June 11th, 2025Melbourne African Traditional Ensemble (MATE) headed to Creswick

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

Melbourne African Traditional Ensemble (MATE) are headed to Creswick later this month to bring their irresistible sound to Odessa at Leavers Hotel.

Set for 7pm, Saturday June 28 this gig promises to be lively and rhythm-rich.

The Melbourne African Traditional Ensemble is a Pan African music project that brings together a range of traditional instruments from different parts of Africa to create new musical concepts based on the principles of Ujamaa.

The idea of Ujamaa emerged from the writing and speeches of Tanzania’s first president, Julius K Nyerere, from the late 1950s and into the 1960s.

Usually translated as “familyhood,” it was a form of African socialism that blended broadly conceived socialist principles with a distinctly “communitarian” understanding of African societies, and a strong commitment to egalitarian societies.

More details are available through the venue’s website with booking online via Humanitix.