Giving voice to the voiceless with Ian Brennan, Alex Magaga, Van-Anh Vo and Gilbert Uwitonze

Music Life

Producer Ian Brennan, Alex Magaga of the Tanzania Albinism Collective, Hanoi Masters musical director Van-Anh Vo and Rwandan folk musician Gilbert Uwitonze discuss how members of a community can intuitively start singing despite never having heard music before, accidents in the recording process (including a very loud cow), and music being a release from persecution.

Ian Brennan is a Grammy-winning producer, author, musician, and field recordist who’s been described as a “modern heir to the legendary ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax”, giving voices to the voiceless. His latest release, I've Forgotten Now Who I Used To Be, is a compilation of songs recorded in Ghana’s witch camps, settlements in which women persecuted as witches can find sanctuary.

Alex Magaga is a musician, activist, documentary producer, and member of the Tanzania Albinism Collective, which helps those who’ve been cast out from their communities, facing discrimination and violence. Van-Anh Vo is a musical director, zither player, and chief percussionist for Vietnamese project Hanoi Masters. The aim of the project is to “protect the heritage of traditional instruments” of Vietnam. Her father became a musician during the Vietnam-American war so that he didn’t have to fight. And Gilbert Uwitonze is part of the Rwandan band The Good Ones, who sing folk songs from their farming town of Kigali. All three members are survivors of the Rwandan genocide who turned to music to help with the healing process.