---

The Soulful Expression is...an underground record label  run by exiled Human Rights Defenders & Cultural Workers in the African-American musical tradition.  The Soulful Expression promotes the music of the generations of African people from America, as an authentic, genuine, cultural, African people's form of expression, not an "American" one.

 

 

---

 

We have a right to define our culture.  Although our musicians and singers have had tremendous influence on almost all  20th century music, we're now excluded from playing and defining the real music of our own experience, while a plastic, sub-standard imitation is marketed which is worth billions!  When challenged, "the industry" says that Soul, Blues and Jazz belongs to "everyone" having no roots or foundation.  "Everyone" translates into "everyone but African people from America" when it's time for payment of royalties, respect,  the right to express, play and define the music. 

Cultural workers are needed to work towards protecting and preserving our music and traditions which are under attack by racist people, so-called "learning institutions" and big corporations - to the point that most people don't know what this music is anymore.   In short we are being excluded from playing and developing our own music!!!  We are fighting to put an end to this and to have our music protected and respected on an international level.

In 1999 I founded The Soulful Expression in Canada to break down the wall of ignorance about our culture.  People must have an alternative to MTV so-called music culture which has nothing to do with our real music and expression.  Someone once told me that without a culture and a history people stand naked and defenceless before the world.

"The Soulful Expression" carries on  the musical tradition of Africans from America strongly and proudly in the face of  racism and adversity!  It's amazing to think about how far racists of all classes will go to try to continue to define, suppress and destroy our culture.  But they can't stop the continuum.  We have the universal right to define our own culture!!! 

The cultural institution lives on in each of us who will fight to defend it.  I am willing that one day The Soulful Expression will be housed in a nice building somewhere and that there will be many great musicians around.  I do believe that one day we'll have all of the entitlements.  But we've got a war to fight!  We must take back our culture and literature from the hands of the greedy, the racists and the unjust.  We must realize its value.  I believe that it will happen in our lifetime!

 

Support the Soulful Expression in a practical way!

Support the Soulful Expression at The United Nations

• Purchase a book or CD
• Fund a Concert, Workshop or Masterclass
• Make a Donation!

 

 

Education, Workshops, Booklets, CDs

We provide education through performances, workshops, courses and publications about Soul, Blues & Jazz the "social-political", "folk" and "classical" music of African people from America respectively.  This is linked to the historical context of the experience of African people in the US as well as the censorship of these issues.  We also release  CDs, and publish articles and booklets on current political issues, such as "ExiledOne an African from America and US Political Refugee" Volumes 1:1 & 1:2.

It's simple...we perform and teach Soul, Blues and Jazz which are African-American, not "American" art forms.  Because our culture is suppressed we are often not allowed to define it ourselves.