefits of travelling through Africa and was insistent that we visit him some time in the very near future.

After talking to everyone who would listen and having knackered ourselves from all the excitement, we headed back home to London (the real London), with a day well spent networking across the world.

For more info on the World Travel Market please Click Here

Interview with Mayamiko Trust

2010-11-11T13:56:00.002Z

Last week, during our post-festival gig at RichMix, we managed to catch up with the lovely Paola from the Mayamiko Trust. Paola came down to sell the clothing that they specialise in. Mayamiko’s vision is to supply UK and worldwide retailers with high-quality, ethically produced African-made fashion and homeware. They have created an ethical production unit in Malawi where they train underprivileged women in sewing and CMT. Many of their trainees, especially women, are victims or care for orphans of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The clothing that Paola was selling at RichMix were made in Malawian sustainable sewing and knitting training schools. Mayamiko aims to create orders for the highly trained graduates to make fashion for the export market. They use ethical labour standards and locally sourced fabrics and materials as well as providing meals, bicycles, childcare and training to TEVETA standards (Technical, Entrepreneurial, Vocational and Training Authority) for their trainees and graduates.
All proceeds will be reinvested into the production unit in Malawi enabling the project to continue to grow and benefit the local community.

Check out our interview with Paola below:

For more info on Mayamiko Trust Click here.
In particular, if you would like to learn more about their project in Malawi Click here.

vLoS Post Festival Party at Rich Mix London

2010-11-04T20:24:00.013Z

This months installment of the vinspired Lake of Stars residency at Rich Mix, deemed by many as the post festival party, officially welcomed back those who had been to the 'Warm Heart of Africa' for this years festival.

Put together by Somethinksounds and vinspired volunteer Andy Lemay, the Dj took a fresh take on a night that continues to herald new and exciting music in East London.

With November the 3rd turning out to be as memorable as the 5th annually promises to be, the whole of London went into meltdown as tube strikes brought the city to a halt. Early fears that attendance may have suffered as a result were put to rest were by the Lake of Stars faithful showing up in spite of the calamity.

Phantom, a two-piece dark party machine from London, were the first of the live acts to perform. The duo's innovative and mesmeric electronic sound resonated around Rich Mix. In amongst the live acts Andy Lemay and Eliphino played a spectrum of electronic goodness to entertain the crowd, that was followed by Ahu, her soul-fuelled lyrics gave our audience something to chat about after her dazzling performance.

We even managed to catch up with Ahu afterwards to chat with her about the show, volunteering and Lake of Stars. Check it out below:

Mystical Manchester: Something to Moo about!

2010-11-01T15:20:00.019Z

Many of you may have wondered… ‘What would happen if one of Manchester’s top club nights were to collaborate with an award-winning Malawian festival?’... Well now we have answer to this much debated question and it arrived in the form of the incredible ‘Farmival’ last Friday.

The weekend saw the Audio Farm collective reunite with Lake of Stars to host an evening that lived up to all the imagined hype and more. Described as a ‘magically mystical fete’ by the mischievous marauders of music, ‘Farmival’ surpassed all expectations of the hotly anticipated partnership.

Taking part across 3 floors, with well over 1000 people in attendance, the club was garnished with crazy décor and mesmeric projections that included life-sized farm animals, tunnels and a chat roulette room connected live to the internet!

The basement was occupied by the Lake of Stars team and an arsenal of extremely vibrant Dj’s, including reunion with the Drop the Mustard boys, who suitably, with the impending fireworks, set the whole night off with a bang! As the music fizzed and sizzled throughout the night, the punters flooded in. Donning a creative assortment of costumes, the Lake of Stars team delved in and out of the crowd, spreading the word about the festival and engaging in a bit of forthcoming banter. Gow’s fusion of house and techno put together big beats and bass lines that continued to get the masses moving.

Meanwhile in the Attic the Audio Farmers were busy kick-starting the shenanigans upstairs, whilst people jumped at the chance to explore the Oxfam fancy dress shop and get their faces painted. They were joined by another Lake of Stars favourite Mr. Paul, and Coley who’s soulful and yet propulsive performance set the scene for Paul Heller, a legend in the House game, to top off the night by setting the dance floor ablaze with beats.

Without a doubt this was a party that was not too miss, with the Audio Farm boys bringing a creative and fresh take on how a club night can – and should – be run!

(All photographs by Josie Hicklin)

Unique international and Malawian collaboration is the highlight at the best ever vinspired Lake of Stars Festival

2010-10-27T11:48:00.014+01:00

The vinspired Lake of Stars Festival closed an amazing three sun-filled days of music, arts and culture with an inspiring acoustic collaboration between festival headliner Noisettes, Limbe-based Jacaranda School Choir and up and coming Malawian talent, Chiozo.

Performing on the intimate beach stage, Noisette’s frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa wowed the crowd getting up, close and personal with festival-goers. However it was their collaboration with the next generation of Malawian artists that moved the audience.

Festival Founder Will Jameson says that this year’s festival saw a record number of artist collaborations including traditional Malawian musicians (showcased by the Clay Diamond Project) performing alongside UK indie act Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly on the main stage.

“Noisettes also invited international headliners Zimbabwean-born Tinashé and UK-Nigerian Afrikan Boy to the main stage during their incredible Saturday night set, creating some of the festival’s most memorable moments,” says Jameson.

This year’s festival featured the best line-up yet, with more than 50 Malawian acts and over 20 artists from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Australia, Burundi and the UK, giving the 3000-strong audience a weekend of foot-stomping, soul-cleansing entertainment.

“There were so many great moments, however one of the weekend’s highlights was Oliver Mtukudzi’s performance on Friday night. Widely regarded as one of the most important performers in Africa’s history, Mtukudzi gave a lively performance introducing a new generation of people to his music,” says Jameson.

Festival Coordinator Kimba Mutanda adds that a strong contingent of Malawian acts featured at this year’s event showcasing the depth of talent in Malawian arts and culture. Headliners included Peter Mawanga, Sally Nyundo, Lawrence Mbenjere, Agorosso, Mafilika and Dan Lu.

“Some highlights for me were the Burundi Drummers who gave festival-goers a flavour of their traditional music. We were also fortunate to have a spectacular flying visit from the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dr Ken Lipenga, who parachuted onto the beach to officially open the festival,” says Mutanda.

Festival Director Tom Porter says that this year we are particularly proud of the engagement and support from the local community of Chipoka and Mangochi, who participated in many of the activities which took place around the festival.

“In Chipoka we hosted a football and netball competition, hearing clinic (sponsored by Access Communications) and visits to the MOET School for Orphans. The importance of the festival was recognised by it being chosen for an exclusive preview screening of major new film, Africa United, which was shown on Sunday night.

“Last year we reached more than 24 million people through international media coverage, this year we expect to beat that with CNN, BBC, Marie Claire, Company and the UK Guardian and Independent newspapers all covering the festival.

“We were also fortunate to have strong representation from the local media as well as facilitating Monkey Bay-based Dzimwe Community Radio’s live broadcast from the festival. We thank our all of our colleagues in the media for their continuing support of the festival,” says Porter.

In its seventh year, the vinspired Lake of Stars Festival project relied on more than 300 Malawian and UK staff, volunteers and supporters who have given their time and services - for a reduced fee or, in many cases, for free.

We would like to thank all of our partners in Malawi and the UK including vinspired, Kenya Airways, Access, Gecko Lounge, Wickerman Festival, DHL, Funktion1, Audile, Studiocare, Skyband, Barlow World, Wellspring, Alternative Marketing, Capital Radio, Daily Times, Mabuya Camp, French Cultural Centre, STS, Comic Relief, Pathe International, British Council (The Selector Show), Brentwood, Wilderness Safaris, Puma, The Book Bus, Sunbird, The Ministry of Tourism, Zain, STA Travel, The Big Issue, UK Malawi Association, Malawi Tourism Marketing Consortium, Dzimwe Community Radio, Art Moves Africa, Beatnik PR, Tandem PR, Audiofarm, Globe Jam, Mercy Design, Music Crossroads and many more.

For more images, visit http://www.lakeofstars.org/los-photographers.html. Photography by Steve McInerny, Sam Colman and Regina Teichs.

Audio Farm join forces with vinspired Lake of Stars for a night to remember

2010-10-26T17:34:00.009+01:00

So the festival may be all over for another year, but before you let the post-festival blues sink in, there’s plenty still going on in the UK to keep the party going. So instead of cranking up your radiator to 45 degrees, whacking on a vest and blaring out Noisettes tracks in your bedroom till the early hours, why not check out our upcoming gigs that will bring the Lake of Stars spirit straight to your doorstep!?

One such Lake of Stars event, that promises to blow the socks off its attendees, is our good friends, Audio Farm's Manchester Party 'Farmival' on October 29th. With over 1000 people expected, 3 floors of music, life sized animals and a chat roulette room this is an event certainly not to be missed!

We caught up with the mischievous marauders of music to find out a little bit more about their ‘magically mystical fete’ and their association with Lake of Stars.

Tell us a bit about Audio Farm and what you guys do?

At Audio Farm as well as putting on some of the biggest names in electronic music we try and make the night that extra bit unusual with the way we dress the club up with strange decor, performers, interactive weird games and stalls, combining this with the music of the artists which we book and the people who come to the farm, we believe it creates an atmosphere that is pretty dam special!

How did you first hear about vinspired Lake of Stars? and how did you get involved?

We had heard of Lake of Stars for some time from nights we had seen in Liverpool, but didn't realise it was a festival in Malawi until about 18months ago, when a close friend told us about it and put is in touch with the organisers, from doing a bit of research on the festival we knew we would love to get involved with it and that came true for when we DJ'd at Lake Of Stars 2009.

What was your experience of the vinspired Lake of Stars festival last year?

Absolutely mind blowing! Just being in Malawi itself was pure amazing but to be at a festival as well, well it can't be beaten! The people, the place, the atmosphere.

Did you volunteer to play the festival for free?

Yep we funded ourselves to get 4 of us there and we also raised some money to help the festival from an event we did in September 09.

Why do you think it’s important for young people to volunteer?

Amazing things would not happen without all types of volunteers!

And now you’re putting on a quite incredible event in association with vinspired Lake of Stars, cunningly named Farmival! How did this come about?

Well as this event was so close to this years lake of stars, we realised it would pretty impossible for us to go to Lake of Stars this year! So we though the next best thing would be to get the Lake of stars spirit down to the Farmival!

Can you tell us what we are to expect from the night?

Something pretty different! And lots of good music :)

And what are you most excited about?

Seeing what people come dressed up and seeing people who have been to the zombie station! (A strange stall, all will be revealed!)

Trident Perpetual Festival gives vinspired Lake of Stars a glowing review

2010-10-19T16:13:00.002+01:00

Music journalist Katie P has been travelling around the globe on a trip that will last 30 weeks as part of the Trident Perpetual Festival. By the end of the tour, Katie will have attended 30 festivals. One might suspect that by this stage she would have got tired of all the festival action but if her video diary is anything to go by, Katie's time in the 'Warm Heart of Africa' was one of the best weekend's she's had yet. Check out her tour diary below to see how great this year's festival was.

Also click here to read Katie's blog which she updated with photos and posts throughout the weekend.

For more info on Trident Perpetual Festival click here.

vinspired Lake of Stars is now affiliated with Access

2010-10-14T16:05:00.005+01:00

vinspired Lake of Stars is proud to announce that it is now working alongside Access. Access is a new telecommunications operator in Malawi, which is focusing on providing simplified and affordable solutions primarily to both corporate and residential users. The company rolled out its services in May 2010 and is continuing to expand its network throughout Malawi. Access has partnered with the College of Medicine to run the HARK Mobile Clinic, which aims to treat children with hearing impairments. The project was initiated by Dr. Wakisa Mulwafu, Malawi’s only ENT surgeon, who received the mobile clinic as a donation from the University of Cape Town. Access has adopted the HARK Mobile Clinic as its corporate social responsibility initiative and will be launching the project at the Lake of Stars Outreach Day. As a company that promotes communication and interaction Access saw the importance of getting involved in the project for the following reasons:

* An estimated 4% of children and adults in Malawi are hearing impaired as a result of untreated or inadequately treated ear conditions, many of which are potentially preventable.

