Founder and executive director of Solidarity Studios, a grassroots nonprofit initiative to train young musicians and connect them with peers locally and globally; co-founder of two music technology companies focused on digital rights administration for independent musicians and labels
AT DUKE: “I have always been interested in the power of music to illuminate the experiences of people, build empathy, and build communities. At Duke, I was able to see how those powerful aspects of music could then translate into political and social justice movements. I was fortunate to work with the District Six Museum in Cape Town, South Africa, during my DukeEngage internship in 2010, witnessing firsthand how integral music and the arts were to the story of their community’s struggle against apartheid. The following summer, with a research grant from the Office of Global Studies, I returned to District Six and conducted oral histories on how they leveraged the arts to build internal, and international, solidarity to keep their community intact during the apartheid era. After returning to campus, I enrolled in a class with Dr. Mark Anthony Neal and legendary music producer 9th Wonder to learn about the role of music in American justice movements — from the anti-slavery movement to the civil rights movement and beyond.”
AUTHENTIC SUCCESS: “I’ve heard poets describe that the journey of life is the creation of a song. And in the writing of your song, you should always strive for the creation of harmony – harmony with your fellow humans, with nature, with the inward self. Success is measured by how much harmonization you’ve generated in the creation of your song.”
FUN FACT: Maali, at right in photo, now hosts DukeEngage interns in Chicago.