The Sigauque Project

With musical influences spanning across the continent - from a new take on marrabenta to Senegalese mbalakh and Nigerian afro-beat, and even samba, with some smooth sounding jazz thrown in the mix, Sigauque Project is a pan-African musical journey on the Mozambique stage. With two singers and a full horn section, backed by throbbing bass and rhythmic percussion, the show is not to be missed. Most Sigauque Project songs were originally created and recorded by CMFD Productions as part of media for social change projects.

While other musicians lean more and more towards fewer instruments and more techno beats, this band’s two singers, full horn section, throbbing bass, and rhythmic percussion creates an attention grabbing wall of fresh sounds. Listen closely, and you’ll hear that in addition to the local Portuguese, Changaan, and Sena lyrics, the vocalists sing in English, French, Swahili, and Zulu.

The band is the creation of Canadian-born Daniel Walter, a radio producer and musician who heads up a media company specialising in communication for social change, CMFD (Community Media for Development) Productions. What most of the audience probably don’t realise is that most of the tunes played by Sigauque Project were originally created and recorded by CMFD Productions as part of music and radio projects broadcast across Africa – this music has a message.

The history of Sigauque Project

The Humbanane album (Switha Hela, Andiyiqondi, Alertos Da Vida) accompanied Khuluma Africa! a live theatrical production raising awareness about human trafficking. Musicians Against Xenophobia (Sigaouke, Sinjengomfula), brought musicians from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa together to produce four songs about xenophobia and discrimination.

Other songs were produced as theme music for serial radio dramas broadcast across the continent. Crossroads (Kenya), Caminhos Cruzados (Mozambique written by Eyophuro), and Les Pistes Croisées (Senegal) are regional variations to theme music for Crossroads, the story an old, corrupt police chief and a market women who switch bodies, for a hilarious insight into gender and women's rights in Africa. Bravos do Zambeze, the theme music for a radio drama of the same name, calls attention to the need to be prepared for Mozambique's annual floods and other natural disasters.

The Songs

• -Andiyiqondi: A mellow jazz tune, a wise old woman questions the violence she sees around her (isiZulu).
• -Alertos Da Vida: A funky marrabenta inspired beat calling to Africans to care for each other (Portuguese and Changaan).
• -Ethiopia: a cover from the Canadian-based Soul Jazz Orchestra.
• -Crossroads: theme music, a serial drama about what happens when a corrupt old police man and a market woman switch bodies for a hilarious look at gender issues in Africa (English, Swahili) .
• -Sinjengomfula: using the metaphor of a great river with many tributaries, reminds people regardless of where we were born or what language we speak, we are all one people (Changaan).
• -Bravos do Zambeze: Produced with Isaú Meneses as part of the serial drama of the same name, an exchange between a husband and wife getting ready for imminent floods. (Sena)
• -Sigauque: opening with the gripping call “Makwerekwere! (a derogatory term used for foreigners in South Africa), reminds people we are all foreigners somewhere (Changaan).
• -Bourgiba: an mblakh-inspired Afro-beat
• -Marabente Minor: Manu Dbango cover song
• -Caminhos Cruzados: A Mozambique version of Crossroads, origibally with Euyphoro.
• -Ablade: From Ghana, one of the first songs ever recorded by CMFD.
• -Switha Hela: A soulful tune, a girl tells her sister to take care travelling to Johannesburg, promises are not always what they seem. (Changaan)
• -Pistes Croisees: a mbalakh – inspired tune, original produced in Senegal for the “Crossroads” series (French)

Special thanks to the organisation who have helped support the production of different songs over the years: International Organization for Migration, Global Fund for Women, Fahamu & FEMNET, MMINO.

A maioria das canções do Sigauque Projeto foram originalmente criadas e gravadas por CMFD Produções como parte dos meios de comunicação para projetos de mudança social. O álbum Humbanane (Switha Hela, Andiyiqondi, Alertos Da Vida), acompanhado Khuluma África!, uma produção ao vivo de teatro de sensibilização sobre tráfico de seres humanos. Músicos contra a xenofobia (Sigaouke, Sinjengomfula), trouxe músicos de Moçambique, Zimbabwe e África do Sul em conjunto para produzir quatro músicas sobre a xenofobia e a discriminação.

Click here to listen to the audio or download Sigauque Music Mp3's

Click here to listen and watch Sigauque Live in Chamanculo videos