* People with hearing impairment find themselves in a disability-poverty-cycle and they find it very difficult if not impossible to escape without support. They have great needs in terms of access to social life, education, training, information, job opportunities and quality of life in general, and can be regarded as being amongst the poorest of the poor.

* Deafness, chronic ear disease and hearing impairment significantly attribute to the level of poverty and the suffering of individuals and families in Malawi. The negative affects manifest in various ways:

- In infants language, speech and intellectual development is inhibited.

- In school, a child's learning is affected and their scholastic development limited

- In adults skills, development is affected and that often leads to unemployment and an inability for people to care for themselves, their families and communities;

- In families, parents and family members often struggle to communicate with children and adults with a hearing loss and therefore, they have very little understanding of the personal and social needs of their people who are hearing impaired.

Access will be contributing to alleviating these problems by ensuring that the HARK Clinic is equipped to carry out its objectives, which are:

* To identify and offer medical treatment to children with ear disorders.

* To sensitise and train health workers at districts on primary ear and hearing care.

* To conduct basic research on ear and hearing disorders in Malawi.

For more info on Access click here.

Lake Malawi

2010-10-13T12:39:00.003+01:00

One of the most enjoyable things about the Lake of Stars festival is its location. A ticket to the festival means access to the Great Lake in the 'Warm Heart of Africa'. the lake is the eighth largest lake in the whole world and is estimated to be anywhere between 40,000 to two million years old.

Situated in the town of Mangochi, the festival even takes its name from the colonialist David Livingstone's nickname for the lake, after seeing the lake late at night speckled with fisherman's lamps on the surface of the water.

As can be seen in the videos posted below, the waters are rich in exotic fish. Whilst there is always the threat of overfishing and water pollution, the lake has provided the locals with food for as long as it has existed. Other wildlife that are commonly seen in and around the lake are crocodiles, hippopotamus, monkeys and African fish eagles.

The crystal clear lake allows for snorkelling, diving, gazing at sunsets and all manner of extreme sports.

Put simply, this freshwater lake is a natural wonder of the world and the opportunities for excitement are endless.

Watch this clip for the Discovery Channel's close look at the wildlife of Lake Malawi in the 'Fresh Water' episode of their Planet Earth series.

Watch this clip for Southern Africa Direct's take on the travel opportunities in Lake Malawi.

For more info on Lake Malawi click here.

Noisettes cover 'Ever Fallen in Love'

2010-10-12T13:59:00.005+01:00

As part of the 50th anniversary for Doc Martens, our artist Noisettes have covered the Buzzcocks classic 'Ever Fallen in Love', which can be watched below.

With any luck they might even play it in a few days time at Lake of Stars in Malawi.

For more info on Noisettes click here.

Mokoomba getting much love from Diplo

2010-10-08T11:25:00.004+01:00

It's no secret that Diplo has shown his appreciation for music from around the world, throughout his career, whether going it solo, producing others, or as one half of Major Lazer. But as Africa Unsigned points out, Diplo has been heavily spinning 'Messe Messe' - a track from our boy Mokoomba. The track was made by the Zimbabwean Mokoomba alongside Gregor Salto and features in Diplo's recent Beatport chart released in September. It's highly likely that anyone attending this month's Lake of Stars festival in Malawi will be treated to the track by Mokoomba when he plays there. Be sure to check out the track below:

For more info on Mokoomba click here

The Amitofo Care Centre

2010-10-06T15:50:00.010+01:00

The Amitofo Care Centre (ACC) - which is comprised of an administration centre, children’s dormitories, youth dormitories, preparatory school, kindergarten, library, activity centre, medical centre, vocational training centre, religious centre, CBO etc - is founded and directed by Buddhist clergy from the East with an aspiration and mission to directly rear and care for orphans of Africa within the humanitarian and educational umbrella. The main principles of ACC are based on local African culture, Chinese culture and Buddhist philosophy which are given to the orphans in need. This is considered a unique and remarkable characteristic of ACC although it must be stressed that none of the orphans have taken refuge to Buddhism, as the ACC respect their religious freedom and will allow them to choose their own religions as they enter adulthood.

After an arduous ten years, ACC’s caring programme has spread from one location to a number of African countries benefiting thousands of children and adults alike. ACC’s compassionate and philanthropic foot-prints have been left not only in South Africa but also in Swaziland, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, etc. as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia and several South American countries as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The total orphans that ACC has adopted to date number around 3000.

The current ACC is in association with three charity institutes namely; the Yuan Tong Culture and Care Association (R.O.C.) , Pu-Hsein Educational Foundation of Taiwan and the Amitofo Charity Association in South Africa that continuously organize and manage ACC operations along with financial support.

Venerable Hui Li, born in Taiwan and tagged as the ‘African monk’, founded ACC specifically for African orphans in the early 90’s and is still the residing chairperson. With his enthusiasm and big heart to bring love and care to the orphans.
Ven. Hui Li has been awarded the “Loving of Life” medal by the Chou Ta-Kuan Foundation of Taiwan. He has also been invited by a number of First Ladies of certain African countries, some of whom refer to him as the Buddhist Albert Sweitzer, in praise of his significance and contributions thus far. Nowadays ACC, and Ven. Hui Li, is widely recognized as an international charity and educational institute and sponsored by numerous people in Asia.

For more info on the Amitofo Care Centre, click here.

Goldierocks

2010-10-06T15:35:00.011+01:00

Goldierocks is a DJ, TV and Radio broadcaster. After going on tour at the age of 16 she quickly got a taste for live music and performance, instigating her career in music journalism.

Goldierocks presents the weekly The Selector radio show (July 2009–present) made on behalf of the British Council by Something Else. The two hour British, cross-genre, new music show has featured guests such eclectic guests as Calvin Harris, Basement Jaxx, William Orbit, The Noisettes, Fourtet, Toddla T and Bashy It is available to listen to online on British Airways inflight radio, on itunes and broadcast on FM radio stations in 18 countries around the world including Mexico, Indonesia Poland and Hungary to an estimated audience of three million listeners.

Goldierocks has also made guest radio appearances on London's Diesel U-Music-Radio 87.7FM, NME Radio, Big Brothers Big Ears, the Orange Music Show and as a music critique on British Airways 'Highlife' inflight radio.

She is currently filming Xbox Reverb to be aired on UK terrestrial TV in 201. An interactive gig experience betweens bands and their fans featuring acts such as Pulled Apart By Horses, Dananananaykroyd, Ellie Goulding and Esser.

For more info on Goldierocks, check out: http://www.goldierocks.co.uk/

Tinashé

2010-10-06T10:22:00.005+01:00

Tinashé is a 25 year old singer/songwriter and producer originally from Zimbabwe. Signed to Island Records he's set to be the indie darling for 2010. When the thoughts of growing up and becoming a doctor/lawyer faded away he instead turn to his old six stringed companion and wrote something truly amazing and different.

Staying true to his roots, Tinashé speaks from the heart, successfully blending contemporary pop with invigorating African rhythms and compelling storytelling that is unlike anything else you'd hear in the pop charts. "Zambezi" is a great example of that. The lush, warming undertones of the song create a sharp contrast with its serious lyrics about a doomed relationship using the war for Zimbabwe's liberation from Rhodesia as a backdrop.

For more info on Tinashé, check out: http://www.tinashe.co.uk

Lake of Stars Pre & Post Parties 2010

2010-10-05T18:00:00.001+01:00

LOS Pre & Post Parties 2010

This year we are joining up with the Gecko Lounge who will be holding our pre & post parties for the festival.

The pre party will be hosted by special guest DJ’s from our very own Lake of Stars team. Then the post party begins with DJing slots from GoldieRocks, DJ Chembe, DJ Drew and many, many more…. With maybe some special guest slots from some familiar faces.

Situated on the shores of Lake Malawi, the Gecko Lounge offers a variety of activities including boats trips, kayaking, hiking, diving, and sailing and all with the sensational scenery of Lake Malawi glistening in the background.

Along with all the amazing activities the Gecko Lounge also offers amazing food with their speciality in the form of piping hot pizza’s armed with there much loved secret ingredient that makes up there insatiable dough bread. But if pizza isn’t your thing then why not delve into another speciality of the Gecko Lounge with there amazing fresh fish dishes including Ncheni, Kampango and Chambo.

This year’s festival is set to be one amazing event and you can expect the pre & post parties to be nothing but spectacular too.

http://www.geckolounge.net/
http://lakeofstars.org/

Eddy Temple Morris

2010-10-04T17:11:00.011+01:00

Eddy Temple Morris is a UK DJ who hosts a famous Friday night show called ‘The Remix’ on XFM Radio in London. Eddie’s show includes dance remixes of indie and rock hits, plus up and coming dance music of the dance rock crossover variety. The show popularised the mash-up genre, with a section called Bedroom Bedlam dedicated to unofficial bootleg remixes. Eddy also regularly DJs at rock, electro and indie crossover nights around the UK and Europe and has supported The Prodigy, Pendulum and Delays on their UK tours. He also has a band, ‘Losers’ who have just released an album to rave reviews in the UK. But it is Eddy’s DJ skills that are set to get the Lake of Stars crowd dancing deep into the night.

Check out the new video for 'Sirenna' from Losers, his band, below:

For more info on Eddy Temple Morris check out: http://www.myspace.com/eddytemplemorris

Afrikan Boy

2010-10-04T15:42:00.009+01:00

Afrikan Boy aka Olushola Ajose, is a rising Grime/AfroBeat MC from London, originally from Nigeria. He made big waves when he guest appeared on the track "Hussel" from the M.I.A album Kala and is one of the initial artists M.I.A. wanted signed to her label. He also opened up for Prince during one his sell-out shows at London’s O2 venue.

A.B. first discovered his entertainment skills in his school days but admits to have formally taken up this once hidden talent seriously around the age of 16. Major influences include Nigerian superstar Sir Shina Peters and musical legend Fela Kuti while his British upbringing has drawn him to also look up to fellow peers Kano and Dizzee Rascal, and he is fast on his way to joining them amongst the UK’s most unique MC's. Afrikan Boy has just released his EP and video ‘Lagos Town’ and is set to smash it up at Lake of Stars!

For more info on Afrikan Boy check out: http://www.myspace.com/afrikanboy

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

2010-10-04T15:23:00.024+01:00

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly is the stage name of English artist Sam Duckworth. Duckworth grew up in Southend-on-sea, Essex, and has supported bands such as The Flaming Lips, The Magic Numbers, Ok Go, Funeral for a Friend, The Kooks and Feeder. In 2006 Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly released his first album ‘The Chronicles of a Bohemian teenager’ followed by ‘Searching for the how’s and whys’ in 2008 and a self-titled album in 2010. Get Cape plays acoustic and indie style music and shall provide some brilliant tunes for festival goers on the shores of Lake Malawi.

And check out this new remix from Error Operator of Get Cape's track 'The Uprising'.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - The Uprising (Error Operator Remix) by ErrorOperator

Or Click here to hear Sam play his new songs for Xfm, only last month.

For more info on Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly check out: http://www.getcapewearcapefly.com/

Noisettes

2010-10-04T15:02:00.006+01:00

Noisettes are a British band fronted by Shingai Shoniwa, who was born in London shortly after her parents moved over from Zimbabwe. This is a home-coming show for Shingai who also went to school in Lilongwe. Shingai has a stage presence and glamorous outfits that have gained Noisettes a reputation for great live shows. The band released their first album ‘What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?’ in 2007, shortly followed by ‘Wild Young Hearts’ in 2009 which includes the famous ‘Don’t Upset the Rhythm’ and ‘Never Forget You’.

