Kakuma Sound^INT

Refugee camps are reminders of human tragedy and political unrest, but the Kakuma Sound project is an excellent example of how hopeful music and vital cultural exchange can also emerge from these places. 

Kakuma, located in northwestern Kenya, is one of the oldest and largest refugee camps in the world, and with over 160,000 residents, some people have referred to the camp as a place that has almost become its own country. This country is also home to many outstanding musicians who have lost their homes, making Kakuma a unique melting pot where traditions from Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia and many other countries converge. 

This has led music experts to talk about a special Kakuma Sound, which has gained an almost mythical aura as very few people have heard it until now. However, over the past decade, several projects have worked to both document the music in the camp and create platforms where the music is used to strengthen collaboration in the camp, including sharing instruments, as many of the musicians have lost their own instruments during the displacement. 

Kakuma Sound has grown into a monument to the power of music to build community. As Kenyan musician Eric Wainaina has said: "Kakuma's music is like the cradle of humanity all over again." An all-star team of musicians from Kakuma visited Nyege Nyege's festival in Uganda in 2023, but Roskilde Festival is a special opportunity to experience the phenomenon for the first time outside the African continent.