Partnership with OneMama.org for Comic Book Proceeds
Hailed as “Africa’s James Brown,” Sila has made an immediate and lasting impact on the music world. As a 2010 NAACP Award winner for his last record, Sila has delved deep into his soul, taking cues from his musical idols Fela and Bob Marley to create a fiery new record that resounds with inspiration and positivity while speaking to issues of adversity and struggle. Set to hit February 25, SuperAfrican boasts rhythms and a groove that are so uniquely Sila that it will no doubt have you dancing through each and every listen.
Sila will also be releasing a comic book titled SuperAfrican, which visually explores many of the same themes and ideas that are woven throughout his album. The comic book, written by Eric K. Arnold, focuses on a young African superhero who takes on villains in African settings, from refugee camps to diamond mines. Sila's’s goal is to offer youth in Africa a superhero who not only looks like them, but also fights the evils they know all too well. All net proceeds from the sale of the comic book will go to onemama.org, a non-profit organization that provides a self-sustaining medical clinic that promotes safe birthing environments; family and financial planning; and trade, craft and agricultural education in Kirindi, Uganda. OneMama’s goal is to raise funds to build a library for its community center, where youth and adults can obtain books and other reading materials not only for entertainment but also for education and health-related information.
The Kenyan-born artist, who has lived in San Francisco for the last decade, harked back to his childhood in a rural village near Nairobi for inspiration while making the new album. The result is a twelve-track offering that shimmers, pulses and throbs with earnest and heartfelt expressions of American pop, R&B, soul and funk, filtered through an Afropop prism. SuperAfrican features all live instrumentation and showcases the contributions of world-class Bay Area musicians, including members of Santana, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sting, and Jazz Mafia, among others.
With SuperAfrican, Sila has made an album suitable for making love, wrestling lions, or enjoying a night out. It’s the latest step in a journey that has taken him from Africa to the United States to Europe, and back again, while allowing him to share his own story with the world.
For more information, a copy of SuperAfrican, chat time with Sila or album artwork e-mail: [email protected]