The band have achieved great international success with UK and Europe-wide tours, as well as continued chart success with ‘Don’t Upset the Rhythm’ reaching No.2 in the UK singles Chart, and commercial success with many songs being used for television programmes and adverts. Noisettes gave an incredible live performance at the vinspired Lake of Stars event in London and are set to repeat this electric performance at Lake of Stars 2010.

For more info on Noisettes check out: http://www.noisettes.net/

Nate James Interview

2010-10-04T11:25:00.013+01:00

In anticipation of the 'Globe Jam Presents…' FREE gig at Rich Mix Arts Centre this Wednesday, headliner Nate James was kind enough to chat with us about what's in store for the Shoreditch show. Read the interview below and be sure to catch the gig this Wednesday, also starring Tommy Ludgate, Sarah Grace and Cousin Avi.

So how did this gig come about Nate?

The organisers contacted me and Tommy Ludgate is a friend of mine and she said “I’m organising this great gig at Rich Mix, would you like to be a part of it and I said yeah.

Yeah, because we spoke to Tommy the other day about this gig and she said that you first met after one of her performances when you told her that you enjoyed her set.

Yeah, we were down at the Bedford in Balham and a friend of mine, Tony Moore, runs a great night down there for established and for unsigned artists as well. It’s a singer-songwriters night and it’s called the Bedford Bandstand and she was performing. I was like “Oh my God, where’s this girl from?” And it was sort of around the time that Adele and the like had come out and it was such a breath of fresh air to hear someone who had that same kind of sassiness and craft in their voice but at the same time still different from the norm that’s out there. So we just kept in touch on Myspace and Facebook and obviously on the phone as well. It turns out she works with a lot of the same people I work with, whether here or in Europe or wherever and we just became friends and she said I’m doing this great gig would you like to be a part of it and I was like, ‘Yeah.’

So in that case, you’re looking forward to performing alongside all the artists that are going to be on Wednesday’s bill?

Yeah. To be honest I haven’t heard many of the them but I’m looking forward to a night of music and celebration and just enjoying the night basically.

What are you going to be adding to Wednesday’s performance that should encourage people to come and check you out?

Well I’ve now got a raging hi-top on my head. So I think that should entertain above all else. But, yeah, I enjoy performing my soul music and I’m looking forward to be able to come down, have a little dance and enjoy the vibes.

We’re doing this in association with vinspired, the service that encourages young people to volunteer. What would be your ideal volunteering job?

Well I actually volunteered last week. I know it’s a conflicting organisation but I offered to volunteer for Orange RockCorp. Obviously, that was about getting young people involved in volunteering and just making the world a better place and that’s why we were there. Volunteering wise – I volunteered to DJ and that was my first time DJing, so that was good fun.

How did that go down?

It was really cool. Like I say, it was my very first time DJing but everyone was saying it was a wicked set. Obviously, it was tipping down. Typically, it had to rain on my day of DJing. So it was all about raising people’s spirits really. So I was going from Dee-lite ‘Groove is in Heart’ to things like ‘Love Shack’ and some 80’s pop and cheese thrown in for good measure. It was fun. So, yeah, I suppose that would be one of my favourite bits of volunteering work. But I also quite liked it when I was younger and working with elderly and helping people, I wouldn’t say less fortunate than myself but just things like taking an elderly lady to the shops to buy some food or babysitting. All that stuff. Just helping other people is what I like about it.

Why do you this kind of volunteering is important for people who are younger?

I mean, to be honest, we could generalise and say “Oh, the youth of today, they’re not quite the way we were when we were younger” and all that stuff. But to be honest, just instilling that kind of value in someone from an early age means that it will stick with them for life. So, maybe people who are younger are a bit more impressionable, and it’s helpful to say to them “This is a really good thing to do from a young age” whereas maybe when they’ve got a bit older and found beer and girls the worry is that they’d think “Oh sod off, I’m not interested.” I think anything you learn from a young age sticks with you to your last days so it’s great to start early with something like this and really get into people’s heads that they should help each other, volunteer and do things for free and not just because you want to get paid.

So what’s next in the pipeline for you then?

Basically, I’ve just finished off a new album. It’s a collaboration album with a friend of mine called Matt Gooderson from the Infadels and we’ve basically formed a new collective called Sugarsmack. The record comes out in November. It’s sort of electro-pop-soul, Gnarls Barkley-esque. Kind of a 80’s synth-influenced pop-soul fest. The first single’s called ‘We Are’ and it comes out on the 21st of November.

To find out more about Wednesday's Rich Free gig, check out our Events page.
For more information on getting involved with volunteering: http://vinspired.com/

Listen to the interview here:
Lake of Stars Nate James by LakeofStars

2010-09-29T17:00:00.020+01:00

LAKE OF STARS 6th OCTOBER

vinspired Lake of Stars is back again for another residency slot at Rich Mix on Wednesday October 6, bringing you yet more FREE music with added comedy for good measure.

Cousin Avi

Closing procedures and likely to get the whole place dancing are Cousin Avi. The pop-funk outfit will be picking up the pace with their stylish grooves ensuring that the night culminates with a positive energy and in high spirits.

http://www..myspace.com/cousinavimusic

Nate James

The MOBO-nominated artist will be bringing his lush and masterful brand of Soul. Notorious for taking an individualistic route, the singer-songwriter is fiercely independent, never having signed away the copyright for any of his recordings, releasing his music instead through his own Frofunk label. His experience performing alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend means that he's sure to put on a memorable performance.

http://www.myspace.com/thenatejames

Tommy Ludgate

Bringing her rich, dulcet sounds to Rich Mix Free is the bluesy pop songstress Tommy Ludgate. Her funk-infused soul numbers make her an essential choice for the night's line-up. Listen below for an interview about the evening with both her and Sarah Grace.

http://www.myspace.com/tommyludgate

Sarah Grace

Acoustic soul-seeker, Sarah Grace knows exactly how to impress a London crowd having played the circuit extensively since arriving here from Manchester. Be sure to check out her emotionally gripping melodies and tender ballads.

http://www.myspace.com/sarahgraceband

Laura Lexx

Compering for the night and providing comic relief will be Chortle finalist Laura Lexx. Laura has already impressed comedy fans with her enthusiastic performances, enough to earn comparisons to Lucy Porter and perform on bills starring Richard Herring and Simon Munnery.

http://www.lauralexx.co.uk/

Fittingly, all of this FREE music will be complimented by funk, jazz and soul aficionado, DJ Strutter Brown on the decks and stalls selling feather jewellery, hand-painted tattoos and hand-made books.

Have a listen to what Tommy Ludgate and Sarah Grace had to say when we had a little interview with them.
Globe Jam Interview by LakeofStars

MistaJam

2010-09-22T10:45:00.006+01:00

Last week the vinspired Lake of Stars team were fortunate enough to meet up with the much admired Radio 1 DJ MistaJam to find out his feelings on the upcoming festival. The self accredited ‘musical magpie’ is known for his seamless blending of diverse genres: from Grime to Dubstep, Drum N Bass to Dancehall. If a tracks any good, the chances are you’ll hear it in one of his dynamic sets. Considered one the go-to-guys for introducing new acts to British audiences, we’re ecstatic to have the man seen by many as the future of British radio as a headliner this year. Check out what he had to say about the upcoming festival!

MistaJam set to make waves in Malawi but he has not forgotten his UK contingent. He has given us a pair of tickets to his very special Speakerbox Tour at the Coronet Theatre this Friday the 24th of September! The catch!?... You have to be aged between 16-19. Time for the vinspired Lake of Stars young guns to step up! To have a chance of getting hold of the tickets you need to answer this question:

Name one other Radio One DJ that has played at the vinspired Lake of Stars festival? Tip: watch the interview

Email your answers to matt@lakeofstars.org and winners shall be selected at random. Remember this is not for the oldies! And by old I mean over 19. All entries must be submitted by 12pm on Friday 24th September.

Khethi

2010-09-21T18:28:00.000+01:00

Khethi is a young South African singer/songwriter who blends hip hop with African soul and jazzy blues notes, creating her own form on ‘Afro-Soul-Jazz’. Khethi brings her social activist toolbox along to create songs for upliftment and awareness. Khethi has a strong connection to the vinspired Lake of Stars, having performed in 2006. Her debut album ‘Exemplify’, partly produced by Malawi’s own Q Malewezi and is released in October, just in time for the festival.

For more info on Khethi check out: http://www.khethi.com

Sally Nyundo

2010-09-20T13:00:00.001+01:00

Sally Nyundo

Malawi’s home grown Sally Nyundo first started out his musical career in 1994 with Imagez Band. He recorded his first solo album ‘Nyimbo’ in 2000 with one of the songs, Rasi Amadya Nzimbe (Rastas Eat Sugarcane), becoming a national anthem and a positive boom for the Rasta community.

Sally’s music is timeless and has led to his recognition as one of Malawi’s best reggae artists. Sally has worked with a lot of musicians and groups, both local and international. He’s performed with legends; Iboo Crooper former keyboardist of Third World, Tiken Jah fakoly from Ivory Coast, Israel Vibrations from Jamaica, Baobab from France just to mention a few on the international scene. Locally he has played with artists Evison Matafale, San B, Ben Michael and The Black Missionaries Band.

Sally continues to grow as a great reggae artist Malawi is proud of. His live performances have massive vibrancy and his rapport with fansleaves everybody asking for more while the message in the music has won the hearts of many. Sally is a skilled musician who plays guitar, keyboard and drums. As an all-round artist he is also an accomplished actor. When not making music he paints, designs clothes, accessories (like his famous hats!) and even has a keen eye for interior decorating. Sally is conscious, humble and patient with his career. As a musician he has a true and deep passion for playing Reggae music, which Lake of Stars festival goers will luckily get the chance to see.

For more info on Sally Nyundo visit: http://www.janddrecordcompany.com/2008albums/sallynyundofeb.html

Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms

2010-09-17T13:00:00.001+01:00

Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms

South African Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms will be travelling to Malawi in full force this October. After having a very successful summer in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup Nomfusi is taking the world by storm with her band from the township, with an incredibly powerful voice, rare beauty and electrifying stage presence. The bands music is bound to make you get up and shake a leg with its classic Motown and Sophiatown (African jazz from the 60’s) influences.

Nomfusi was first introduced to Universal Publishing after performing at her graduation concert at Vivacious Voice a singing and songwriting academy in Cape Town that she attended. She was then signed to Universal Music in May 2009 and released her first album ‘Kwazibani’ which was awarded five stars by DRUM Magazine. Since 2009 Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms have been touring internationally and have attended prestigious festivals such as Dunya Festival in Rotterdam and Festival International Nuits d'Afrique in Montreal.

The Mail & Guardian described her as follows: "Betraying youthful vulnerability while at the same time projecting strength, confidence, and uncanny insight for a 23-year old, the diminutive singer-songwriter stands tall in defiance of pop-fashion expectations."

Her startlingly big voice, tangible charm and incredible life story have courted the attention of all the major music role players in South Africa. Creating a solid circuit for her engrossing live performances, she is enjoying a rapidly growing following in South Africa and abroad. Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms will be bringing the sandy beaches of Lake Malawi to life this October. So if you still haven’t got your tickets for the festival we suggest you do this quick so your not left out.

For more info visit:

www.nomfusi.com

NYALI

2010-09-16T13:00:00.003+01:00

NYALI

Nyali meaning ‘light’ or ‘torch’ is a seven member band from the capital city of Zambia Lusaka. Having been together for only ten months since winning at a local festival, the group comprises of three outstanding vocalists backed by four competent instrumentalists. Their sound is an electrifying blend of Afro fusion, combining local, indigenous sounds from across the nine provinces of Zambia with groovy contemporary African rhythms.

Nyali’s music illuminates current Zambian trends and invite for new musical insights. Nyali’s goal is to put Zambian music on the International map with the vision to become one of the leading exponent of Zambian Music within a few years. With them heading to the festival this October your bound to be bopping along to their contemporary music whilst soaking up the sun.

