text: Known for her wide ranging sonic excursions, flamboyant costumes and collaborations with Damon Albarn, Gorillaz and African Express, the South African musician Moonchild Sanelly has done things her way from the beginning. Growing up in Port Elizabeth with a hip-hop producer brother and a mum who would put her onstage from a young age to compete in dance competitions, Sanelisiwe Twisha’s music-filled childhood was full of creativity. Her passion for music became ignited when she moved to Durban in 2005, initially to study fashion. There, she immersed herself in the local scene before she relocated to Johannesburg where she would write for reggae bands and freestyle against other rappers.
  It didn’t take long until she established her sound, which she describes as ‘future-ghetto-funk’. Having crafted a live show where she designed flamboyant outfits to perform in, she became a star on her home turf, and found a global audience, performing at festivals such as SXSW, Primavera, Glastonbury, Boardmasters and beyond. After her debut album “Rabulpha!” put her on the global map, she signed to Transgressive records in 2020, kicking off with diverse mini-LP ‘Nüdes’. Her latest album “Phases” veers between Amapiano, Gqom, grime, pop, house and R&B while showcasing her vocal talents on more downtempo songs. Moonchild Sanelly contains multitudes. She visited Oslo World in 2018, and we are proud to have this singular talent back at our festival this year.
  Ever since she started performing and writing, Luzmilla Carpios songs have been considered symbols for oppressed cultures around the world. The Bolivian singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress of Quechuan origin has spread her ancestral Andean knowledge and music all over the world. As a small child, she learned the daily songs of the Quechua and Aymara indigenous peoples that inhabit the Bolivian Altiplano. She started looking deeper into the cultural and musical ways of the Andes and singing in Quechua, rather than Spanish. As her audience grew, she used her music to rebel against the dominance of western cultural ways over indigenous ones.
  Throughout her collaborations with musicians from various genres, Luzmila Carpio skillfully weaved together indigenous sounds with modern instrumentation. Her new album “Inti Watana- El Retorno del Sol” received critical acclaim and was among Rolling Stone’s best Spanish Language Albums of 2023, where she was described as one of the three living Latin American music legends. The album is accompanied by a full-length documentary with a world premiere in 2024. Luzmila Carpio is still at the forefront of her craft, delving into themes that not only resonate with her indigenous heritage but also hold significance for younger generations: cultural identity, female empowerment, environmentalism and spirituality in a rapidly changing world.
  Born and raised in the Saharawi refugee camps, the great singer Aziza Brahim’s life has been marked by both daunting hardship and inspired determination.
  Her grandmother was a famous Saharawi poet, her mother well-known as a vocalist, and they passed their strength and fearlessness to her. The refugee camp was the place that formed her. It lives in her every heartbeat, she has stated. Now, as one of the most lauded North-African singers, Brahim uses her position to make the plight of her people known - and of the refugees across the world.
  Now, she lives and makes music in Spain. Her newest album is called Mawja, and was released earlier this year on Glitterbeat. Produced by Brahim and her long-time collaborator Guillem Aguilar, it is fashioned from a simple, but powerful palette: Saharan and Iberian percussions, mixed with stately guitars and warm bass.
  A magnetic stage personality, she has played everywhere from Le Guess Who and Reperbahn Festival to Royal Albert Hall – and this autumn, she will play at Oslo World.
  Sidiki Camara // A Life with Music - 45 years anniversary concert with guests!
  That one of Mali's great musicians, and one of the best percussionists in the world, lives in Oslo seemed like one of the best kept secrets in Norwegian music for years – but not anymore. As he is preparing for the celebration of 45 years as a working musician, Sidiki Camara is everywhere - a sought after musical collaborator, appearing in everything from progressive jazz in Ole Morten Vågans Mirror Image Octet, record breaking diaspora pop with Karpe and the disco/afrobeat/everything cult band Sex Judas. Earlier this year, his Norwegian breakthrough was crowfened with a Spellemann award for the album “Return to the Traditions”, where he blended music from Mali with Norwegian folk music.
  During Oslo World, Sidiki looks back on his career at Riksscenen with several musical companions. The singer and poet Sarah Camille will guide us through his long and varied story, and musicians from both folk music and jazz will take part in a celebration of some of the musical values he treasures the most: Musical traditions, interplay and improvisation. Whether you are an old fan or a new visitor in Sidiki’s universe, you are all welcome to this special concert during Oslo World.