WHO WE ARE

Chamwino Connect is the 501c3 fundraising organization that supports cultural sustainability in central Tanzania through music, dance, all the arts and education. 

We are driven by the wisdom of the villagers of Chamwino-Ikulu:  "Utamaduni Endelevu kupitia Elimu, Sanaa na Muziki" ("Cultural Sustainability through Music, the Arts, and Education"). We understand and support the belief of the Wagogo of Chamwino, Tanzania, that their long-standing cultural heritage can be continued even as it changes with the times, and that cultural sustainability is ensured through education and engagement in artistic practice. Education in schools and out in the community can help to end poverty and empower the most vulnerable, even as artistic engagement can call people together to make something beautiful and representative of their collective identity. 

In partnership with the Chamwino Arts Center (CAC), Chamwino Connect (CC) aims to enhance the lives of children and adults in the village of Chamwino Ikulu, central Tanzania. We are responding to the expressed interests and needs of Chamwino villagers for access to a culturally relevant and meaningful education, one that is both current and contemporary as well as with earnest attention to the continuation of a vibrant experience in traditional Wagogo artistic and cultural practices. Together with Chamwino Arts Center, Chamwino Connect has, since 2012, opened an early childhood learning center and provided scholarships for students to study at tuition-based secondary school and for university-level certificates and degrees. It has contributed to the educational resources for use in public schools and supplied the secondary school library with a significant supply of e-readers and hard-cover books.  One of the most visible supported of the partnership is the running of an annual festival of traditional ngoma (music and dance) of the Wagogo people and their invited friends. Together, we hope to lay the foundations of learning for young children in early childhood education, to entice older students to continue their studies in secondary school (—and beyond), and to continue the education of adults through to the skills they require for employment. Of key importance is that the Wagogo of Chamwino, Tanzania, are independently choosing their pathway to the future, balancing their Wagogo traditions with their contemporary interests and needs, and celebrating their cultural heritage even as they sustain it.

All donations and gifts to Chamwino Connect are tax deductible and a receipt will be sent to donors upon donation.  Chamwino Arts Center, including the Cigogo Music Festival, are depending upon donations.