Album Notes

ABOUT the author

Always finding it hard to be like everybody else Hokshila stayed true to his heart following the way that might seem way unusual.
His round-the world traveling experiences and buskin on the streets in different parts of the world since he was seventeen made key influence to his music style and made it incredibly unique. While living among locals Hokshila observed not only different instrumental techniques but also he faced values, lifestyle and social-political problems of the countries he lived in. Musician got experience that none school could ever teach: night street jams with local youth in Soweto township (South Africa), percussion workshops and capoeira angola sessions in Bahia (Brasil) where Hokshila bought bunch of drums for locals so they could jam together, or even buskin on the streets of Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Copenhagen (Denmark) and making a living of it.
‘I have learned to LOVE music. Can you point me a school that has this subject on the list?’ (Hokshila)


ABOUT the album / searching for ZION
Text by Hokshila

Hey, what's up my peeps, I just wanted to tell ya few words 'bout this album!
'Fight for Africa' is my third official album and I am very happy I made it this way.
Year 2006 I went back to Africa, and did Cape to Cairo by land. I traveled with my guitar using public transportation and hitching, met great travelers and locals along the way, had jams every night at local bus stations, backpackers, bars, small villages, ghettos, music festivals, beaches; recorded songs with local musicians . All these songs you hear now r written on my trip. I met cool dude called Jimmy from Australia in Malawi and we traveled together all the way to Addis Ababa searching for Mount Zion. Peeps told us that Mount Zion is in Israel with 5 star hotel right on top, some told us Zion was somewhere in Ethiopia and eventually local Rasta’s explained that all Africa is a ZION. So I call this trip ‘walk to Zion’.
I wrote a song about Jimmy and was annoying him with it on the road, singing all the time and making up new ridiculous lyrics about how bad and hopeless he was. That was a joke but anyway Jimmy said:’ Hok, man, no one is going to believe this! There is a song about me actually!’

I got to visit world’s famous Rastafarian community in Shashemeni, Ethiopia as well as Hailie’s Selassie’s apartment in Addis.
Africa inspires me a lot, you see lots of poverty, human rights issues, street children, guns, people dying of AIDS and malaria, messed up police, corrupted, but at the same time most beautiful smiles, hospitality, friendliness, sweet curiosity, simplicity and so many amazingly talented people.
I want to dedicate this album to all children who are born with HIV/AIDS because I think it's totally unfair to come into this world and not to b able to grow up. That's the saddest thing I saw in Africa. Imagine holding 3 years old beautiful kid on your arms knowing he has got just few month or years to go, just because his family is too poor to get medication or he hasn’t got any family at all. I believe every kid has a right to live, to go to school and not to starve.
This album is a little message about Africa, I just wrote down things I've seen, Africa will stay in my heart forever. I hope it touches you a little bit too.

Thanks for listening!

hokshila

P.s. If you think you can’t make a difference try to sleep in the room with doors closed and one mosquito inside (African proverb).


Released albums:
2003 – Unite
2005 – Babylon DC
2006 – Fight For Africa

Music reviews:
'Hokshila's music is so different from anything I’ve ever heard. It has that reggae feel to it too. Lyrics are deep; they have passion and great meaning. Phenomenal voice. There is something you call magic inside his music too. Something that makes peoples dream, something that inspires them and allows them to feel' (Velena, US).