09.04.2023 Views

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.

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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.

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