Artist page

**Zomba Prison Project Bio:** In the summer of 2013, Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan and his wife, Italian photographer and filmmaker Marilena Delli, traveled to Malawi to document and record the music of prisoners at the maximum security prison in Zomba. Their previous travels to various countries, including Rwanda, South Sudan, Palestine, Nairobi, and Algeria, had led to the production of multiple albums, often the first of their kind released internationally from those regions. Zomba prison, a dilapidated structure built in the 19th century, was designed to hold 340 individuals but currently houses over two thousand. Brennan and Delli gained access to the prison in exchange for offering violence prevention classes to inmates and guards. During their time there, they experienced various challenges, including nearly being detained for taking photos in a restricted area and witnessing a violent incident involving a prisoner. The music scene within the prison is notably different between the male and female sides. The men have an organized band and were particular about their recording process, while the women, lacking instruments except for bucket drums, initially claimed not to write songs. However, they ultimately shared deeply personal tunes, such as "I Kill No More." The majority of the prisoners are serving life sentences for various crimes, and the music-making spans generations, with participants ranging from their early twenties to over sixty years old.

For any edit requests, please reach out to info@rovr.live