Hello Kickstarter Friends!

Mina and I are mid-scout trip, and we wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU for your support in helping us get here. We started in Ethiopia, and have seen been to Egypt, Kenya, and now, Tanzania. We'll be headed to the shores of Lake Victoria soon.

It's been an incredible journey so far, full of music, interviews, and a whole lot of learning about the sounds, histories, instruments, and issues that the Nile emcompasses. It's a big boat indeed.

We'll be sharing lots more with you in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, here is a small selection of photos from Ethiopia and Egypt, featuring some of the musicians and landscapes we've encountered along the way. Videos coming shortly as well!

All the best,

Meklit and Mina

Thanks to all of you, we made our minimum kickstarter goal of $10,000. This means that we will be able to proceed with our plans. In May, we will travel to Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to explore this fascinating river and all the people who live off its shores. We will meet musicians, cultural workers, hydrologists, farmers, fishermen, and sailors. We will take photos, collect stories, and make interviews that we will share on our website.

If we manage to raise $15,000 by Feb 1, we will also be able to produce the first iteration of Nile Project music. We have exciting plans for this initial musical collaboration that we want to share with you. So please help us spread the word on the Nile Project in this final stretch. 

in gratitude,

mina & meklit

Howdy, 

The Nile Project has been spreading like fire! Everyday, we receive emails from people who want to help us make this project a reality. We're 10 days away from our Kickstarter deadline and still have to raise about $5,000. Would you please help us by sharing the Nile Project with your friends?

And here is a recent interview about the project:

http://www.apsaramusic.com/2012/01/nile-project/

mina

Ethnomusicologist Jamie Freedman recently interviewed Meklit Hadero about the Nile Project. Please read and share:

http://www.examiner.com/music-in-san-francisco/interview-with-meklit-hadero-and-the-nile-project-bringing-east-africa-together

mina

Since the beginning of the Nile Project, Meklit and I have been on the look out for all those random commonalities among the Nile people. First, there was the water (duh...). Then there were the musical instruments. And every once in a while, we would stumble upon a word or two that we both understand. The big surprise came one day when we realized that many Egyptians and Ethiopians, unlike most Christians, celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Technically, Copt means Egyptian. However, there are 45 million non-Egyptian Copts in Ethiopia. That's more than double the number of Egyptian Copts. And today, they are all celebrating the birth of Jesus. Long live the Nile!

mina