Getting Off-Grid African Style

Hey Steemers,

I'm very curious how the Steem culture will turn out to be. I've been blogging for a while, but I suspect that my subconscious harbours strong dislike towards Facebook and has actively been interfering with my desires to build an audience through that platform. Starting afresh, somehow secretly, with no strings attached feels like what I need to reconnect with online community.

I am just too conscious of the fact that there's been a lot going in my life in the recent years and I'm split between whether to share, what to share and where to share. Two years back I dropped my job as an audio-visual tech at a venue in the heart of London and travelled to Gambia, West Africa, to follow up on a community music studio project I helped establish the previous year. I got myself a 6 months open ticket, sold what there was to sell, balance transferred my credit card debts and wide opened arms to the unknown. Little did I know that time that I embarked on the journey to discovering ways to sustainability for myself and others. Little did I also know that the challenges that we think Africa is facing aren't those we find on the ground. Luck had it I travelled with my business-partner whose vision is to set up creativity centres around materially poorest places on Earth. We decided we're going to establish the pilot project in Gambia. In a year, we made it! African style. I wasn't a construction specialist, but I had to be. No one else on that site was. "The build was long and full of terrors."We named the place Bantaba - which in the local language, Mandinka, means "the gathering place".

You can link us up here: https://www.facebook.com/BantabaCreativeArtsCentre/

We are always open towards people who'd like to experience Africa and share their skills to uplift people in this part of the world. Follow my feed if you are curious about what's going on around here.

Since the construction finished we managed to outfit a recording studio within. We've been training leather craftsmen at creating better products. We've teemed up with a partner that took on a tailoring apprentice and created a business. We also facilitated a founding of a record label which has become our main focus. I have been establishing my and Bantaba's sustainability by providing music production services in Brikama, as well as taking online graphic design jobs. Parallel to all other responsibilities I am continuing to develop audio software. Just before the construction started we managed to finalise our flagship app that we see as the most intuitive and innovative, voice controlled ear training app for musicians that's currently available. For those who are inclined for ever developing their musical side, check it out (only iOS for now): http://theorbeartrainer.com/

In each strand of the big story there are many moments of wonder to which I myself think... how was that even possible? How I came to be here? How is it to live here and be the only white man in the 99% muslim country which happens also to be the most peaceful country I ever been to? Is this going to work? What does Africa need? What does Gambia need? What does Africa have? Why am I suddenly a programmer? There's a lot more happening here that I've been trying to close under one theme in my previous blog.

The stories of the struggles, the philosophy of the modern day and the chaos of the road to what we call success will appear here regularly. Best of luck and see you around!