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AMI›Flagship Institutions

Flagship Institutions

The Museum, the Festival, and the Podcast — AMI's public-facing engines.

Chapter 13

Museum of African Music

The Museum is not a container for the past. It is an engine for Africa's musical future.

Thohoyandou, Vhembe District, Limpopo · Director: Prof Madimabe Geoff Mapaya · Phase 1 theatre capacity 250–350 seats

PILLAR A
Archive & Knowledge Lab
World-class sound archive drawing on regional field recordings and AMI's scholarly network. Digitised to international standards with tiered access.
PILLAR B
Exhibitions & Live Performance
Signature galleries presenting Southern African instruments with immersive audio, and a 250–350-seat theatre.
PILLAR C
Education & Community
Schools programmes, teacher CPD, and an Instrument Makers Hub with formal apprenticeships.
PILLAR D
Creative Economy & Rights Activation
In-house label and licensing desk for archival reissues, with a rights framework ensuring royalties flow to tradition bearers.

Key founding partners: ILAM, SAMRO Foundation, National Museums of Kenya, and SAHRA.

Chapter 14

African Arts & Cultural Festival

AMI's answer to invisibility. Not a conference, not a concert — a meeting point between the academy and the community, between scholars and practitioners, between tradition and the future.

Venue
University of Venda Campus, Thohoyandou
Date
September 2026 (Heritage Month)
Duration
Two days, annual thereafter
Countries
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia

Single guiding principle: small, powerful, and nicely packaged. The festival pairs two streams — the daytime carries the academic weight while the evening carries the cultural celebration.

Chapter 15

The AMI Podcast

AMI's official media mouthpiece, mandated to articulate pertinent matters, advance ideological discourse, and shape informed dialogue across African musicology, cultural studies, and the governance of African cultural heritage.

  • 3.1
    Thematic Scholar Interviews
    In-depth conversations with leading scholars and thinkers in African musicology, anchored in current research and continental debates.
  • 3.2
    Cultural Influencer Dialogues
    Structured engagements with cultural practitioners, artists and creative industry leaders.
  • 3.3
    Editorial Commentaries
    Short-form, opinion-driven audio essays produced by AMI faculty, fellows and invited commentators.
  • 3.4
    Live Webcasts
    Real-time broadcast episodes tied to AMI events, conferences, launches and institutional milestones.
  • 3.5
    Town Hall Talks & Fireside Discussions
    Panel and roundtable formats convening multiple voices around pressing questions in African musicology.
  • 3.6
    Student & Early-Career Researcher Spotlights
    A dedicated platform for postgraduate students and doctoral candidates affiliated with AMI and AMIDS.

Founding editorial lead: Dr Gabriel Thuku Kimani.

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