Nyali is always testing their limits and strength as young musicians: “The genius of music is in us, it is not something we can fake. It isn’t just a hobby, it is a way of life”

For more info and to listen to Nyali check out:: http://www.myspace.com/nyaliband#ixzz0zWhrrjDZ

Puncture Kit

2010-09-15T17:56:00.002+01:00

Puncture Kit

“The man with the bike”

Puncture Kit (David Osborne) began life as a busker in 2008 when he first moved to London from Australia. With just a bike Puncture Kit brought London to life. His live acoustic performances are improvised, and beats are chopped and changed in response to the crowd. His beats are mix of samba is fused with disco, drum n bass is fused with bossa nova, funk with hip hop and jazz and whatever pops into mind.. all played on the original busking bicycle.

His past performances have been Glastonbury Dance Village 2009, Concorde2 Brighton, support for the Bays, Edinburgh and Brighton Festivals to name a few. This October he will be heading out to Malawi for the festival and will also be doing a series of drum workshops for orphanages in the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’.

With my bike turned upside down, a sketchbook and no desire to be carrying a drum kit around on buses and trains, I designed my bike as my transport and drum kit "... Puncture Kit"

To listen to Puncture Kit visit:

http://soundcloud.com/puncture-kit

Waliko Makhala

2010-09-15T17:30:00.002+01:00

Waliko Makhala

Waliko Makhala one of Malawi’s homegrown traditional musician who plays Malawian instruments such as the Bangwe, Sansi, Kaligo and Mkangala with much skill, often having taught himself due to the lack of experts on the instruments. Makhala’s interest in ethno-musicology began in 1986 where he was part of a team researching Malawian traditional musical instruments for the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Makhala , who originates from Mzimba, trained at the Zimbabwe College of Music. He spent much of his time comparing the music of the Malawian Sela people and Zimbabwean Manyika people who both use the Kalimba, also known as the Mbira in Zimbabwe. Currently Makhala works with the Great Pillars Band who represented Malawi at the Music Crossroads competition. Makhala is currently working on a new album for the international market and shall be playing the best of old and new music on Malawi’s sandy beaches during this years festival.

Dominant-1

2010-09-15T15:07:00.002+01:00

Dominant-1

With the game being so industry-driven, good hip hop is hard to come by. This Malawian

raised MC/producer refuses to be part of this craze they now call ‘hip hop’ and thus at an

early age set out to make it right. His emcee style is a mixture of old school and ‘true’ school.

He sounds like old school LL Cool J with a Tribe Called Quest flow added to remarkable

lyrical content. He has a set individual style of production through which his versatility

culminates in a hybrid he has coined ‘Electric Soul’..

Dominant-1 does not limit his music to the Malawian market, currently working with a number of international acts which include Mode Nine of Nigeria and Awkword of the USA. He is also a part of the region’s first live hip hop band, Ifeyo. This is Dominant-1 second year at the festival and we all look forward to seeing him hit the stage again.

For more on Dominant 1

http://www.myspace.com/donzothe1

Mokoomba

2010-09-15T12:47:00.002+01:00

MOKOOMBA

Exuberant youthful energy bursting with natural talent and contagious rhythm, Mokoomba’s

story is one of diversity and perseverance. Despite coming from one of Zimbabwe’s smallest

rural villages, singing in a language foreign to even their countrymen, these six young men

have never been deterred from their dream of making music.

Mokoomba combines traditional and modern instruments with a rich blend of rhythms,

preserving the vibrant sound of traditional Tonga music while embracing the diverse cultures

of southern Africa. They are the 2008 winners of the InterRegional Festival, the annual

competition sponsored by Music Crossroads for musicians under age 25 in southern Africa,

and will bring their electrifying mix of Afro-fusion energy and tantalizing traditional Tonga

beats to this years festival.

Meet the volunteers powering vinspired Lake of Stars

2010-09-13T18:06:00.000+01:00

Megan Page, 25, from California

What made you get involved with vinspired Lake of Stars?

I came over to the UK to do my Masters, where I looked at how music can lead to political change. When I finished I had to wait until I got my degree results before I could apply for a working visa. So I was looking around for volunteering opportunities where I could use my research skills while I was waiting, and I came across Lake of Stars.

What are you doing for vinspired Lake of Stars?

I am carrying out an economic impact study of the festival, so I will be trying to find out how much money visitors spend at the festival and in Malawi generally, and also exploring how Lake of Stars impacts on businesses in the country.

How will you do that?

By interviewing businesses, hotels and the Malawian Minister of Business and discussing how the festival impacts on them. I want to learn about who they are hiring, how much they are paying them and how these businesses can partner better with Lake of Stars. I will also be asking festival-goers to fill in my questionnaire. I will need to carry out about 500 interviews in total.
The festival has been going for seven years now and it is starting to have trickle-down effects on the Malawian economy. We know the festival has an impact on the economy of the country and that it brings lots of money in, but it would be good to have numbers.

Did you do any volunteering before you got involved with vinspired Lake of Stars?

Yes, I used to volunteer for Arsenal's Double Club programme once a week, where we would go round to primary schools and give kids an hour of tutoring and then an hour of football coaching after school

Why is volunteering important to you?

I do it for the same reason everyone does it I think, to be involved in something bigger than yourself. People can get too caught up in their lives and I think volunteering is a way of putting it back into perspective that we are all in this together.

Will you continue to volunteer after this project is over?

Absolutely. I am considering redirecting my career away from the music industry, where I currently work, and towards an NGO.

Are you looking forward to the festival?

I'm thrilled, it's going to be amazing. I saw the Noisettes and Tinashé at the Union Chapel and I was just sitting there with my eyes closed, thinking "what's it going to be like to hear this on the shores of Lake Malawi?" and it gave me the chills.

Eddy Temple Morris and Benin City kick off the countdown

2010-09-13T10:20:00.004+01:00

Xfm favourite Eddy Temple Morris kicks off the London countdown to the seventh vinspired Lake of Stars festival

As the building of the vinspired Lake of Stars festival site gets underway on the sun-kissed shores of Lake Malawi, Eddy Temple Morris kick starts the countdown to the festival with a rabblerousing gig in rainy London.

The Xfm DJ warmed up for his performance at the vinspired Lake of Stars festival in Malawi, 15 to 17 October, with a gig at Rich Mix in London last night [Sept 8]. And he revealed that he has some tricks up his sleeve to get the crowd on his side when he does the real thing. Eddy said: "I know there will be a few Brits there who know me, but my shows are not big in Africa, so I'm going to get a local MC to join my set which will be a nice bridge between me and the crowd.

"I don't play a lot of African music in my sets for obvious reasons – I'm famous for dance music – but I'm going to play some records that I hope the crowd will relate to and that will go to their hips. So it will be a case of suck it and see.

"I'm expecting they will be up to have a good time. I've been told that they really like a party so I'm just going to do my thing. I know some of the bands who went out last year were really nervous about playing but they got on stage, did their thing and the crowd loved them."

Eddy was joined at the vinspired Lake of Stars Festival gig by London act Benin City. The show was part of the official launch night of the autumn programme of Bethnal Green Road cultural centre, Rich Mix.

Back in Malawi, tickets have just gone on sale for the festival and building work has started on the site itself. This year's festival promises to have the eclectic mix of music on offer at previous Lake of Stars' outings but with a new broader arts and development programme, featuring theatre, film, interactive workshops and a local food fair.

And with just five weeks to go until it all kicks off, Eddy Temple Morris is getting geared-up. "It's not long to go now and I'm very, very excited about the festival," he said. "I haven't properly been to Africa before – except for a trip to Morocco – so I can't wait to get slap bang in the middle of the continent where life started.

"I was keen to get involved with Lake of Stars because it’s a great festival and I really wanted to help. I was looking to do something to help people who really need it and what a lovely way to be able to do that – by playing music.

"I'll be staying for the whole festival but unfortunately won't have time to explore more of the country. My good friend Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers is trying to make me stay for longer but my debut album is coming out at the end month so unfortunately I have to come back to the UK.

"But hopefully this will be a case of dipping my toe in the water and I will be back."

Eddy also gave a shout out to the volunteers who are powering the vinspired-sponsored festival. "A festival like this would be so hard to do if it didn't have volunteers helping it," he said. "So big up to the volunteers and I am doing everything I can to help them."

For images of the gig go to: http://bit.ly/RMLaunch
Blog photo by Steve McInerny www.sharpsharp.co.uk
Words by Jenny Clover
Event production and promotion by vinspired volunteers
http://www.vinspired.com

2010-09-09T14:41:00.000+01:00

Mafilika

Malawian band Mafilika was formed by five friends with the noble ambition of wanting to preserve the traditional music of their country for future generations. The band got together in 2007, with each member bringing their own background, cultural ancestry and personal music tastes to the mix, leading to an eclectic blend that includes rocks, roots, jazz and reggae.

Lilongwe-based Mafilika will be making an appearance at vinspired Lake of Stars this October, but the band are no strangers to international audiences. They represented Malawi at the Music Crossroads InterRegional Festival in 2008, and although they didn’t win they made such an impression that audiences both in Malawi and across the world have started sitting up and taking notice. In 2009 the band completed a 17-date tour of the Netherlands and in the spring of this year, they returned to Europe after winning a competition led by the World Bank and Jeunesses Musicales International, where they performed in the Fairplay Youth Voices campaign against corruption. They beat 40 other bands from across the globe to take the title.

Sam Mkandawire, keyboardist and vocalist, said the band was "over the moon" with the win. "We promise to continue doing Malawi proud," he added.

2010-09-08T18:00:00.003+01:00

Aly Keita

Aly Keita Born in Ivory Coast into a family of musicians, Aly Keita makes his own balafons and plays them continually in order to excelalongside the very best. Now living in Germany, he has participated in a number of projects together with Omar Sosa, Rhoda Scott, H.Lüdemann, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Paco Séry, Karim Ziad, Trilok Gurtu & Jan Garbaret, Chander Sardjoe, L.Soubramania, Arto Touboyacyan, Etienne M'bappé, Linley Marthe, Mathew Garrison, Paulo Frésu, Joe Zawinul....With his impressive virtuosity, Aly develops spectacular and enchanting African polyphonies on his instrument with one thousand and one waves of his (two) magic hands.

http://www.myspace.com/alykeita
Supported by the French Cultural Centre, Blantyre

2010-09-07T17:18:00.007+01:00

Peter Mawanga

Peter Mawanga one of Malawi’s home grown artists will be gracing the stage with his presence at this years festival. He has previously performed with the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi and Wambali Mkandawire. Peter’s music a fusion of Malawian instrumentation, jazz guitar, marimba rythms and singing in chichewa will bring a traditional yet soulfull vibe to this years festival.

Peter’s first fell in love with music at the age of 2 when he sang Amazing Grace in the middle of Harare airport (Zimbabwe) from then his uncle deemed him to be a great musician. He recorded his first album ‘Citylife’ in 2002 and released it under the name of ‘Peter Pine’ whilst studying engineering . His first single ‘Amakhala ku Blantyre’ touched upon the realities of urban vs rural living this was one of Peter’s most controversial singles as it created a series of response songs from other artists. He recorderd his second album in 2005 titles Zanga Zo Zama reverting back to his own name for this album this album which was a combination of traditional African rythms infused with modern instrumentation giving him world wide recognition.

In 2004 Peter started up Talents of the Malwian Child which involved mentoring and training orphaned and vulnerable children with a series of musical workshops. Resulting in Peter producing a series of albums with the children. He then formed his own band in 2007 Peter Mawanga and the Amaravi Movement.

Peter says ‘‘I love music that speaks to you before you even hear or understand the lyrics.’

Also check out Peter's Track which is the official track of Lake of Stars 2010

ku malawi by LakeofStars

For more info check out www.mawanga.com.

