How do we challenge our stereotypes about other cultures and humanize others beyond what we assume?

My guest today, Mina Girgis, believes that learning about music and listening to other people’s music is the path forward. What happens when we bring curiosity to the music we listen to?

Mina is a musical anthropologist and current Director of Education, Campus and Community Engagement at UC Berkley CalPerformances. Mina is also the founder of The Nile Project, where he used the power of human connection via shared musical culture to tackle one of Africa’s most challenging sustainability conflicts: The River Nile. Whether yo are into classical music, to gypsy music, or electronic and hiphop, we’ll cover how any music tells a story that can help us understand life and humans on a more fundamental level.

Sample performance from the Nile project:

• How Mina's journey from accidental DJ to ethnomusicologist shaped his understanding of music's community-building power
• Why music offers a unique pathway to challenge our stereotypes about other cultures
• The story behind The Nile Project and how it used music to address complex geopolitical water conflicts
• How traditional music education can sometimes be traumatizing and ways to rediscover our authentic musical voices
• The difference between commercial music and music that fosters genuine cross-cultural understanding
• What ethnomusicology teaches us about using music as a tool for humanizing others

Mina Girgis is the Director of Education, Campus and Community Engagement at UC Berkeley's Cal Performances. An ethnomusicologist by training, he is also the founder of The Nile Project, which brings together musicians from the 11 countries along the Nile River to create music that addresses water conflict and sustainability. Previously a Senior Fellow at the Othering and Belonging Institute, Mina's work consistently explores how music can foster community, challenge stereotypes, and build bridges across cultural divides.

• The Nile Project - Bringing together musicians from the 11 countries of the Nile basin
• Illuminations: Human and Machine - Cal Performances' thematic program exploring technology and creativity
• Othering and Belonging Institute - Research and community engagement focused on building a world where all people belong
• The Nile Project Albums: Aswan, Jinja, and Tana - Three albums highlighting different regions of the Nile

Thanks for listening!

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