ROAD TO TAIWAN
RoadtoTaiwan is a campaign aimed at telling the story of Mzushiafrica,a Kenyan breaker who will represent Kenya and the entire Africa at the Taipei Bboy City World Finals in Taipei,Taiwan in September 2023.This campaign also aims to use his story to shed light on the Kenyan,East African as well as African breaking scene with the intention to bring as much visibility back home as possible.
RoadtoTaiwan is a campaign aimed at telling the story of Mzushiafrica,a Kenyan breaker who will represent Kenya and the entire Africa at the Taipei Bboy City World Finals in Taipei,Taiwan in September 2023.This campaign also aims to use his story to shed light on the Kenyan,East African as well as African breaking scene with the intention to bring as much visibility back home as possible.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Road to Taiwan 14.9.23
●
●
●
Road to Taiwan | Mzushiafrica.
Breaking Kenya Campaign.
Europe Tour.
●
●
Contribution.
Support.
1.1. Road to Taiwan.
RoadtoTaiwan is a campaign aimed at telling the story of Mzushiafrica,a Kenyan
breakdancer who will represent Kenya and the entire Africa at the Taipei Bboy City World
Finals in Taipei,Taiwan in September 2023.This campaign also aims to use his story to shed
light on the Kenyan,East African as well as African breaking scene with the intention to bring
as much visibility back home as possible.
Mzushiafrica/Bboy Jijo
George Kaminju alias Mzushiafrica/Bboy Jijo is one of Africa’s most decorated breakers
having won some prestigious titles within the region and internationally.He has also been a
big advocate for the inclusion of Africa on international platforms.He is also largely involved
in supporting, disseminating, accompanying and organising various artistic projects as well
as Hip Hop cultural events.
Mzushiafrica has for over a decade
committed himself to raising the standards
of Breaking in Kenya as well as proven his
prowess on the dancefloor putting Kenya
on the international map as an emerging
force to be reckoned with within the East
African region.He emerged victorious at
the 5th Edition of Kigali Breaking Cypher
in August 2022 to secure a slot at the
Taipei Bboy City World Finals to be held in
September 2023 in Taipei,Taiwan.
that brings together the best breakers from
the East African region to compete for
glory in Kampala,Uganda.
He also emerged victorious at the 2nd
Edition of the Kenya Breaking battle
with teammate Bboy Drift,a win that would
see the duo travel to Lyon, France to
represent Africa at the Battle de
Vaulx.This was a historic moment for
Kenyan breaking as it became the first
time any Kenyan breakdancer achieved
international status.
He has been a good illustration of what
can happen when young people follow
their dreams and give everything they
have to make that dream a reality.Only 3
years ago it was beyond anyone's wildest
dreams that a Kenyan breakdancer could
win against our more accustomed
neighbours across the region who
adapted the breakdancing lifestyle years
before Kenya got exposed to it.
Mzushiafrica will also go in the record
books as the first Kenyan breaker to win
the prestigious Breakfast Jam Finals in
November 2019.This is an annual event
The passion,resilience,drive and will to
push the boundaries have seen
Mzushiafrica become an inspiration not
only to new generation of breakers in
Kenya but also other young people across
the continent of Africa.He constantly
reminds them that the time for Africa is
now a message that is bow being echoed
by others across the continent.
1.2. Europe Tour 2022
In April 2022,Mzuhiafrica and his teammate Bboy Drift travelled to Lyon,France to represent
Kenya at the Battle de VAULX.This would be their debut on the international stage as well as
Kenya's first appearance at such a stage.
This battle would become an eye opener
for Mzushiafrica exposing him to a
completely different world.The
culture,food,weather all took some getting
used to.The best breakdancers in the
world also came to represent their
countries with 50+ countries on the battle
roster.He would also see how Hip Hop
culture continues to impact different
people from very different places around
the world.It is a universal language,one
that brings them all together and one that
they all understand.
1.3. Kenya Breaking Campaign.
Breaking also referred to as breakdancing made headlines recently when it was announced
to be part of 4 new disciplines to be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics
This announcement has most countries around the world excited as for the first time in the
history of breakdancing one can compete at the most prestigious stage in the world and
possibly win gold for their country.This had led to the catch phrase “breaking for gold.”
As other countries move in earnest to secure a slot at the Olympics most African countries
lag behind either due to the breakdancing scenes being too young or because of
politicisation of this issue by various players within the breakdancing communities.
Mzushiafrica together with other players within the Kenyan breakdancing community have
been on a serious campaign to make breakdancing more accessible by organising
breakdance events,workshops,hangouts amd roundtables.This is in an attempt to popularise
this new dance sport among young people and potentially spark their interest.
The Kenya Breaking Campaign hopes to achieve several objectives
➔ Bring visibility to the Kenyan breaking community both locally and internationally by
ensuring our high performance breakdancers are seen by relevant event organisers.
➔ Bring “proudly Kenyan” brands on board to support Kenya’s journey to the 2024 Paris
Olympics.