2010-09-02T16:30:00.004+01:00

A Catch Up With Sister Bliss

In amongst a busy festival season vinspired Lake of Stars managed to catch up with the ‘musical engine’ behind Faithless, Sister Bliss, to get her take on an essential component of our festival: volunteering. Discussing everything from helping out with meals on wheels, mental health and museums, the perceptive and naturally charming musician explains the appeal of ‘using practical skills in a completely different environment’ when getting involved in volunteering.

vinspired Lake of Stars is powered by volunteers without which the festival would not be able to take place each year. It is a part of every job role you can imagine, from the stewards to the stage mangers, and even the UK artists such as Noisettes and the Maccabees. Volunteering is more than occasional it’s a lifestyle, the heartbeat that allows Lake of Stars to operate. We eagerly await the day when Faithless can make it down to the shores of Lake Malawi.

Lake of Stars Sister Bliss Interview Short by LakeofStars

Lake of Stars Full Sister Bliss Interview by LakeofStars

www.vinspired.com

http://www.myspace.com/faithless

2010-08-31T12:49:00.009+01:00

Olivier Mtukudzi

Joining us this year is an award-winning Zimbabwean musician, composer and guitarist Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi. He is widely regarded as the most celebrated performer in the country's history, alongside Chimurenga music legend, Thomas Mapfumo and late sungura music pioneer, Leonard Dembo

Gifted with a deep, gutsy voice and a talent for writing songs that reflect on the daily life and struggles of the people of his homeland, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi is one of Zimbabwe’s greatest artists and has become the most recognised voice to emerge from Zimbabwe and the international scene earning a large devoted following across Africa and beyond. His blending of Southern African music traditions, including mbira, mbaqanga, jit, and the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore, has created such a unique sound that it has been respectfully dubbed “Tuku music. A member of Zimbabwe's KoreKore tribe,Nzou Samanyanga as his totem, he sings in the nation's dominant Shona language along with Ndebele and English. Mtukudzi has had a number of tours around the world. He has been on several tours in the UK, USA and Canada to perform for large audiences.

To listen to Olivers Mutkudzi visit www.last.fm/music/Oliver+Mtukudzi

2010-08-26T12:13:00.006+01:00

Safaris in Malawi

Malawi is a place of immense natural beauty and Malawi’s wildlife reserves’ are a prime example of this with miles of unspoilt wilderness where you can literally walk and sleep among the animals. Liwonde National Park (45km from site) has a wide variety of species including Hippos, Elephants, Crocodiles, Buffalo and endangered Black Rhinos. Visitors can choose to stay at the luxurious Mvuu Lodge or Mvuu Camp , where you can camp surrounded by baboons, hippos and other species.

Mvuu Lodge and Camp offer a range of Safaris such as a stunning boat Safari on Lake Malombe where you can get up close and personal with the Hippos and Crocodiles. Another highlight is the Walking Safari where with an extremely knowledgeable guide you can walk around the National Park looking at everything from the ‘sausage’ tree to baby (and not so baby) Elephants. Mvuu also offers the traditional Jeep Safari, however also offers a night Safari where you can witness the beautiful starlight sky.

However if its lions and zebra you’re after you will have to head north the Kazungu National Park and Nkhotakota Reserve. If you head further north you reach the stunning Nyika Plateau in the highlands, and Vwaza Wildlife Reserve in the lowlands.

Check out www.malawitourism.com for more information

http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/

For Tickets:

UK: £75 from STA - no booking fee 0871 230 8581
International: Tickeline
South Africa: Contact your local STA branch

Travel Deals:

Exclusive rates available from the Lake of Stars team at STA Travel
0871 230 8581
lakeofstars@statravel.co.uk

Accommodation:

Lodge accomodation in the area

Contact Saira on blantyre@wilderness.mw
Central African Wilderness Safaris are our travel partners in Malawi. Booking through them will benefit the festival

Camping on site - $10 per person per night.
nkopola@sunbirdmalawi.com

vLOS meets The Magic Numbers

2010-08-24T22:02:00.000+01:00

vinpsired Lake of Stars was lucky enough to be able to join vinspired at V Festival in Chelmsford this weekend ... and presented a gig at the bus with The Magic Numbers!

Just before they played their exclusive acoustic set, one of our intrepid volunteers got to snatch a few words ...

vinspired Lake of Stars: You’re here to play a little acoustic set for us at the big v bus, have you guys ever done any volunteering before

Angela: I probably have but I don’t really recall it!

Michele: I did a paper round!

Sean: That’s not really volunteering!

A: We have done a lot of charity stuff though.

M: I’ve got a lot of friends who volunteer at a lot of festivals and they always say it’s really cool to work at the festival but also to see a lot of bands. They get to see a side of the festival that we never really see - I really support it and I think it’s a really cool idea actually to get young people to be a part of something that is important in supporting up and coming music and cool bands.

S: I think there’s also a point where there’s a lot of people who are out of work at the moment so I think it’s important for people to get out and get just a little bit of life experience by valuing in something that’s going to help them a lot more than just sitting around on their ass all day!

M: We’ve all done work experience at school and stuff – I worked in a recording studio – and volunteering is similar and really important as it gives you an idea of what you might like to do later on in life, a little taster of what it would be like doing this in the future

vLOS: So you said that you’ve done some charity work in the past – what kind of charity work or volunteering have you done previously?

A: Well when the Haiti earthquake happened we did a gig at the Roundhouse and it was so nice to be there because everyone there had given up their time, no one was getting paid and everyone was doing it for Haiti, for the right reasons and that felt a bit like volunteering. You put yourself out there to do it. There was also an auction going on at the same time on eBay where people could bid for us to play in their house. It’s always nice to do something like that in our free time because you know at the end of the day you’re giving something back.

M: The only way we know how to give anything back is through music – that’s what we know best. We love to involve ourselves in as much charity and volunteer work like that as possible. We’ll always be up for playing the gig and all the money can go towards a given charity.

vLOS: do you think that volunteering is important for young people?

S: As I said before, there’s a lot of people out of work at the moment, especially all these students who come out of university and they can’t get jobs because there aren’t any. Instead of sitting there and taking off the government they should get out there and do some voluntary work because it’s only going to help them.
A: It’s just going to add to all of their experiences.

M: It’s a great way to get involved, especially if it’s something you love. If you love music, volunteering at something like a festival is great.

A: If you’re good at what you’re doing when you’re volunteering it can lead on to great opportunities.

S: It can open more doors for you, it can open your mind to difference things that you may not have been aware of.
V: The gig that you’re about to play for us here at the bus is being presented by vinspired Lake of Stars ,the international music festival in Malawi. So what do you know about vLoS and the work that we do?

S: Anything that’s going to go to the good of people who haven’t got much has to be a great thing.

M: The best part of our day is being on stage with each other and seeing audience
responses, so if that can help any people in any way, we’re up for it.
S: So give us a call!

Romeo hearts vinspired Lake of Stars!

If you're 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com

2010-08-13T12:11:00.007+01:00

vinspired Lake of Stars hit Union Chapel

Noisettes warm up for Lake of Stars with a sizzling show at Islington’s Union Chapel

Noisettes set a foot-stomping, tongue-clicking, stage-invading tone tonight that brought the warm heart of Africa to Islington in advance of October’s vinspired Lake of Stars festival in Malawi.

In the hallowed surroundings of the Union Chapel, Noisettes frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa shimmered, strutted and swung her way through a spine-tingling set. She opened by flinging off her shoes and closed it, clad in a gold sequinned catsuit, perched perilously atop the stone pulpit on the rose-strewn stage (Health and Safety Executive of Malawi, beware).

In between, festooned in white feathers and a covetous golden headdress, Shingai invited onstage her 16 year-old (and, you heard it here first, prodigiously talented) brother Kwayedza, to duet, Dave from The Invisibles to guest on guitar, and later, her mother, aunt and every willing audience member to join her in a riotous, African-infused encore.

Shingai revealed a personal reason for wanting to headline this year’s vinspired Lake of Stars – the band’s first ever gig in Africa. “For me, it feels like a homecoming gig because my grandmother is from Malawi, and I went to live there for a while when I was younger,” she said. “I’m really excited to play there. Sometimes it’s nice to send a message out to those kids to say that everyone deserves to hear great live music.”

vinspired Lake of Stars mixes UK and African bands and artists and last night was no different; one of Zimbabwe’s most popular indie-pop acts – who will also be headlining at the festival – Tinashé, supported Noisettes and garnered a new crop of fans in the process. The feeling was mutual: “It was the best gig I have ever played in my entire life,” Tinashe enthused. “And I can’t wait for Lake of Stars – I’ve always wanted to play it. I sought them out, rather than the other way around, as I wanted to perform there so much.”

Tinashé also brought along some friends, including Pearl, from Pearl and the Puppets, whose acoustic Martha Wainwright-esque vocals on a cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ sent the first of many shivers down the crowd’s collective spine.

The Noisettes’ infectious, upbeat sound has successfully penetrated the British music scene with dizzying speed in the past two years. The group are fresh from their sell-out UK tour, and are renowned the world over for their explosive live shows and electrifying vocals.

Last night was an especially inspiring gig for both the Noisettes and Tinashé, who have roots in Malawi and neighbouring Zimbabwe and will join thousands of festival-goers from all over the globe travelling to Africa this October for this year’s vinspired Lake of Stars Festival.

vinspired Lake of Stars will once again take place on the beautiful palm-fringed shores of Lake Malawi at the Sunbird Nkopola Lodge near Mangochi, from 15th – 17th October 2010. For more information and announcements see www.lakeofstars.org.

www.vinspired.com

Beaches and Islands in Malawi

2010-08-12T14:11:00.014+01:00

Our festival is held on the beautiful palm fringed white sandy shores of Lake Malawi, however if you fancy a relaxing couple of days after the festival, Malawi has many more beautiful beach locations and secluded Islands for you to explore.

Cape Maclear (30km from site) is the backpacker capital of Malawi with a range of lodges and campsites to suit all tastes and budgets. 4km of the main road Cape Maclear is a functioning and expanding Malawian village with local school, hospital, market and its own club! Cape Maclear also hosts a Chinese Takeaway and a traditional English Pub along with many bars hosting pre and post Lake of Stars parties. Many Lodges such as the Gecko Lounge have their own secluded beaches; however the fisherman’s beach is just as beautiful (if a bit smelly).

Malawi is also host to many beautiful and luxurious Islands off the main shore. Likoma Island (250km from site) is a particular favourite of many. Being closer to the Mozambican shore than Malawi it is a unique experience. To get to Likoma there are many forms of transport from a private yacht to the famous steamboat the Illala from Monkey Bay (30km from Site). On Likoma visitors can choose to stay at the luxurious Kaya Mawa , the perfect romantic getaway, or Mango Drift Backpackers Lodge which in an excellent spot for diving.

Check out http://www.malawitourism.com/ for more information

2010-08-10T15:08:00.006+01:00

Meet the Promo Team

Here are some more of our brilliant volunteers. See what they have to say for themselves.

Lauren Creed

What made you want to get involved with vinspired Lake of Stars?

I heard of vinspired Lake of Stars through a friend who was already involved and thought the festival sounded amazing and that joining the team would be a great way to gain further experience in music events.

What do you do for vinspired Lake of Stars?

As part of the Promotions Team at vinspired Lake of Stars, I help to promote the festival and related events in various ways, from digital marketing to simply talking to people at festivals and events around London. Our team develops creative ways to generate interest in vinspired Lake of Stars festival and the wider issues behind the idea.

What are your thoughts about volunteering?

Volunteering is an excellent way to gain skills and confidence in a working environment, whilst doing something really valuable. As a graduate in the recession, the difficult struggle for jobs and success can be disheartening. By giving up time and energy in return for rewards greater than just money, volunteering helps young people to reassess their values and strengths.

What do you feel you will gain from this experience?

I hope to have a great summer with vinspired Lake of Stars, developing skills and confidence to get involved with other projects after. Hopefully, come October I will be able to see that our small team of volunteers has really contributed to getting the interest and acknowledgement this festival really deserves.

Hayaad

What made you want to get involved with vinspired Lake of Stars?

