Mizizi (meaning “roots” in swahili) Ensemble is an interdisciplinary artist collective transforming sounds, movement, visuals and technology into visceral, site-driven performances. Drawing on a wide artistic vocabulary – from contemporary dance and club music to bespoke instrument design, live-coding, classical music, film scoring and traditional Kenyan music – they’ve established a practice built on trust, curiosity and freedom to experiment without fear of failure. Their work emerges from collaborative processes where individual voices collide and get amplified through the collective, absorbing both the political and cultural charge and physical properties of the performance space.
Mizizi was founded in tandem with the inaugral edition of Kilele in 2024 and embodies the festival’s core values of collaboration and exchange through artistic practice. The ensemble was initiated as part of Études for Live Electronics; a FWF-PEEK-funded artistic research project led by Alex Hofmann (https://iwk.mdw.ac.at/hofmann/peek-etudes/) which ran from 2022 through 20255. Members of the collective include Labdi Ommes (KE), [Monrhea] (KE), Nyokabi Kariũki (KE), Bernt Isak Wærstad (NO), Alex Hofmann (DE) and Jane Arnison (AU).
Their debut performance at Kilele 2024 at the renowned underground venue The Mist was received with overwhelming positive response from both audience members and attending journalists alike
Some highlights from the performance: https://youtu.be/SsRaMxC5pYY
“The result was a mesmerising performance that utilised every space in the venue, with the focus shifting every while to another area and new sonic territories - from raw noise to operatic call and response, to wearable body percussion tech. The space was packed with people, the atmosphere veering between tense confusion and elation. An onlooker told me they were leaving immediately to go home and make new music.”
CDR: https://www.createdefinerelease.com/feature/reflections-on-kilele
“Mizizi Ensemble place equipment throughout the club’s distinct areas, creating a unique concert-as-theatre in-the-round experience. Wearable controllers allow performers to make sound with their body movements, while across the room, un-amplified vocals mesmerise against deafening quiet. Behind us, a plastic chair might have been used for percussion. A synth refrain fills the air.”
DJMag: https://djmag.com/features/rewiring-nairobi-new-era-electronic-music-kenyas-capital
“Mizizi Ensemble hurled us into a wild frenzy. They turned The Mist into a noise vortex and meditation shrine simultaneously. Booming speakers, reverberating walls, vibrating bodies, floating voices…”
Sanaa kwa Sana: https://sanaakwasana.wordpress.com/2024/02/29/kilele-summit-santuri-east-africa-continues-to-write-a-global-narrative/
Mizizi Ensemble in the Kilele 2026 program: Mizizi Ensemble presents: what remains...
Artist profiles: [Monrhea], Bernt Isak, Jane Arnison, Labdi, Nyokabi Kariũki
