One Vibe creates a liberated African narrative through collaboration among Africans “at home” and in the diaspora. Starting with the youth, we generate a future for Africa through cultural events, video content, education, music, and the arts.
Africa transforms the world as the youth rise up to claim their future.
2008 to today
2008
After violence that caused over 1,000 deaths and displaced 300,000 people, we organised the Unite The People Concert at Kisumu Social Hall. It was the first public gathering after the violence, and the proceeds fed displaced children at the Young Generation Centre in the Manyatta slum.
2012
Our founder moved to Seattle in 2010. In 2012 we staged a Unite The People Concert at Nectar Lounge to raise awareness of the plight of youth in Kisumu.
2014
Proceeds from the Seattle concert funded the Education, Music & Art Program in Kisumu. By 2014 EMAP had served over 68 youth, which inspired Madaraka Festival at the Museum of Pop Culture. That in turn funded One Vibe Studio, a recording space in Kisumu built to sustain the work.
2017
Festival proceeds funded EMAP and filmmaking equipment for One Vibe Films. A team of twenty filmmakers, creatives, and artists from Seattle, Ghana, and Senegal travelled to Kisumu to make a film about how communities empower themselves through their own culture.
2024
We are stabilising our programs in Kenya and Seattle so the model can scale. Communities in Botswana, South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Senegal, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Liberia, and Nigeria have approached us. We did not know our impact was already felt that far.
Simon Okelo
Founder & Executive Director
Shamir Tadeiya
Team Member
Stephen Okoth
Team Member
Jones Manase
Team Member