Being a recent graduate I was looking to gain some marketing experience whilst working for a fascinating project. And vinspired Lake of Stars ticked both of these boxes. It is an amazing project run by volunteers and it is not your typical musical festival.

What do you do for vinspired Lake of Stars?

I am part of the promotional team who get the message of vinspired Lake of Stars festival out. We tend to use various channels to get the message across effectively.

What are your thoughts about volunteering?

If you asked me a year ago if I would ever be a volunteer, I probably would have said ‘no’. But I have now learned that volunteering is a great experience and also allows you to make new friends, whilst gaining new skills and doing something constructive.

What do you feel you will gain from this experience?

I believe that I can gain new skills from this experience and I can begin to understand how an international music festival is effectively run. I also believe that my CV would benefit immensely due to my volunteering experience at vinspired Lake of Stars.

2010-08-03T06:41:00.007+01:00

Meet The Promo Team

This year is an exciting one with a new set of volunteers itching to get involved. Here are two of our best explaining all about why they are volunteering.

Lucy Southern

What made you want to get involved with vinspired Lake of Stars?

I’ve had a few really close friends visit the festival in Malawi last yearand they would not stop raving about it. They’re main comment was about the atmosphere of the entire festival. What stood out was the almost carnival spirit of people of all cultures and classes celebrating music together. I then did some more research online and read quotes of others who had shared the experience, that clinched it for me. I’m influenced by personal recommendations. I guess this shows the importance of the power of word of mouth.

What do you do for vinspired Lake of Stars?

I’m a member of the promotional team, first and foremost our priority is to reach everyone we can and expose them to the festival. This is about to evolve into a whole new creative dimension, we’re not just about putting up posters in cafe windows (despite the importance of this!). In the mix we’ve got photo and video campaigns, putting on events and raising awareness at other festivals, radio shout out and hopefully a magazine. At the moment we’re looking at the digital marketing side of things, I’m focussing on targeting forums to get all the information out. My living in Bristol means that I can personally expose the West to this festival through campaigning, with the intention of hosting an event in the near future.

What are your thoughts about volunteering?

Vinsprired offer a really great platform to find out more about volunteering and gives you loads of different options to get involved, so there is something to cater to everyone’s preferences. Volunteering needs to be made a part of everyone’s life so that it can be a natural part of a community.

What do you feel you will gain from this experience?

I’ve already improved my skills in a practical way through the digital marketing experiences we’ve had. But more importantly I get to be part of something that will see two countries coming together and collaborating with one another and learning from each other. Vinspired’s Lake of Stars festival itself will be a melting pot of many cultures, and the events will be also. I will get to learn from other people as well as celebrating the boundary-breaking effects of music.

Michael Brindley

What made you want to get involved with vinspired Lake of Stars?

Initially I got into vinspired Lake of Stars because it sounded like an interesting project to take up some time over my summer holidays. As I continue to learn about how the festival works and who it benefits, I am finding it to be more relevant for me personally. I'm a second year popular music student and the idea of encouraging a global music community really appeals to me.

What do you do for vinspired Lake of Stars?

I'm part of the promotion and UK events team, which branches out into all sorts of areas. At the moment we're meeting and talking to people around London, trying to get some posters up and building up an online presence for the festival and supporting UK events. It looks like there's a lot more to come, the challenge is finding ways to be creative on a low budget.

What are your thoughts about volunteering?

I think volunteering is a great experience for young people. As you're not in it for the money, it really makes you think about what you feel is important, and you meet some amazing people along the way.

What do you feel you will gain from this experience?

I feel like the only limits on this kind of experience are self-imposed, the more you put in, the more you get out. Its a learning curve and its not always easy to get things perfect straight away, but once you find your angle, you realise that this work will help you in all kinds of ways, as well as looking good on your CV.

Heres and added bonus of some of the team in action.

Wednesday August 4th ‘Warm ♥ of Africa Malawi Special’ @ vinspired Lake of Stars Rich Mix

2010-07-28T12:57:00.004+01:00

vinspired Lake of Stars continues its monthly residency at Rich Mix with a FREE showcase of artists from Malawi, Zambia , Tanzania and the UK.

***
Blaze Blackheart shall showcase his unique style of Zambian Electro Hip Hop. Born in Zambia and Raised in London, Blaze is charismatic, exciting and unconstrained by genre, extracting the best from wherever his inspiration leads. His influences stretch from Shakespeare to 2pac to Bruce... Lee and as the ‘Gentleman of Hip Hop’ his lyrics speak of real life. Contemporary and catchy Blaze brings a bit of Southern Africa to East London. http://www.myspace.com/blazeblackheart

***
Lyrical, a Malawian born and raised hip hop MC, shall get the crowd going bringing a taster of the thriving Malawian hip hop scene to the Rich Mix residency. http://www.myspace.com/lyricalofspl

***
Stac, a female fronted Soul group from the UK, bring some beautiful chilled soulful vibes. With a single out on WahWah45’s and having been remixed by Bonobo , Stac are ones to watch.http://www.myspace.com/stacca

***
All this incredible FREE live music shall be supported by UK DJ Dom, Malawian DJ Tiyese and Tanzanian DJ Sef. To keep the Malawian vibe going there will be stalls showcasing all things Malawian, including fashion from Nkyaya Designs.

As if that wasn’t enough, ‘Warm Heart of Africa'’ has some surprise guests flying over from Malawi in support of the Malawi ministry of tourism and Malawi Association UK.

***

So come along and enjoy the FREE music and get 'a taste of malawi' in East London!

vinspired Lake of Stars present Noisettes and Tinashe at the Union Chapel

2010-07-14T12:49:00.011+01:00

Noisettes set to stun Union Chapel at exclusive vinspired Lake of Stars warm-up gig

vinspired Lake of Stars brings its unique flavour to the heart of Islington with this dazzling show.

The Noisettes’ infectious, upbeat sound has successfully penetrated the British music scene with dizzying speed in the past two years. The group are fresh from their sell-out UK tour, and are renowned the world over for their explosive live shows and electrifying vocals.

Support comes in the form of Tinashe, a hugely talented, up-and-coming singer-songwriter from hailing from Zimbabwe via Hackney, who can conjure up sheer magic with his guitar. A long-time supporter of vinspired Lake of Stars, Tinashe is taking time out from his busy summer schedule to support the night with his beautiful tones and unique fusion of indie-pop guitar based tunes.

This will be a particularly inspiring gig for both the Noisettes and Tinashe, who have roots in Malawi and neighbouring Zimbabwe and will join thousands of festival-goers from all over the globe travelling to the warm heart of Africa this October to headline this year’s vinspired Lake of Stars Festival.

This is sure to be a mesmerising evening celebrating a melting pot of the very best of British and African culture, mirroring the spectacle showcased at the festival itself. Just like the festival, Augusts gig will be powered by a team of hard-working volunteers and will present an exciting opportunity to get a glimpse of what the festival is all about.

vinspired Lake of Stars Birmingham Volunteers!

2010-07-02T17:16:00.002+01:00

Our vinspired Lake of Stars Launch Party couldn't have happend with out our dedicated team of volunteers

vinspired volunteer Shaniqua interviewed vinspired volunteers Artist Liason Rochelle and Stage Manager Becky to find out more about their vinspired experience...

vinspired Lake of Stars returns to Birmingham!

2010-07-02T13:36:00.012+01:00

On the 11th of June vinspired Lake of Stars returned to the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham to launch this year’s festival. After weeks of preparation and promotion by vinspired volunteers Nikki, Matt, Rochelle, Huda, Shaun, Shannan and Shaniqua, the evening got underway with a chilled acoustic set by local Birmingham singer/songwriter Luke Wylde as vinspired volunteers Ami and Annabel opened the doors to excited punters.

The July Days followed by getting the crowd dancing to their upbeat indie tunes. The band, which regularly plays at University of Birmingham events, brought some Malawi style sunshine to the room.

Cantaloop were the next band to get the crowd going with their jazzy funk tunes, whilst next door the DJ marathon got underway with DJs Sam and Lolly, who provided some alternative tunes for Lake of Stars revellers. During the night vinspired volunteer Artist Liason Rochelle kept the bands happy with beer and snacks, and along with vinspired volunteer Becky, made sure the line up ran smoothly.

The 10 piece band the Monday Sessions followed on with some more funky tunes, which of course resulted in more dancing, more drinking, and singing along to a great rendition of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘smile’. After plenty of singing and dancing, vinspired volunteer Stage Manager, Becky, along with some happy audience members helped set the stage for Afrikan Boy. vinspired volunteer MC Obi kept the audience going with his ever famous jokes. Those who just couldn’t take the jokes, moved into the DJ Room for DJ Raffertie.

Afrikan Boy played a great set, with the crowd getting extremely excited when he played his YouTube hit ‘Lidl’. Afrikan Boy got those crowd members lucky enough to be coming to the festival in October, very excited about his Malawian performance. Those who might have to wait another year until they can party in Malawi, got to enjoy a sample of Lake of Stars, on their very doorstep. Whomanity DJs finished off the night with some Reggae tunes, accompanied by DJ Kronic playing Drum n Bass in the DJ Room.

Throughout the evening vinspired volunteer journalists Shannan and Shaniqua interviewed artists and fellow volunteers using video camera and dictaphone. Keep an eye out for their work....

Thanks to all artists and volunteers for a great evening, another great success for vinspired Lake of Stars.... bring on the next one!

If you would like to find out more about volunteering check out vinspired.com

Jenny Bowie
vinspired Lake of Stars Project Co-ordinator

Big news..line up.. FREE events...Summer of Give

2010-05-21T09:53:00.001+01:00

Malawi music festival is back. And back like never before with even more live acts now crossing the world to perform at this unique experience.

The dates for the 2010 vinspired Lake of Stars Festival were announced last month. Now we proudly reveal the first wave of artists who are set to light up Malawi like a blazing fire with confirmed acts including The Noisettes, Tinashé, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Afrikan Boy, Jon McClure of Reverend & the Makers, Eddy Temple Morris and Goldierocks with many more to come.

This year is all about experiences, with the music festivals in the obvious destinations no longer enough for the experienced adventurers. Now is the perfect time to join the vinspired Lake of Stars Festival and embark on an experience that you have never experienced before.

The flights and tickets are on sale with STA Travel

Contact our dedicated STA Travel for the best flight and festival ticket deals:
0871 230 8581 lakeofstars@statravel.co.uk

// In other news: May 5th //

The 5th of may event went down fanstastic with Dr. Francis Moto, Malawian High Commissioner to the UK , addressing an enthralled audience here at our Rich Mix HQ.

Check out what Dr. Francis Moto had to say on this blog.

Also here’s something a little extra for you:

Log on here http://www.lakeofstars.org/ to see the BBC short about the festival.

// To get a taste of things to come we’re holding some more live events//

2nd July, Rich Mix, Shoreditch >>> http://bit.ly/9EdTel

11th July, Birmingham >>> http://bit.ly/cHFeD0

25th July, Rich Mix, Shoreditch part of AfroCup http://www.richmix.org.uk

With all this great news that’s all from us for now we hope to see you soon.

Connect with the festival:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-of-Stars/356889956151?ref=ts
http://www.myspace.com/lakeofstarsfestival
http://twitter.com/lakeofstars

v has launched 'Summer of Give', a brand new initiative asking 18-25 year olds across the country to give their free time this summer to get the time of their lives for FREE at some of the UK's most sought after - and already sold out music festivals including T4 on the Beach, Relentless Boardmasters and Creamfields.

Talented 18-25 year olds are being called upon to join the vcrew on the bigvbus at each location. The deal? Get creative and share your time and talents with others in return for free festival access. Simple.

All willing volunteers have to do is log on to www.vinspired.com/summerofgive and tell v what skills they can uniquely offer for free at each festival location. So whether it's music, dance, photography, writing or even fashion styling skills that make you stand out from the crowd, v needs your help and for just four hours a day. That’s it!

