Top photo shows members of Kakuma Sound All-Star Band performing during their first international tour outside Africa, at the Roskilde Festival that also drew Sza, Charlie XCX, Foo Fighters, Doja Cat and more to Denmark in July 2024. Other photos are from shows within Kakuma Sound's home continent.
Glasser Center partner Kakuma Sound secures prestigious UNESCO funding
In an era where global humanitarian aid is dwindling, a powerful chord of hope has been struck in one of the world’s most challenging environments. Kakuma Sound, an organization operating out of the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, has been selected as one of only 16 projects worldwide to receive vital support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The announcement, detailed in a UNESCO press release, marks a historic milestone for the organization. Funded through the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals, the initiative specifically targets the precarious conditions creative workers face, championing artistic freedom and providing emergency support in crisis zones. Out of a record-breaking 1,068 proposals received globally, Kakuma Sound’s selection as one of the 10 civil society organizations to win funding elevates their community-driven mission to the global stage.
A gift amplified by partnership
For Kakuma Sound, this international recognition is deeply intertwined with its relationship across the Atlantic. The funding stands as a direct validation of its core partnership with UC Irvine’s Alec Glasser Center for the Power of Music and Social Change and the School of Social Ecology.
Treynor Tumwa, executive director of Kakuma Sound, tied the historic gift directly to the foundational backing provided by the Glasser Center.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the support, guidance and partnership of the Alec Glasser Center for the Power of Music and Social Change and the School of Social Ecology,” Tumwa stated. “Your belief in our vision and your continued investment in community-led initiatives have played a significant role in helping us reach this milestone.”
Through the UC Irvine partners’ dedication, Kakuma Sound’s Research and Cultural Center has been physically and artistically taking shape — funding critical infrastructure like fencing, construction, instruments and ongoing training.
“Through this project, we will be able to expand our impact, strengthen opportunities for artists and cultural professionals, and continue demonstrating how music can empower refugee and host communities to become leaders, innovators and changemakers,” Tumwa says.
From traditional roots to global stages
What began as a grassroots effort to preserve heritage has evolved into a dynamic cultural movement.
“Kakuma Sound began as an effort by Treynor Tumwa and UCI Professor Mark LeVine to bring traditional instruments from across Africa to musicians living in the Kakuma Refugee Camp,” explains Glasser Center Executive Director Richard Matthew. “We are delighted that support from the Glasser Center has helped the program evolve so that it now has a band that has traveled abroad and performed at Roskilde, a very productive recording studio, and infrastructure that is being used as a platform for tackling pressing issues in the camp such as food production, training and peacebuilding.”
Matthew, a UC Irvine professor of urban planning & public policy and political science, emphasized that the harsh and worsening conditions of modern refugee camps require creative solutions. By using participatory action research, the partnership serves as “a great example of the creative and impactful ways in which the School of Social Ecology is interacting with the world beyond the campus.”
Validating the power of music
For the university, the UNESCO selection represents a profound milestone: the very first international investment resulting from the Glasser gift.
“This is not only a celebratory milestone for one of our partners ... but also an important validation of the Glasser Center’s core mission,” says School of Social Ecology Executive Director of Development Stacy Skwarlo. “It validates our central premise that music can be a powerful tool for social change in complex, real-world contexts.”
Skwarlo noted that as humanitarian support declines globally, Kakuma Sound’s sustainable, community-driven approach positions the Glasser Center as a globally engaged model.
“This feels like an exciting moment for the center and a strong example of how our partnerships are already making an impact on a global stage,” Skwarlo says.
With the backing of UNESCO and the continued alliance with the Glasser Center and School of Social Ecology, the musicians of Kakuma are proving that even amid displacement, music has the undeniable power to innovate, heal and command the world’s attention.
– Matt Coker