➔ Offer breakdancing as an alternative dancesport to young people who could
potentially benefit from opportunities that come with it.
➔ Document Kenya’s journey as the breaking community attempts to bring more young
breakdancers to international platforms.
➔ Finding ways for breakdancing to generate revenue for its practitioners locally either
by repackaging the product or by finding creative ways to market it.
Mzushiafrica has been and continues to
pass on knowledge acquired during his
years of practice as well as his travels
around different places around the world
to the next generation of breakdancers.He
hopes that by doing this they will be in a
position to go further in their careers than
he did and possibly one day bring a gold
medal home
(Mzushiafrica photoshoot promo for Rio Kairyu in Nanjing,China)
Breakdancing has saved Mzushiafrica’s life in ways he could never have imagined when he
first started doing it.He not only sees it as a medium to entertain but also as a tool to offer
solutions to real life problems.He comes from Pumwani,Majengo a neighbourhood revered
for terrorism and recruitment of young people into Al-Shabaab.It is only because he had the
option of breakdancing that he did not end up exiled in Somalia or even dead like some of
his childhood friends.He believes that breakdancing should be encouraged.
meet,exchange and expand their
1.4. Contributions
capabilities
a.)High performance centres
Mzushiafrica is dedicated to not only
winning titles or representing Kenya in
battles but also about raising the
standards of breakdancing in the country.
One of the major challenges facing most
breakdancers in Kenya is finding proper
practice spaces.Most of them end up
training on hard concrete floors or on
grass fields.
Breaking at the highest level requires
padded slippery floors.This is important for
the longevity of a breakers career as well
as for prevention of injuries that could
sometimes derail their practice.
The Chinese Erdemann School
gymnasium is an excellent facility with fully
installed linoleum floors,a gym,bathrooms
and a sound system.This facility is
currently accessible to all Kenyan
breakers for free twice every week.
Mzushiafrica is constantly looking for ways
to set up high performance centres
accessible to all breakers at no fee.High
performance centres within the
Kenyan/African set up can only be
installed in existing spaces.
He has visited social
halls,schools,churches,mosques,gyms,the
atre halls etc engaging the managements
about the possibility of availing these
spaces to breakers for free.Among these
spaces,the Erdemann Chinese School
based in Kileleshwa and the Sarakasi
Dome based in Ngara area offered their
support to this regard.
(Erdemann Chinese School gymnasium)
The Sarakasi dome is another excellent
facility with padded flooring,bathrooms
and access to some of the most creative
minds in the industry.It is based in Ngara
area,Nairobi.The management at this
facility has been very supportive of the
breakdancing community opening their
doors to breakers for free 4 times a week.
These centres are meant to offer an
environment that inspires Kenyan
breakers to push their limits without fear of
injuries.They also act as central practice
spots where all breakers can
High performing breakers can become
easier to scout and special attention given
to them making it easier to harness their
full potential.
b.)Community Development
Mzushiafrica strongly believes that breakdancing like many other artforms is not only a form
of entertainment but also as a tool for community development.With strong values breaking
can be used to drive positive social change in our local communities.He is able to achieve
this through an outfit he co-founds with Joseph Omondi alias Bboy Drift.
KingOffthestreetKe a professional
collective that aims to show the essence
of Hip Hop culture, to exchange with
various actors, to organise events, to offer
artistic creations and ensure the
transmission to future generations in
order to see new talents emerge.
KingOffthestreetKe makes breaking, and
more broadly Hip Hop culture,a social and
an educational tool.This is done through
very strong human values.
Values
●
●
●
●
●
Education
Equity
Innovation
Identity
Creativity
Objectives
❖ Advocate for environmental protection.
❖ Apply knowledge learned in the practice of Hip Hop to solve real life problems such
as terrorism,drug abuse and gender based violence.
❖ Nurture new breaking talent in Kenya and make it easily accessible to the general
public.
❖ Empower youth,women and people with disabilities with practical skills.
❖ The preservation of African Heritage.
❖ Formulate projects that cater to specific needs in various communities.
Transmission
● Community Outreach programs.
● After School breakdance programs.
● Workshops/debates/roundtables.
● Competitions.
● Creation of photo and video content enhancing each of the activations implemented.
c.)Regional/International
integration.
His ability to network with people and be
vocal about issues makes him a good
ambassador both on and off the
dancefloor.He is eloquent,charismatic and
articulates issues in a manner that speaks
to people.
attention the perspectives of breaking in
Africa.
He serves as Kenya’s coordinator to the
Confederation of Africa Dancesport
(CADS) that brings together
Angola,Gabon,Nigeria,Kenya,Botswana,G
hana and Senegal.He is also a member of
the African brotherhood Bboy City Africa
that brings together top breaks from South
Africa,Cameroon,Uganda,Rwanda,Cote
d'ivoire and Congo.