Aspiring DJ's and bands could hit the top deck of the bigvbus and play a warm up festival set while promising photographers and writers snap, blog and tweet the festival scene. Graffiti artists and dancers could even hold master classes on-board - it's your call, just tell v what you can do.

For further details on ‘Summer of Give,’ deadlines for each festival applications and v’s terms and conditions, please log on to www.vinspired.com/summerofgive

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page"

2010-05-19T12:24:00.003+01:00

Dr. Francis Moto, Malawian High Commissioner to the UK, addressed an enthralled audience at vinspired Lake of Stars' most recent event as part of the Priceless Live Series at Rich Mix in Shoreditch ...

"The organisers of Lake of Stars, especially Will Jameson, representatives of sponsors, The British Council, Selector Radio, musicians, DJs, members of the media, Lake of Stars volunteers, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen – it gives me great pleasure to be with you this evening as a guest of honour at one of the events that are organised as part of the Rich Mix Series.

I have been informed that today’s event is part of the pre-Lake of Stars festival promotion, and is aimed at providing the necessary information and feel of the forthcoming festival that will take place in October 2010 in Mangochi, Malawi, the warm heart of the continent.

I am grateful to the organisers for having booked me as guest of honour once again at this event.

It is interesting to note that the Lake of Stars festival has grown in stature over the years from humble beginnings way back in 2004 to become one of the biggest music festivals in the South African region, if not the whole of the African continent. The event has been instrumental in promoting UK and international outbound tourism to Malawi and has been important in exposing Malawian musicians to the international market.

Furthermore, I have been informed that a proportion of the proceeds of the event has been used to support works of charity in our beautiful country, and we thank you – those of you who have been to Malawi and promote it from the United Kingdom. You will agree with me that we have not only been on the receiving end in terms of charity, but Malawian entrepreneurs have also been financially empowered through the event, through the provision of goods and services.

In this regard the multiplier effect has been good. The range of beneficiaries has also been diverse – local farmers have benefitted, fisher men or fisher women, local restaurants and bars, suppliers of accommodation and transport, just to mention a few. The balance has been right, and this is what we, as a country, look forward to when renewals and cash come in through provision of goods and services. Above all the country has been able to benefit from the much needed foreign exchange. The Government of the Republic of Malawi’s International Development Strategy recognises the important role that tourism plays in the socio-economic development of the country, and is ensuring the contribution of tourism to the GDP by establishing Malawi as the principle and leading eco-tourism destination on the continent.

To this effect, the Government is on a major road and infrastructure development programme. It will embark on a star-rating exercise of the accommodation sector this year, encouraging and facilitating investment in high quality ecologies in wildlife areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty. And I say this with all humility – they are all outstanding, scenic beauty spots in the warm heart of the continent and we invite you to visit it, if not before, definitely during Lake of Stars in October 2010.

The interesting thing about Malawi is that we have an diverse product range with something for everyone, from beaches, wildlife, mountains and plateaus, horse-riding – you name it, we’ve got it. The centrepiece obviously is Lake Malawi, the venue of Lake of Stars. One expolorer, David Livingstone, arrived at Cape Maclear and wrote in his diary that he had been to many places but he hadn’t been to a place so tranquil and peaceful. I challenge you to prove him wrong – go to Mangochi and write in your own diary that this great explorer was only imagining things!

Another interesting thing about Malawi is that everyone comes back happy, and in the words of BBC Radio 1’s Mary Ann Hobbs, Malawi is “incredible, vital, humbling and a life-changing experience”. Let me also add that anyone who has been to Malawi always wants to go back, and if you think I’m only saying this because I am the High Commissioner for Malawi in the United Kingdom, do go back to those who are older than ourselves and ask them how many times they have returned to the warmth of the people on the continent.

I can assure you that Malawi is one of the safest destinations in Africa, with the warmest people in Africa and the world. I said this last year and I’ll say it again – you cannot pretend to be friendly and you cannot pretend to be friendly for long.

The people of Malawi are warm, and they are born smiling, and they are the most friendly people I have ever come across in the world. You can consult any reputable travel guide such as the Lonely Travel Series.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me not bore you on this important evening with a long speech as if I was in a lecture theatre. Let me end with a pertinent quote from St Augustine – the saint who was walking on the shore (for those of you who failed theological studies!) – he was trying to take water from the ocean and pour it into a little hole, but what he said is more important than what i am trying to remember from my theology classes: “the world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only a page”

I look forward to seeing you in Malawi in October 2010 at Lake of Stars, and I thank you for your attention. Thank you very much.”

For more information about vinspired Lake of Stars 2010, please check www.lakeofstars.org

Exclusive flight deals with STA

2010-04-17T03:04:00.000+01:00

Exclusive vinspired Lake of Stars flight rates now available - Hold your seat for just £25 and get your festival ticket for £75.

Return airfares with Kenya Airways From £549* Only available from the vinspired Lake of Stars team at STA Travel.

Stop in Kenya and explore overland options also available with STA.

Contact STA at 0871 230 8581
lakeofstars@statravel.co.uk
*subject to availability on dates of travel, valid for outbound travel throughout October 2010, eligibility restrictions apply.

£25 non-refundable deposit secures flight reservation

Tamanda Walker

2010-04-08T15:12:00.002+01:00

Vinspired volunteer snapper Dwiko Arie gave the Lake of Stars crew a tip of an artist they should be looking out for. Tamanda Walker came in to chat through all things inspirational with Rosie our core volunteer at vLOS towers. We ended up getting her to volunteer her talents for our Rich Mix gig on April 7 and at the festival in October. Watch out for Tamanda in 2010…

"Volunteering gives you a sense of who you are and what you have to offer the world no matter what walk of life you are from..."

An Introduction to Tamanda Walker...

"I’m originally from Botswana, and am currently in the process of setting up some volunteer arts and music based projects over there. I’ve set up a non profit company called Creative Planet, and the main aim is to go and create performance opportunities for artists out in Botswana, and also to run a series of workshops related to music production, performance and even dance. The idea is eventually to run an arts based exchange project so that we can get artists from the UK and Southern Africa collaborating and increase exposure for the arts in Southern Africa here in the UK."

Have you ever done any volunteering?

"Yes, I’ve done a fair amount of volunteering– I’ve performed for charities and at one event in particular for a charity called Gua Africa at Cargo in Shoreditch. The event was run by an artist and friend of mine called Emmanuel Jal. Emmanuel was a child soldier in Sudan, and he was taken away from his parents to fight in the war when he was barely old enough to hold a gun. Fortunately, he was rescued from that situation by a British Aid worker and taken to school in Kenya before eventually coming over to the UK. His albums are about his childhood and experiences in Sudan, and growing up with the tension between Muslim and Christian religions and all the issue that goes with that. He’s put the money into setting up a school, the Emma Foundation, for other children in Leer, Southern Sudan. They are basically working to help less privileged young people get a better education and a better start to life."

"I think volunteering is huge really. I grew up in Botswana, so a slightly different culture, but I’ve always had the British influence as my dad’s British. All the way through school, from a really young age, we always had to do afternoon activities with a community service element – along with sport and arts– which meant we went out and volunteered at our local charity, or worked with AIDS orphans. I’m really fortunate because thankfully, I've never had to struggle like Emmanual or so many others, but I think we all have a lot to learn from volunteering. It gives you a sense of who you are and what you have to offer the world no matter what walk of life you are from – it helps you appreciate what you’ve got. It’s also about knowing there’s more to life than the everyday stuff you get caught up in living in a big city – the tube not running, being somewhere on time, your boss giving you loads of work – there’s more to life I think. And you don’t have to have money to volunteer because often time is the most precious thing a person can give. It’s also about just getting to meet people and learning from them, whilst you volunteer."

What do you think of the work of vinspired?

"I’ve heard a lot about the work that vinspired are doing and I think that there’s definitely a sense of community in this country but, you know there is always more work to be done and often I think we could do more as members of the great British public. I think it’s really great that people like vinspired are pushing for more and making the call for community heard, making young people feel as if they have got a purpose and something to give back. So often you meet young people who maybe haven’t got a job, or aren’t in education and they maybe don’t realise that they may have a really good way with people and that they do have a skill to share, that they have something to give the world as well. They maybe don’t know until they try something new. So I think young people getting involved with vinspired is really good for confidence building. And now, more than ever, with a recession it also looks great on your CV!"

What do you think of vLOS?

"I think vinspired Lake of Stars is really doing what it should do for Southern Africa. I think it’s such an untouched territory and there’s so much to be done there. LOS is one of the biggest festivals in Africa, it’s great. There’s huge amounts of music and culture in Africa, but there’s not so much in terms of official infrastructure in so many countries, so vLOS is what’s needed. The more things like vLOS that start to crop up, the better things will be for Africa. vLOS has already paved the way for more festivals, meaning more interest, more people going out and experiencing a beautiful continent, more performance and more awareness in the UK about the real Africa. It’s all about sharing the idea and the truth and LOS do so much to help."

Photos were taken from Tamanda's performance at our Priceless Live event in Rich Mix, London. A review of the night will be posted soon. Meanwhile, you can find out about Tamanda Walker's Music on her MySpace page.

Words by: Rosie Ponting

Photography by: Dwiko Arie Nugroho of DwikoArie Photography

FREE GIG : vinspired Lake of Stars presents The Good Natured and Guests

2010-03-29T15:51:00.022+01:00

Celebrate the release of festival dates and venue with the third in a series of FREE priceless live events at Rich Mix on Wednesday 7th April. This time round we have up and coming electro-pop band The Good Natured, Botswana born singer-songwriter Tamanda Walker along with DJ sets from the legendary Ali B and support from Izzy Electric and Alex K (Itchy Soul).

'Up and coming quirky synth pop goddess dejour. The good natured is every bit as good as her rivals' (Metro). Female fronted electro-pop band 'The Good Natured' aka Sarah and her band have created much excitement amongst the UK music press , being championed by NME, The Guardian , The Sunday Times , Q Magazine and PopJustice. Art Rocker have said that 'Sarah is going far is this is anything to go by' and Channel 4 'can't wait to hear what she does next' .

http://www.myspace.com/thegoodnatured

Ali B is a prominent member of London’s leftfield scene. Over the last decade he has held down residencies at the capital’s two most influential clubs, the legendary Blue Note club and Fabric, where he has been from the day it opened. He has toured extensively in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Asia and the US, taking his sound to an international audience.Ali B currently hosts a weekly show on London’s Kiss FM.

In the age of the independent artist, Tamanda Walker is that rare diamond in the rough that is destined to shine over the music industry. With her soul tinged blend of pop, Tamanda has already cemented her status as “one to watch” on London’s live music scene.

April 2010 sees the eagerly anticipated release of Tamanda’s self-titled debut EP. For this EP Tam teamed up with Drew Horley (Estelle / Ty / Natalie Williams), DC Joseph (Musiq Soulchild / Beverley Knight) Yak Bondy (Amy Studt / Rachel Stevens) and Big Life writers, Maryann and Michael Tedstone to best showcase her versatile talent.

"Tam Walker is sensational …Quality with a capital “Q”! She represents a new breed of fresh and aspiring artists with a unique talent that sets her apart from the mob.” Bryan Mutambiranwa, Africa Inspired Foundation / The Africa Channel

http://www.myspace.com/tamwalkermusic

Izzy Electric runs three regular music nights (Apocalypstick, Night:Life and Home Coming) as well as contributing to The Camden Crawl, Lake of Stars Festival and one off events and parties.http://www.izzyelectric.com/

Alek K , part of Itchysoul dj collective with the same love and passion for music whether it be House, Disco, Funk, Baleric and Soul. http://www.myspace.com/itchy_soul

Along with great music, there will be stalls from Malawi Healthcare support UK http://www.mahecas.info/, Citezens UK http://www.citizen.org.uk/, Ganets Adventure School http://www.ganetsadventureschool.org/ and others.

Rich Mix also does some excellent food and will have some lovely drink deals on the night. So come along, enjoy the food, drinks and music and have a chat with the team about vinspired Lake of Stars 2010!

