Hear stories about the power of unity, the beauty of culture, and the lessons we learn from the love of animals.
Hear stories about the power of unity, the beauty of culture, and the lessons we learn from the love of animals. Sabina Wasonga-Gitau’s stories are interwoven with songs and chants in the Swahili language and she encourages her audience to join her. The Kayamba, one of the stories Sabina will be sharing, is an example of what we can learn from our elders.
This program is part of Succeed2gether's Montclair Literary Festival 2022. The most up-to-date schedule can be found here.
Sabina Wasonga-Gitau
Storyteller Sabina Wasonga-Gitau, born and raised in East Africa, and now a resident of Montclair, New Jersey, will be sharing stories inspired from her childhood years growing up both in Kenya and Uganda.
Sabina, is a recipient of the New Jersey State council on the Arts (folk arts apprenticeship grant). She has spent the past year working under the mentorship of Samite Mulondo. Samite, a musician and storyteller, has been nominated twice for the Hollywood Music in the Media Awards. He will be accompanying her on traditional East African Instruments, like the Litungu, Kalimba, and Adungu.
Samite Mulondo
Samite, the world-renowned musician, humanitarian and photographer, was born and raised in Uganda. Because of the oppressive rule of Milton Obote, he was forced to leave Uganda when he was in his early twenties. His experiences under Obote and Idi Amin's brutal dictatorships, his time as a refugee in Kenya and other defining life experiences inform not only his music, but also his humanitarian work with the non-profit organization, Musicians for World Harmony, which Samite founded in 2002. Samite has composed the soundtrack for the award winning film, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai about the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Kenya, and for the film, Addiction Incorporated, about the work of Victor DeNoble, the whistle-blower in the tobacco industry. Most recently, Samite composed the original score for the documentary Oli Oyta? that documents the collaboration between Ugandan and American doctors who bring palliative care into the villages in Uganda. The film was featured in film festivals in 2019 and early 2021, including at the Sedona International. The film has won three Impact Docs Awards of Excellence, including one for Original Score. Many of his songs appear in a variety of other films as well. Samite is also the subject of the documentary, "Song of the Refugee," shown on PBS and filmed in East and West Africa chronicling Samite's return to Africa and the beginning of his humanitarian work. He has released 11 CDs internationally and his most recent work, Resilience, features "On the Same Journey" which was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award in the fall of 2019. Samite's latest CD “ We can care again” was nominated for a Holly Wood Music in the Media Award.
Mon, Mar 25 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Tue, Mar 26 | 10:00AM to 8:00PM |
Wed, Mar 27 | 10:00AM to 8:00PM |
Thu, Mar 28 | 10:00AM to 8:00PM |
Fri, Mar 29 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Sat, Mar 30 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Sun, Mar 31 | 1:00PM to 6:00PM |
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Montclair, NJ 07043
Tel: 973-744-0500 ext. 2283
Email: reference@montclairlibrary.org