Nairobi’s minibus taxis carry over three million people around the city every day. The loud and tightly packed matatu buses blare hip-hop, RnB, funk, soul, dancehall and boomba day or night. Showcasing new DJs and music genres since the nineties, the matatus have become mobile clubs – and a cultural phenomenon.

Traffic Jam Sessions is a creative grassroots collaboration, spearheaded by creative hub Pawa254 and popular Afro-fusion Kenyan band Sarabi, spoken word artist Teardrops and comedian Timothy Ndisii.

The project seeks to ignite political awareness through mass distribution of mixtapes on the bus routes. Providing intelligent and engaging content, they feature politically conscious tracks by some of Kenya’s biggest musical artists and poets. The project seeks to provoke social change by offering listeners an alternative to mainstream radio and engaging in discussion about issues facing Kenya. Thanks to Traffic Jam Sessions the daily commute in Nairobi is like nowhere else in the world, with powerful playlists to educate, engage and make the soul sing.