MDQ is now a 2019 TED fellow!
Popular Kenyan musician Muthoni Ndoga aka Muthoni Drummer Queen (MDQ) has been selected as a TED Fellow.
MDQ is joining a class of 20 change-makers from around the world to deliver a talk on the TED stage this April in Vancouver, Canada. The “Suzie Noma” hitmaker was selected for her work in developing the cultural landscape in East Africa through her barrier-breaking, genre-bending music. The Bongo Sawa proprietor is also known for changing consumption of music with alt music festivals Blankets & Wine and Africa Nouveau.
The elated rapper posted on social media that she was happy to be selected as a TED fellow and that “after 10 years in the music industry it is clear that the creative sector is a legit manufacturing industry in Africa.”
“We are thrilled to announce the newest class of TED Fellows, who give voice to some of the most exciting ideas we’ve seen in the program’s 10-year history,” said TED Fellows director Shoham Arad.
Founded in 2009, the TED Fellows program has 472 Fellows from 96 countries, whose talks have been viewed more than 250 million times overall. In its 10-year history, the TED Fellows program has created a powerful, far-reaching network made up of scientists, doctors, activists, artists, entrepreneurs, inventors, journalists and beyond. Among some of the notable Africans to be named TED Fellows are Kenya’s afrofusion artist Blinky Bill and renowned photographer Mutua Matheka.
As a TED Fellow, Muthoni Drummer Queen joins a community of international change-makers including Perry Chen, the artist who co-founded Kickstarter; Amanda Nguyen, the activist whose organization RISE helped write the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights and Essam Daod, the psychiatrist who founded Humanity Crew to provide psychological aid to refugees.
