Episode 71: Empowering African Creatives with Buddha Blaze

Greetings Glocal Citizens! We're back in Nairobi this week and we're talking the business of being a creative in Africa. Moses Mbasu, better known as Buddha Blaze is the Talent Manager at BLAZE Kenya and Creative Director at Spark Africa Limited a multimedia youth oriented agency based in Nairobi, Kenya. He got his start as a music blogger and all around "connector" to events, music, hip-hop, Africa, diaspora, technology, social networking, fashion, media, investment, and progressive politics. Blaze was the editor of East Africa’s first entertainment magazine PHAT! - the first magazine of its kind in Kenya. He gained Pan-African recognition as the Artist and Repertoire Manager at Coke Studio Africa, a music production TV series with live performances by African artists. Blaze's career works have provided a platform for young and budding African artists to express themselves and connect with fans, documenting the emergence of an entertainment industry in Kenya. In his time as editor of PHAT! Magazine, Blaze interviewed numerous entertainers namely Suzanna Owiyo, Yvonne Chakachaka, Shaggy, Nameless, Redsan, Eric Wainaina, Bamboo, Alpha Blondy, the late Lucky Dube, Mandoza, Lebo Mathhhhosa and Brenda Fassie. Blaze led campaigns through writing to have radio stations start playing Kenyan music instead of only playing international music changing the way radio looks at Kenyan music. Following his experience spearheading Safaricom's 2002 Star Search, in 2003 he led the first group of Kenyan artists to the KORA All African Music Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2004 he was involved in World Bank anti-piracy project Action for Music and through working with WAPI, Blaze designed and managed a global artists movement for British Council called WAPI which had reach in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Malawi. Through WAPI, Blaze has inspired the careers of many artists such as Sauti Sol, Big Mic, Point Blank, Muthoni the Drummer Queen and Liz Ogumbo. Blaze was truly a treat to host. This talented forward thinker is the stuff that African music industry legend is made of! Enjoy! Where to find Blaze: On Linkedin On Instagram On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube What's Blaze listening to? Thomas Sankara Other topics of interest: Blaze's "Where" - Killimani Blaze's TED Talk PHAT! Magazine Artists of interest: Nameless Khaligraph Jones K South Sarkodie Jojo Abot Burna Boy Efya Wanlov the KubolorSpecial Guest: Moses "Buddha Blaze" Mbasu.