"Strings4Africa" is an international project striving to offer a token of frienship to musicians in African countries.
Conceived by the Soundhole forum and brought to life thanks to the efforts of various forum members, the project aims at collecting and distributing musical instrument strings and maintenance tools to needy musicians.
Jensen Music in Owen Sound currently takes care of the Canadian side of the project, offering strings at cost, while the US one has found its base in a small town in Iowa.
If you are interested in supporting Strings4Africa, you can contact me, or, if you're already sold, you can send* some strings to:
Strings4Africa
PO Box 267, Vinton, IA 52349
We have found that all of the following items can come in useful:
- Steel strings for bass, electric and acoustic guitars
- Nylon strings for classical guitars
- Fret wire, pliers, and other fretting tools
- Prescription eyeglasses
The strings will either be distributed by those members that happen to travel to Africa regularly for either leisure, business, or mission reasons, or they will be mailed to of our contacts in Tanzania and Kenya.
Our current goal is to keep S4A steadily going, possibly expanding our "network" to other areas of Eastern Africa.
Read about our courier Evan's latest trip to Africa here.
Future trips are scheduled for May 2007 in Tanzania and for September in Rwanda and Uganda.
We understand that strings may not be a primary need of people facing starvation and disease every day of their lives, but those who have been there have told us about the great passion for music and the unquestionable talent that those musicians share.
Music is a balm for our souls - help us keep African music going.
