Topowa! Never Give Up

Brass for Africa

Jim Trott is a British commercial pilot who honestly confesses that he founded Brass for Africa in the year 2009 “by accident,” when he discovered that a local UK project had 30 “surplus” brass instruments. "I was flying constantly to Africa and thought we could make use of these instruments, because many children in these areas don't have much." This personal decision to contribute his volunteer work to try to help a little led him to create an award-winning NGO that today works with thousands of children facing major economic and social challenges in Uganda, Liberia, and Rwanda. Its beneficiaries include street children, orphans, rehabilitation centers, individuals with diverse abilities, or those affected by HIV. However, where they come from is not truly important, as their vital motto is never to give up in the face of any kind of adversity. For this reason, they tell their stories through the moving documentary "TOPOWA! Never Give Up", winner of the Best Documentary award at the "Raindance Film Festival" in London, "International Film Festival" in Berlin, "International Film Festival" in Cleveland, and "Three Rivers Film Festival" in Pennsylvania, among others. 

Unlocking Potential Through Music

Jim shares that the first 30 instruments were sent to an orphanage, and that was when he discovered the great impact it had on their lives: “music unlocked their potential,” and the children believed in themselves. Along with the arrival of the instruments came classes, concerts, teachers, and volunteers. Proving once again that talent is everywhere and that all children in the world deserve the opportunity to explore their capabilities, Brass for Africa may look like an energetic and talented brass band, but it is actually an excuse to equip children and youth in environments of extreme poverty with life skills to develop their potential, thrive, and create a dignified life. 

Lizzie Burrowes, the project's director of education, has lived in Kampala for years and leads the pedagogical area with a curriculum based on brass and band training, two instrumental classes a week in each location, music theory, and integrates a set of “life skills” into each class. All this training is complemented by continuous concerts and exchanges between the different musical communities. 

Sustainability and Leadership

The organization is 95% run by African staff; all its music teachers are alumni of its own programs and are hired with a salary by Brass for Africa. Because of this, during their time in the program, they receive pedagogical training, and advanced students prepare to become teachers for new cohorts after passing a curriculum. This has ensured the sustainability and expansion of the project, directly creating employment opportunities for young teachers while they maintain their own artistic and pedagogical training. 

This is the case for Ronald Kabuye, who, as a child, was part of the project's first generation and has a 12-year journey within it. He started as a beneficiary, became a teacher apprentice, then a junior teacher, and advanced until he directed his own project. Today, besides being a musician, he is a lawyer and leads Lab Uganda – Community Music Project in the Bidibidi refugee camp, the second largest refugee camp in the world. His project welcomes around 500 beneficiaries within the camp, mostly youth; they instill in them a vocation for service and help them with psychosocial support. 

Ronald knows from his own experience what it means to find a light of hope in music, and he is a resilient leader who continues the expanding effect of transformation. Lab Uganda also focuses on bringing joy and hope, and helping to foster peaceful coexistence under the challenging conditions of a refugee camp. Yes, they are also a brass band. 

Strategic Goals and Global Reach

Within its strategic objectives, Brass for Africa has focused on:

• Gender Equality: Helping girls and adolescents combat the historical inequality intensified in their environment. 

• Inclusion: Helping children with diverse abilities to dream and be recognized by their community. 

• Life Goals: Helping its beneficiaries be prepared to achieve their dreams—whether preparing for an admission exam, a job interview, or moving an entrepreneurial business idea forward! 

The program is partnered with more than 30 organizations—including the United Nations, Oxfam, and Plan International—and works weekly with more than 1,000 young people. 

International performances by Brass for Africa musicians have led them to perform in settings such as the Cheltenham Festival and Ronnie Scott's in the UK, as well as the new Isarphilharmonie in Munich, Lucerne, and the Verbier Festival, alongside artists like Wynton Marsalis, Alison Balsom, and Jess Gillam. Artistic collaborations that go beyond African borders are also an important part of their work. In 2023, we will be able to see them in Spain, as they will tour with a group of 6 brilliant musicians from Uganda who will perform a piece for brass band and orchestra composed by Guy Barker and Alan Fernie. The piece will narrate the reality of life in sub-Saharan Africa. Topowa!