> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Spreading awareness to an Afro beat - URL: https://www.smdp.com/spreading-awareness-to-an-afro-beat/ - Published: 2008-08-07T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T20:34:36.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Events, Pier, #archive-import *Stars of Ghana, Zimbabwe collaborate on the pier* *By CHRISTINA YOON Special to the Daily Press* SM PIER Tonight’s Twilight Dance Series performers prove that it’s possible to have fun while having a heart. Afro pop stars Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe and Rocky Dawuni of Ghana will take the stage tonight at 7 p.m. to perform their songs of hope and social change. Both artists have used the enormous celebrity they have gained in their home countries to shed light on diverse issues including bringing clean water to Ghana and Zimbabwe’s food crisis. “In Africa, and especially in Ghana, every day you’re dealing with issues that need attention,” Dawuni said. “A politician within a four-year term can only deal with a minute part. We as musicians, it’s imperative that once you have the opportunity to gain attention you are the forefront of these issues.” Dawuni, who spends part of the year in his home country of Ghana and the other part in Pacific Palisades, is actively involved with humanitarian organizations including UNICEF, the Carter Center and the Global Fund. Eight years ago, Dawuni created the annual Rocky Dawuni Independence Splash Festival in Accra, Ghana’s capital. Every year, the concert focuses on a current issue such as clean water and sanitation and Guinea worm infestations, and brings in audiences of around 30,000 people. In June 2007, Dawuni joined Elle Macpherson in a trip to Ghana for Product (RED) to announce that the country would be the recipient of the third Global Fund (RED) grant, created to help diminish HIV/AIDS-related illness and death in countries most affected. “Artists have an unusual position to be at the apex of gatherings. We have the ability to communicate issues better,” he said. Mtukudzi, too, has integrated his music with the social and political changes of his home country of Zimbabwe. He and his band, the Black Spirits, performed in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Swaziland and South Africa. He also acted in a film exploring Zimbabwean women’s rights and wrote and directed the play “Was My Child,” which tackled the issue of street children in Zimbabwe. The band garnered controversy with the release of its 2000 album “Bvuma — Tolerance” when several of their tracks were adopted by Zimbabwean opposition parties as soundtracks to their causes. Mtukudzi, however, insisted that his band’s music transcends whatever political climates surrounds it. “I’m not a politician,” he said. “I deliver messages of hope, write songs that work yesterday and tomorrow. They always serve the same purpose.” He is also serious about the fun that should reside in music, no matter what commentary is attached. Both Dawuni and Mtukudzi agreed that audiences expecting to witness a somber lecture about African social and political crises tonight on the pier will be sorely disappointed. “It’s dance music. It’s music to enjoy,” Mtukudzi said. Dawuni brings his message of music to Santa Monicans every Thursday night with his Afro Funke night at Zanzibar nightclub on Fifth Street. The popular event, which has run for the past five years, is a melting pot of African sounds and cultural influences. “It was born out of living here and feeling that the ante could be upped a little,” he said of the weekly event. “I also felt that there wasn’t a lot of cultural integration. Hip-hop clubs were strictly hip-hop, Jamaican clubs were strictly Jamaican. Afro Funke is based on the experience of African music in every culture.” A few years ago, the crowd at Zanzibar was surprised by a special musical guest. Stevie Wonder, who performed with Dawuni at the International Conference Center in Accra, joined him on-stage at Afro Funke to the delight of the audience. “Being between these two worlds (of Ghana and the U.S.), I serve as a bridge between the people of Africa and the people of the U.S.,” Dawuni said. Dawuni and Mtukudzi have never performed together before, but both musicians expressed excitement at the upcoming collaboration. “We haven’t crossed paths but I’ve been very aware of his music and right now Zimbabwe is in the news a lot — I feel it’s a natural thing to come together,” Dawuni said. Mtukudzi, who is currently in the midst of a U.S. tour, agreed. “It’s always healthy for artists to collaborate because we all learn from each other.” Like many Twilight Dance Series performers, Dawuni and Mtukudzi face the challenge of performing in front of new audiences after years of playing worldwide for loyal fans. Both artists, however, said that the power of their music will reach even those who have never heard of them. “Music is a feeling,” Mtukudzi said. “People can identify without understanding a single word.” Although Dawuni is a seasoned veteran in terms of performing in the area, he still embraces the challenge of facing a new crowd tonight. “The show provides an opportunity for people to experience what I’m about,” he said. “It’s about convincing them that we play music that transcends.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/080708-04_02.jpg) SOUL WITH A MESSAGE: Afro pop stars Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe and Rocky Dawuni (above) of Ghana play the Twilight Dance Series tonight at the Santa Monica Pier. (Photo: Photo courtesy Rocky Dawuni) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 7, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080708.pdf?ref=smdp.com)