Delegates biographies

Lorenz Herrmann is a cultural entrepreneur, musician and manager based in Tanzania. As one of the founding members of Stone Town Records in 2016, he has helped uplifting the pace of the cultural scene in Zanzibar, supporting upcoming artists from the urban and traditional scene alike. His flagship project, Siti & The Band, has been making waves touring all over the continent and Europe alike.
He was recently appointed as the managing director of Busara Promotions, the NGO that runs Zanzibar’s one and only Sauti za Busara Festival. A well-established institution in the local and international music scene.

Sauti za Busara unites people of all backgrounds in celebration of African music. The festival showcases ‘100% live’ music from East Africa and across the continent, whilst building respect for cultural diversity and promoting local livelihoods. It has also provided a valuable platform for emerging artists from the region to launch their international careers.The unique mix of artists and audiences at Sauti za Busara is the key to its success. Young, local, and emerging talents are showcased alongside established acts. 400 groups from 40 countries performed over the years including Tiken Jah Fakoly (CI), Sampa The Great (ZAM), Nneka (NIG), BCUC (SA), Blitz the Ambassador (Gh/USA), Bassekou Kouyate (Mali), Bi Kidude (ZNZ).

Fui Tsikata manages several artists including Hip Hop artist M.anifest and producer/artists Rvdical the Kid and Super Jazz Club frontman Øbed. Even with his ten-plus years of experience in management, he regards himself very much as an accidental manager who had no intention of venturing into the music business. Having graduated with a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Chicago, he was more likely headed to a newsroom than a music studio but clearly the universe had other ideas.

Manifestivities is one of Ghana’s biggest premium music festivals, curated by renowned Ghanaian rapper M.anifest. Established in 2011 in response to a lack of performance opportunities for an artist who was not considered mainstream, it is now evolving into a world-class festival with over 12,000 visitors over the past 4 years. The festival’s main stage has always featured a slew of incredible headlining talent including Burna Boy, Adekunle Gold, The Cavemen, Ebo Taylor, Simi, Kwesi Arthur, King Promise and Gyakie.

Abdul Karim Abdullah is the founder and CEO of Culture Management Group (CMG), an African focused media management company introducing a diverse and innovative perspective to the African event space. CMG is also the parent company for AfroFuture Fest, an annual festival held in Accra, Ghana. Abdul has a BA in Psychology and Biology from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in public health from CUNY Hunter College. Abdul is a native New Yorker who grew up in the Bronx and now lives in New Jersey.

AfroFuture is an annual festival held in Accra, Ghana. It is a platform that highlights and promotes Africa’s exciting and thriving talent. The festival and its satellite events aim to foster engagement, increase interest and boost tourism in Ghana and across Africa by providing a space for the Diaspora and Africans to celebrate their culture through the various mediums of African music, cuisine, art and fashion.

Angie Linder is deeply involved in the Detroit electronic music scene, co-founding the Detroit Techno Militia, an independent record label and DJ collective that has become synonymous with the city’s vibrant techno culture. Equally influential is her work as the founding board member and president of the Detroit chapter of the Detroit-Berlin Connection, a cross-cultural advocacy organization.
One of Angie’s most impactful initiatives with the Detroit-Berlin Connection has been advocating for the 24-hour economy in Detroit. She is also very proud of the artist exchange program, in conjunction with the Musicboard in Berlin, where she has actively hosted 7 music exchange artists from Berlin over the last 8 years.

The Detroit-Berlin Connection is an initiative that celebrates the artistic legacies of Detroit, Michigan, USA, and Berlin, Germany. Established as a creative bridge between these two iconic cities, the DBC fosters collaboration in art, music, urban planning, and economic development, creating a dynamic that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries.
Emerging from the historical resonance between Detroit’s automotive industry and Berlin’s manufacturing past, the Detroit-Berlin Connection’s purpose has been to nurture innovation in these once-industrial cities transformed into vibrant cultural hubs. At the heart of the DBC lies a profound passion for techno music, with Detroit as the birthplace of techno and Berlin as a global center for electronic music.

Suzette is Operations Manager for the Arts Council-funded resource organisation, First Music Contact. Part of her role involves co-ordinating artist activity for the Irish Export office, Music From Ireland while also co-managing the annual showcase and conference, Ireland Music Week.
Over the past decade, Suzette has developed a keen understanding of the music industry through her work as an artist and as lead of operations within First Music Contact who run Ireland Music Week and the Irish Export Office Music From Ireland.
She strives to bring the artist’s perspective into all she does and is hopeful about seeing a progressive industry come to fruition.

Music From Ireland, the Irish Music Export Office run by First Music Contact and funded by Culture Ireland, fund and co-ordinate the Irish presence and promote the Irish acts to international delegates across several international events.
Ireland Music Week is the annual international-facing music showcase and conference, taking place in Dublin on October 3rd-6th 2023.
Ireland Music Week places a strong focus on export-ready artists with an increased success rate year on year. Bookers, labels, publishers, managers, agents, and many more international professionals attend annually, which can be an essential step in any Irish artists’ development.
Many of the IMW acts each year go on to showcase at annual international events such as ESNS, SXSW, The Great Escape, Primavera Pro, c/o pop and more.

Growing up near Tel Aviv, I always wanted to be part of the culture and nightlife scene of this fantastic metropolis. In 2009 I moved there, started studying business and at the same time it just happened and I started fulfilling my dream: Management and booking for local bands, pre-production of releases, PR, branding and marketing etc.
In 2012 I decided to move to Berlin with my #1 band, only to realise that management wasn’t for me anymore. A year later I moved back, joined a nightclub called Kuli Alma and started a production company called Yellow Brick, focusing mainly on content outside Israel. I play the piano when I feel like it.

Kuli Alma is a music and art focused nightlife institution in the creative hub of South Tel Aviv. Opened in March 2014, Kuli Alma focuses on providing exceptional content to a wide-ranging audience of insatiable night owls, music lovers and culture enthusiasts, whether they are entrenched in the local creative community or visiting Tel Aviv’s thriving nightlife landscape for the first time. Run by a collective of Tel Aviv DJs, artists and producers, Kuli Alma means “the whole world” in Aramaic – an apt description that reflects our global musical vision and international appeal.

Born in Brazil and living in the US, Ivorian DJ and producer Black Charles is now a major player in the Abidjan electronic music scene, where he moved in 2011. There, he is best known as the co-founder, artistic director and resident of La Sunday, a weekly party that has become well-known in the Ivory Coast capital and beyond.

After early influences such as soul and samba, which he discovered in his father’s record collection, Charles was inspired by hop-hop and immersed himself in the art of crate-digging, beat-making and rapping – even writing his university thesis on the political significance of Tupac Shakur.
When he moved to Abidjan, he turned to deep house musically and professionally followed in his late father’s footsteps as a diplomat. Although he ultimately found his job at the State Department less than satisfying, it led to solid friendships that now form Bain de Foule Creative Studio: He is determined to push the local clubbing scene forward while championing different varieties of African house music. Together with his friends and current partners Jeune Lio, Fayçal and Aziz, they launched La Sunday in 2018, which has grown from an intimate gathering of 50 friends and fixtures on the city’s creative landscape to a major social phenomenon that electrifies Abidjan, sometimes attracting up to 6,000 visitors.