Mzushiafrica has opened up links between
Kenya and other regions through his
practice of breakdancing.He has travelled
across the East African region networking
with breakdancers and community leaders
from Uganda,Tanzania,Rwanda,Burundi
and Congo.
He has also reached out past the African
continent to countries like
Taiwan,China,France,U.S.A,Holland,Spain
and Turkey where he brings to their
This has inspired some
organisations/individuals to visit Kenya to
conduct workshops/lectures/battles and
also work with the local breakers to find
possible ways to improve this dancesport.
1.5. Support
Mzushiafrica has been representing Kenya on many platforms for over a decade but has
never received any sort of support locally either by government,private sector or by any
other local organisations.
He receives support in kind by friends he has made over the years either through his travels
or through social media platforms.His trip to France was facilitated by the French
Embassy,Street Off Association and Floor Rippers none of which are local entities.
This speaks largely to why African countries struggle to produce breakdancers that can
represent on the international stage.If they get called up to international events who pays for
their flights?Who accommodates them?What do they eat?Where do they practise? These
are questions our counterparts in other regions do not have to worry about.Until such
questions are addressed breakdancing in Kenya is not a sustainable endeavour.
Mzushiafrica strongly believes that it is about time the government/brands/private sector
come on board to support breakdancing,if not for the love of the culture, maybe for the
opportunities that arise with its inclusion to the 2024 Paris Olympics as well as the 2026
Dakar Youth Olympics.
If Kenya is to become a contender for gold,silver or bronze at this games more support must
be made available to the practitioners be it monetary or material support.There is also a
need to create profiles around the breakdancers that make it easy to attract endorsement
and also generate revenues from their craft.
In 2019,Mzushiafrica experienced what it
is like to have opportunity but no support
when he and 2 other breakers were
invited to represent Kenya at the WDSF
World Breaking Championships.
He would miss this event that was the
turning point for bringing breakdancing to
the Olympics.It would take him three years
to find such an opportunity again within
which time the other two break dancers
had quit breakdancing and sort other
careers.Lack of support breaking in Kenya
is killing talent that could otherwise be
flying our flag high on these international
platforms.
The Olympic Winter Games Beijing
2022 reached a global broadcast
audience of more than 2 billion people,
according to the International Olympic
Committee (IOC).
Mzushiafrica is no marketer but he thinks
a broadcast audience that big creates
limitless opportunities for local brands to
“We are fighting a losing war and yet
we must fight…Countries in Asia and
Europe are setting up significant
funding to make sure their
breakdancers have the
facilities,equipment,nutrition as well as
financial resources to ensure they
have the best possible chance to bring
home that gold medal.In the meantime
Kenyan/African practitioners struggle
to find any relevant support.
●
●
●
Bring global attention to their
brand.
Bring attention to causes such as
gender equality,climate change etc
Create emotional brand
connections through the stories of
the breakers/athletes.
If the Kenyan/African breakers somehow
find a way to make it to the Olympics it will
not be a level playing field.They end up
competing with breakers who are
supported big brands/companies
Nike,Redbull,Mercedes,Monster Energy to
mention but a few,
Why can't local Kenyan brands or the so
called “proudly Kenyan” brands support
local talent most especially when they are
representing the country on such
platforms.
Lights,camera action.
The Road to Taiwan campaign | Mzushiafrica would like to put special focus on his story by
Screening.
His story has been scripted into a short film dubbed “The fight of my life”.
It is a story of struggle,a story of blood,sweat and tears.A story of a young man trying to
achieve a dream that seems completely out of reach.”The fight of my life” is a story of
resilience…a clear picture of rebellion and will to bring Africa to the conversation even if
means boarding a bus for 28 hours to get Rwanda just to secure a slot to represent
Kenya/Africa on the international platform and possibly have the chance to speak about
Africa on this platforms.
This short film will be shot by legendary street photographer turned videographer
Starchase.The cover image as wella s thumbnail will be shot by fashion/product
photographer Alekograph.
The final short film will be screened across the East Africa region in different venues such as
The French Institute Kampala,The French Institute Nairobi,Sarakasi Dome,Swahili Pot Hub
etc.
Media tour.
The campaign also aims to bring the breakdancing conversation to local TV and radio
stations/podcasts as well as live social media interactions.MzushiAfrica takes every chance
he gets to speak about breaking,the campaign hopes to give him as much airtime as
possible to continue talking about breaking from an African perspective.
Brands.
The Road to Taiwan | Mzushiafrica also aims to bring local brands on board to support his
journey.The campaign also intends to create a profile of him that could attract endorsements
most especially from Proudly Kenyan brands.
Hood/School/University/College Tours
The campaign also intends to bring Mzushiafrica on a tour of various
neighbourhoods,schools/universities/colleges in an attempt to make breakdancing more
easily accessible to the general public.
Breakdancing is relatively new in Kenya and most people have never seen it let alone heard
the name and as such it's important to bring this artform to them.If the general public can
identify with breakdancing they will be the same people who end up supporting it when they
see a Kenyan representative on any international battles or even at the Olympics.