Afrimedia:Conversation with two brethen from Congo

They say that those who think about the future are best to influence it ,the
youth of any culture are best suited to ponder and dream the future of their
society.
To pick up, where the others- before us- left the shaping of the
culture and society, that is what driven individuals, leaders of
industries,mavericks and the wise Men among ourselves do.

Noella Coursaris and Kaysha ,one a professional mannequin on the
international scene and the other a professional music composer/producer at
the global echelon, respectively daughter and son of the Congo are using
their talent,drive and ambition to achieve the remarkable.

( credit:Mikael Vojinovic )


Noella can you tell us what has been happening in your professional life in the past 6 months ?

I have been hard at work setting up a non-profit organization called GMF which stands for Georges Malaika Foundation. I have been assisted and helped by an amazing team of individuals. All of us devoted to the goals and objectives agreed upon, we are very excited by the prospect of enabling young women in the Congo-africa, to have a chance to fulfill their destiny once they have a strong academic background. We are moving forward slowly but surely,I just came back from Brussels where i was an invitee of the Embassy of Congo.
I made a speech during the ceremony for our independence day,It was a very emotional experience for all of us as we reminded ourselves( on that day) of the importance of having a great motivation,vision and sense of community.

On the professional side ,I was featured recently in the US based urban lifestyle magazine " VIBE", I additionally grace the cove of the magazine HARLEM WORLD. I also appear in the latest Kitukizuri edition.The picture featured on this post was taken during the filming of an independant docudrama called "Fiche d'identite", created by Olivia Senghor,and directed by house of Ming production.

On the social side,I attended different functions of importance to me, an event in support of Barack Obama,another in support of Dikembe Mutombo and his foundation.

What have been happening in your professional life in
the past 6 months ?

Well, I have recently released my 5th solo album called "Legendary" , it is available to the willing and able consumer. I have also been doing a lot of production for different artists, notably Les deesses,Elizio,Soumia,IIwayz, Lino Versace and Borosandji- from La Jet Set-.
I have also been occupied putting the final touches to my best of album " 1996-2007-Live and learn",it is is going to be a CD & DVD combo offering the best of Kaysha that my most faithful fans as well as first time listeners would be able to enjoy.

I recently signed 2 new talents to my label and we are working on their crafts and molding them as artists.I have been touring all over the globe,starting with Europe and currently in the west indies performing live for the fans I have in the region. The next dates should take me ne to South America-Brazil will be an important stop-then Africa before I get back to Europe to terminate my international tour.
I got started on some new material, writing lyrics and composing some music for my next album called "forever young"

Can you share with us information about your company, Sushiraw records ? What is the the size of its Roster, what is the Total #
of albums sold, what is the distribution strategy the label chose to supply the following markets-
USA,Europe,Caribbean,Africa,Japan,Brazil,Russia ?

Since Sushiraw would be considered a small imprint,we function less like a corporation and more like an indie entity trying to make sweet music for the ears.The love for the music which is why I got started in this profession is still there, and Elizio,Abege,Soumia,Thayna,Shawnce,Anofela and I just focus on making good music. How does it translate in terms of sales,I would say that units are moving, we sold over 100.000 units on Digital distribution channels such as Itunes- owned by Apple( Public:NASDAQ:AAPL,LSE:ACP),CDbaby and the likes.

While the Digital distribution gives access to consumers of Sushiraw's music from anywhere,not everybody has internet access or want to purchase a product online. Terrestrial distribution is still a must and we are actively looking for distribution channels for our different markets,France ,Portugal and the West Indies are three markets where successful partnerships have been established providing timely and effective distribution of our music. The current markets where such successful partnerships are sough after are Africa,Northern America and Brazil.
On another note my company just created a creative spin-off of our imprint, Sushiraw films would be to movies what Sushiraw has been to music,we are just trying to feed your senses... Affaire a suivre

Noella, Where to you see the collaborative efforts between Models- like you - Artists -like Kaysha- ,African fashion magazine - BHF magazine- and African owned/based corporations ? Are we going to see an increasing usage of African models, in good African Music videos and as the face of African brands ?

It will be only logic that unison in our professional efforts should be the norm ,since we are all trying to establish ourselves as a force to be recognized in our respective industries. Our industries have the advantage not to be limited to a specific space. The African markets,the European markets and the American markets are all potential revenue sources for any of us.

