Over the years, Found Sound Nation has been fortunate to work with a robust network of artist leaders from around the globe. Many of these artists are leading transformational work in gender equity -- empowering women, girls, female-identifying and non-binary voices in every region of the world. This work is central to Found Sound Nation’s mission and reflective of our belief in collaborative music and sound creation as a way to build stronger and healthier communities. 

The GEF Music Collective is an international collective of socially engaged musicians from Colombia, Ghana, India, Kenya and South Africa convened by Found Sound Nation to produce a series of creative digital performances, conversations and artist profiles that explore issues of gender equality and justice for the 2021 Generation Equality Forum (GEF). The artists invited for this showcase reflect a range of talent and experience, and are only a fraction of the incredible artists that Found Sound Nation hopes to amplify, who are deeply committed to gender equity throughout the world through their music and creative voices.  

This work premiered at the 2021 Generation Equality Forum. The Forum recognized the value of presenting perspectives and approaches to gender equity work from around the world. Found Sound Nation was invited to create a program to highlight the work of a small group of these artists, placing this work on a global stage in this first of its kind event. GEF Music Collective Artists GEF Music Collective artists continue to build on their gender equity work in their communities. FSN was able to provide these artists with grants to support the continuation of their projects: 

Kasiva Mutua 

Kasiva continued to support MOTRAMUSIC, a program that gathers and supports women drummers across Kenya. She worked with the collective to compose and produce an EP that highlights the stories of African women and their role in community building and development. 

Dumama 

Dumama planned to start an immersive residency program that brings together black femme identifying musicians and educators. The Still Hear residency will be grounded in explorations of process and healing while cultivating various modes of easeful practice and care. 

Poetra Asantewa 

Poetra continued her work with Black Girls Glow, a growing collective of artists & an annual residency program for women creatives in Ghana. This funding specifically supported You Are Cared For, a project that seeks to use art and creative expression as a tool for sexual health advocacy. 

Jenn del Tambó 

Jenn built on her June 2021 event that virtually brought together more than a hundred women from around Latin America for traditional drumming workshops, strengthening and empowering a network of women drummers across the region, in response to a statement from the National Festival of Bullerengue that “women should not play the drum.” Her next step will be to co-design & film a music video for a song by her partner Orito called “Soy Guerrera, Soy Tamborera,” which will bring together many women from a network of tamboreras, feminist collectives, and other allies to participate by playing drums and raising their voices in song & protest together in their respective cities. 

Sandunes 

Sandunes continued her work in the Western Ghats of India by developing a short film/pilot illustrating the Sounds of the Western Ghats, told through the stories of the farmers, coffee growers, artists, environmentalists/naturalists, educators, and other inspiring people for whom the Western Ghats is home. Through storytelling and reportage, Sandunes aims to encourage dialogue around the urgent need to protect our biodiversity hotspots and all of the diverse sounds found therein.