Event details: vinspired Lake of Stars presents: The Good Natured (Live), Ali B, Tamanda Walker (Live), Izzy Electric and Alex K (Itchy Soul)

Wednesday 7th April FREE ENTRY @ Rich Mix Arts Centre 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA.

RSVP on our new facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Lake-of-Stars/356889956151

Posted by vinspired volunteer Jenny

Check out http://www.vinspired.com/ to get involved

Cycle for Ganet's Adventure School

2010-03-22T14:47:00.005Z

Be part of our big cycling adventure from London to Rochester on Sunday 23 May! We leave from Tower Bridge, pass spots along the Thames which are famous for their culture, history and wildlife, and finish in the Medway town of Rochester. The aim of this 41 mile ride is to raise £4,000 to help pay for the construction of new classrooms at Ganet's Adventure School, a village primary school in Malawi.

Our route is a mostly traffic and hill-free, and so is suitable for cyclists of most abilities, even if you're not a regular rider. It follows a section of the well-signposted National Cycle Network's National Route One.
Read more about the route

Entry

Each rider will receive an entry pack, a ride information pack on the day and a t-shirt to wear on the day and to keep as a souvenir. The ride costs £15 per person, which also covers the costs of our overheads. Any money left over will go direct to Ganet's Adventure School.

Sponsorship

We ask each rider to pledge to raise a minimum of £100 for Ganet's Adventure School Fund. Each rider can set up their own donations page on www.virginmoneygiving.com, which allows people to sponsor you online and also takes care of donations eligible for Gift Aid.

Want to find out more? See our FAQ

Interested? RSVP to the event on Facebook or email info@ganetsadventureschool.org to receive updates.

Ready to sign up now? Fill in our online entry form.

If you're not a cyclist, please forward this information to any cyclists you know, and help Ganet's Adventure School to reopen!

Update from Malawi: classroom construction has begun!

I'm happy to announce that work started on clearing the land for Ganet’s Adventure School’s first permanent classrooms in the first week of March.

Gertrude Banda, the school principal, is very excited about this, and passes on her thanks to all of our supporters. Once the land has been cleared, foundations will be laid and then the building work should be complete by July. Government school inspectors will then assess the new building for suitability and safety, and then we hope that classes can restart in September.

All of this depends on us raising around £5,000 before completion of the building work, so we need donations and all kinds of help to raise this sum. So far, we have raised around a third of the sum required, and various activities are going on over the next few months to raise the rest.
Find out more about the construction of the classrooms

More news soon!

Steve McInerny
www.ganetsadventureschool.org

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Steve volunteered as a photographer at vinspired Lake of Stars 2009 and continues to support our project at events.

For volunteer opportunities including at the big festivals this summer got to http://www.vinspired.com

Pack the sun cream: Volunteering in the Land of a Thousand Hills..

2010-03-21T10:33:00.007Z

I was 27-and-a-half when I decided that I was going to live abroad and volunteer before I reached the age of 28.

I had been working as a journalist in London for about five years after leaving university and absolutely loved my job. I worked with great people, got to do fun stuff like going out on dawn raids on crack dealers' homes with the police, and forgot all about it at the weekend and had fun with my friends.

But I'd been in the job for a while and there was little prospect of me being promoted at my newspaper and journalists were being made redundant all over the place nationally, meaning the opportunity of getting a new job was slim.

So I decided it was time to actually do the thing I had thought about doing for years and years.

Friends of mine had been travelling around the world for years at a time, but that idea never really appealed to me, so I would just watch them go and welcome them back.

I always knew I had it in me to go abroad at some point, but I didn't just want to travel, I wanted to actually live somewhere and contribute to the community there. And also to see if I could build a new life in a different place away from all the people and things I knew.

Having been turned down by VSO because of my lack of experience, I started hunting around for smaller, grassroots organisations that I might be able to join. By talking to friends of friends and picking the brains of anyone who knew anything about the subject, I stumbled across a small charity based in Kigali , Rwanda , set up by some former students at my university.

I got in touch and their remarkably relaxed attitude meant I was gearing up to move to Kigali a few weeks after finding them.

This laissez-faire style was exactly what I was looking for, but has come with its own problems now I'm here, and I'm still trying to find my feet within the organisation.

But the decision to uproot and move out here was definitely a good one. I'm hoping that the experiences I have here may make me more focused and be able to decide what I want to do next with my career. But even if nothing that grand comes out of it, I will have learnt an awful lot and had good fun along the way, so I can't see how I can lose.

I didn't quite live up to my pledge though – I flew to Kigali four days after my 28th birthday...

Jenny Clover - 28 and a bit
Follow Jenny's adventure http://www.jenny-clover.blogspot.com/

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Jenny's top tips on volunteering abroad..

1) Make sure you thoroughly research the organisation you will be going with and know exactly what your role will be when you arrive – there's nothing worse than planning a big trip and ending up twiddling your thumbs.

2) Do a bit of research about how much essentials cost in the country you will be living in – in Kigali sun cream is £15 a bottle.

3) Don't be afraid to pack a few luxuries – you may think you'll be happy roughing it for a few months, but when you're thousands of miles from home it's good to be able to treat yourself, whether it's with a hairdryer, a good moisturiser or some DVDs.

4) Read up on the country you're visiting – a lot of people I've met in Kigali had no idea how developed and Westernised the city would be until they arrived. There have also been a number of terrorist attacks in the city over the last few months, which don't always make the news in the UK .

5) Make sure you have a back-up for everything essential – a photocopy of your passport and yellowfever vaccination certificate; more than one bankcard or means of accessing cash; a phone number for your host in case your plane is delayed; somewhere else to stay if for some reason you aren't picked up from the airport; a large supply of any medication or malaria pills; at least two travel adaptors – power surges are common.

6) It's easy to hang around with other volunteers and ex-pats but if you can, stay with a local family and try to make friends with people who are from the country you're in – you'll get a much better flavour of what the place is all about and the food will almost certainly be better.

PREVIEW - FREE Afrikan Boy gig at Rich Mix - THIS WEDNESDAY 3rd March

2010-03-02T15:25:00.008Z

Vibrant young Afrobeat MC Afrikan Boy is bringing his unique urban sound to the Rich Mix Arts Centre in Shoreditch for a FREE showcase as part of the vinspired Lake of Stars residency. The second in the series of Priceless Live events at Rich Mix, the night will also feature a live acoustic set from hotly tipped songstress Valentina and DJ sets from Sinden (KISS) and Ross Allen (ministryofsound.com, The Meltdown), who graced the Lake of Stars stage in Malawi in 2009.

Originally from Nigeria, Afrikan Boy, aka 20-year-old Shola Ajose, grew up in south London, and has been carving a name for himself on the grime/Afrobeat scene as a fusion MC from the age of 16.

His influences range from British-based performers such as Kano, Wiley and Dizzee Rascal to Nigerian artists including Sir Shina Peters, Fela and King Sunny Ade, and Shola prefers not to pigeon-hole his style. Under the moniker Afrikan Boy, he concentrates on using his music to elevate his fellow African people. His funny, yet critical, approach to thorny political topics such as immigration and visa problems has won him a rapidly-growing international fan base.

Afrikan Boy released his first official music video for Lagos Town in January to huge acclaim. He is currently in the studio recording a hotly anticipated debut album, 1444 Musik, building on the success of tracks from his mixtape, Can of Whoopass, Vol. 1: The Rise of Captain Africa.

Shola believes in ploughing his own furrow, using his own and his family’s experience to inspire his music. His offbeat lyrical stylings capture the essence of real life behind the violence stereotypically associated with the London grime scene, and his confident wordplay and assured stage presence make him one to watch in 2010.

While studying for a Psychology degree at Brunel University, Shola has also found time to open for Prince’s back-to-back shows at London’s O2 in 2007, and tour with the likes of M.I.A. Afrikan Boy also appears on a remix of M.IA.’s hit single Paper Planes, and collaborated on her 2007 album Kala.

The vinspired Lake of Stars monthly residency at the Rich Mix Arts Centre in Shoreditch was launched in February by Andreya Triana (Ninja Tune) and Nick Mulvey (Portico Quartet). Festival founder Will Jameson says:

“Our residency is an exciting opportunity for us to stage free quality live events in the heart of Shoreditch, giving people a small glimpse of what our festival is all about. We are going to be booking some of the brightest talent of 2010 - and obviously in these cash-strapped times the price is right too!”

Event details: vinspired Lake of Stars presents: Afrikan Boy
With support from Valentina (live acoustic set), Sinden (KISS) and Ross Allen (ministryofsound.com, The Meltdown)
Wednesday 3rd March FREE ENTRY @ Rich Mix Arts Centre 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA.

Volunteering for Stardom

2010-03-01T16:16:00.000Z

Ahead the second installment of vinspired Lake of Stars' monthly residency at London's Rich Mix on Wednesday March 3rd, three young journalists review last month's opening night...

Lake of Stars is an annual music festival in Malawi funded by vinspired, an organisation set up to connect young people with volunteering opportunities. On the 3rd February 2010, the vinspired Lake of Stars Malawi Music Festival came to the Rich Mix venue in East London with a night of music from various genres. It was a full house of soul and African vibes and culture. Headliners reporters went along to take in the attractions and interview some of the evening’s performers.

Music was not the event’s only attraction, the night hosted stalls for fashion and charity, a showcase of Malawi’s best. As the first of its kind to be held in London, the headliner of the night Andreya Triana took to the stage with her sultry soul voice and her guitarist.

Kicking the night off was up and coming musician Nick Mulvey, entertaining the crowd with his acoustic guitar and infusion of African music. As well as being an eminent solo artist, Nick is also a quarter of the four piece modern jazz band Portico Quartet.

With him being so heavily influenced by Malawian and other African music he expressed how touched he was to be a part of the event, “it’s always been of interest to me. I always thought every year, I’d love to get in there and do some work. I’d love to go there and at least be involved with organising it. Then they got in touch with me. I met so many good people and plus it was a lovely holiday”.

Having volunteered with various organisations himself, Nick also stressed how important he felt it was for young people to volunteer their time, “I think it’s great. It’s really important as a young person to be a part of something bigger than yourself. There’s just so much you can learn from being proactive and being a part of a big opportunity, it’s really important. You got to get involved”.

For some on the night, the event was something much closer to their heart. Being a Malawian native, Kimba, the MC on the night, expressed why the event was such a hit with him. Kimba took time out to speak to us about his music and involvement with Lake of Stars, expressing the passion he has for both his country and music.

Q: What is the inspiration for your music?

A: I like being part of a band, I could never be a solo artist; I like that vibe of working when everyone has something to bring to the table. Sometimes someone will say I have a concept or idea, I’ve got a bit of music do you think you could write something. Mostly I’m alone in my room writing stuff (laughs).

Q: What are your feelings on the work that vinspired have been doing with the Lake of Stars projects like the Malawi Music festivals?

A: I have been excited and passionate from the beginning, because I’ve felt that it is such a killer idea. Here there are so many festivals like Glastonbury but in Malawi it is the only one of its kind so when it’s on it really is the place to be. For me it has always been the question of how I can assist whether musically or even socially, that’s my passion to use my talents to do some good.

Q: Have you been involved with any other projects and what do you aim to achieve with the Lake of Stars project?

A: I have mostly been involved with music but I couldn’t do what I wanted to do back home because of the facilities out there, Malawi really is not catered for the music industry. I am looking to help rectify that with the Lake of Stars project. I want to start a music development initiative back home, with something as simple as facilitating music instruments just anything to help the music scene.

Q: Do you think it is important for young people to get into volunteering

A: Definitely, because this is just one great example of what you can do with volunteering, the idea of volunteering is a bit dated to some people but there is actually a lot you can do that is not only beneficial to a cause but also interesting.

This story was produced by Chika Ekemezie, 19, Tajha Myer-Ferreira, 18 and Mikhail Casalis, 16 from Headliners, a journalism programme for young people aged eight to 19. www.headliners.org

If you are 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities on vinspired.com