Our urban music is going through a tremendous growth as talented creator such as Kaysha,DjAkon,Corneille,Fally Ipupa and the likes bring quality products to the fans. African models have been gracing catwalks and fashion magazine covers for years now. African designers are finally getting their share of recognition from the industry professionals and the consumers from ,South Africa,Kenya,Nigeria,Ivory Coast to Paris,london,Toronto and Trinidad. To have a African supermodel do a photoshoot by a very visual African photographer, in magnificiant clothes by African designers ,that will be featured in a professionally made African fashion or lifestyle magazines ,on the regular will be a must. The icing on the cake would be to have this magazine distributed in all Afri-urban centers such Dakar,Tunis,Atlanta Toronto,Paris,Johannesburg,Abidjan,Lagos,Addis-Abeba,Accra,Dakar,Nairobi,Kampala,Gaborone and Casablanca.

Kaysha, Where do you see the collaborative efforts between Models -such as
Nanan-,artists -Molare-,African fashion & lifestyle magazines- Brainmagazine- and African owned/based corporations go ? Are we going to see an increasing usage of African urban music in Fashion shows, or have African urban artists promote their music on African models websites in exchange of exclusive music for the soundtrack of their sites?

Everything in life and all business transactions are dependent of human interactions and quiet often the effectiveness of many endeavors is greatly influenced by the degree of your networks. I am a big believer in the fact that we can all benefit from each other productions, photos, prints and all. The african culture urban and traditional are rich and diverse in content,morover in this day and age content is king,whoever create,distribute and control the supply of content would be in a advantageous position..

What we see for now are foreign corporations and individuals being able to generate healthy to astounding return on investment utilizing bits and sounds of our culture. We should not sit on the sidelines and watch,we better get wise and get on action,thus redirecting the purchasing power of those consuming these products to our companies.

As individuals and corporations seeking to be in business,it takes a certain level of organization,values and respect to the consumer,partners and profession/industry to become productive and profitable. We must take pride in what we do,how we do it. We must proud as consumers to support products and services coming from our people. We must be proud as producers of goods/services to offer good quality and useful products to our people.


Kaysha,What is in your eyes the state of the African music industry ? How effective and relevant is the value chain at the moment ? Give us a brief analysis from the creation of content ,protection-
copyrights-to the packaging,promotion,distribution of content , without forgetting
Touring,merchandising and customer care .


This is going to be very simple and will answer the comments of some
critics that say we artists love to represent Africa but none of us
actually live in Africa

Europe: The industry in Europe is well developed thus providing us with the adequate. Cd plants, recording
studios and everything needed to assist the music industry. Structure such as SACEM, ASCAP provide the services necessary to protect our intellectual property. To be recognized as the rightful owner of our music ensure us copyrights whenever our songs are played on the radio & Television( note: probably more on Tele3Asud and TraceTv),physically burned to a CD.

Africa: Consumption of professionally composed music has never been more en vogue than now. However we still do not sell a single real copy in most markets, so I have found it hard to generate a return on our investment in most African markets. The inability for institutions to offer copyrights protection and collect rights from the numerous radio stations and TV networks ( private & public) eagerly playing our music. Piracy is an issue that has been a stick in entertainment companies' throat for sometimes now.
The one revenue streams that is most certain for now is touring,the public there is the best ever.

So, the African music industry has a lot of room to grow and we are not limited to the only continental African market,Europe and the two Americas make the opportunities almost endless. African entrepreneurs,African promoters/impresarios, the African owned/based labels,African TV networks need to share a common development strategy for the industry. I will finish by saying that we need a strong United African copyright and piracy protection system.

Noella,where do you see yourself professionally and on a personal level five years from now ?

I would probably be physically more present in Africa that I am now,close to my mother and family. I would be very much involved with GMF on the ground ,in addition of managing different business ventures I have in mind.
On a more personal note,I see myself settling down and having children.

Kaysha ,Is there any ongoing or future project for the Congo ?

I must say first that , I work for and represent Africa. Trying to
work only for one's nation in my case the Congo will not be an effective solution driven manner to resolve our problems, not in this day and age . Africa needs to challenge itself to
become more powerful than the European unions or the United States,such far reaching goal demands unity among the actors that will work on it. I consider myself a Pan-africanist first

Where do you see yourself professionally and on a personal level five
years from now ?
Where do you see your company five years from now? would you incorporate in
Africa,have a subsidiary there or maybe acquire local media & entertainment
companies ?

Even though I cannot predict the future, I can only use past experience to influence the present circumstances....
5 years from now, hum, I don't know. I will probably be networking even more,connecting with individuals and organizations that share the same approach with promoting our content.I will certainly be focusing on creating content that is skillfully assembled and gushed with quality,creativity,truth and charm/warmth. I will be making this content available available worldwide using all possible channels and networks.


Official Noella's site
GMF official website
Add Noella as a friend on Myspace
Add Noella as a friend on HI5
Official Kaysha's site
Sushiraw merchandising
Add Kaysha as a friend on Myspace
Add kaysha as friend on Hi5
Add kaysha as a friend on Hi5