Nile River: Nile Musicians Urge Cooperation, Not Conflict, in Battle Over Water Rights

Mar 19, 2015 | Renee Lewis, Al Jazeera
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A collective of musicians from 11 Nile basin countries performed in New York City on Thursday night in a bid to demonstrate the need for cross-border cooperation — and to encourage people in Nile nations to think of themselves as more of a unified entity — as the region inches toward conflict over rights to water from the world’s longest river.

The Cairo-based Nile Project brings together artists from the countries that touch the river — Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

The artists meet for multi-week residencies — mostly at universities that agree to host them — to compose new music using instruments including the Ethiopian masenko, Egyptian oud, Ugandan adungu and percussion instruments from the Nile basin. Their songs blend sounds from the various countries into a fusion of modern and traditional music. Vocals explore the similarities and relationships between countries in the region in diverse languages.