Music bridges gaps, enlightens and aspires, especially the music of reggae legend Robert Nesta Marley. To bring his world renewed music to South Africa, RootsRiders (hailing from the Netherlands) came to visit South Africa. Formed in 2006, they developed their now world famous Tribute2BobMarley. This exciting concert and theatre-show honoring the talent of the king of reggae has been performed by the group all over the world, including African countries like South Africa, Swaziland, Zanzibar, Cape Verde and most recently in Tanzania.

RootsRiders is a collective of upcoming urban artists, often collaborating with local artists and recording tracks wherever they can. For their upcoming album – RootsRiders in Africa: Songs of Redemption, Volume 2 -, which will be released in September, the group has even included a gospel track that was recorded last year in Ladysmith and Kwa Mashu. The current line-up of the band includes Giovanca, Shirma Rouse, Tjerk, Junior, Jay Colin and Darin G. The Big Issue spoke with the latter, 26-year-old beatmaker and producer of the workshops Darin G., to find out what connects RootsRiders to South Africa.

What brought RootsRiders to Africa in the first place?

“At first our performances as Tribute2BobMarley, in order to spread the message of love and peace. But our manager arranged some music workshops for about 20 kids in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We taught them how to play an instrument – our instruments – but figured out they didn’t have any instruments themselves. Therefore we started the project Instruments4Africa, were we encourage people in The Netherlands to bring their old instruments to one of our shows in order for us to bring them to Africa.”

Is that the reason you keep on coming back to Africa?

“Next to the workshops we resemble the spirit of Bob Marley, which is stronger in Africa than in other continent in the world. We, as RootsRiders, got addicted to the African vibe en get a lot of love and hope out of our shows here. We feel that the presence and influence of Bob is way stronger here than in Europe and therefore we keep on coming back here.”

Are there more African countries you still want to visit?

“Of course Ethiopia (the chosen land of the Rastafari) would be the best place to perform and spread the Marley feeling. According to our manager it’s on the agenda. But I would personally really want to perform in Cape Town as well, in a place like Zula’s. Although the city doesn’t give me the real ‘African feeling’, I can sense that the vibe is good. But first we will first visit Tanzania and Zanzibar again.”

What is planned for this visit to South Africa?

“Well, our agenda is completely filled up until the very last minute. First we have to appear on the SABC talkshow ‘Morning Live’ and after that we immediately have to leave for Swaziland to give a workshop in an orphanage. The rest of the time is filled with 8 concerts in 8 days, so there is no space for relaxation.”

A reggae band without relaxation?

“Maybe that’s the big difference between us and a real Jamaican reggae band; we don’t posses that real reggae lifestyle. Every member of RootsRiders originates from a different country: Curacao (myself), Argentina, Colombia, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Aruba and French Guinea. So we are a very diverse company indeed.”

What’s the reason you record songs with local artists?

“Local artists, especially African artists, give us a different view on African subjects. They show us the positive, optimistic side of Africa, like you can hear in our new song ‘(Africa Is) So Much More’ which we recorded with the local Tanzanian artist P-Funk. After touring in Africa we are not naïve, but remain positive and our music reflects this. We prefer to emphasize the potential we’ve come across rather than to confirm the stereo-types that Africa is known for in the West.”

And how do you do this when visiting rural areas without studios?

“I always carry my mobile studio with me: 2 microphones, an amplifier, laptop, soundcard, my MPC (Music Production Centre) and headphones. With those appliances I can record anything, anywhere, anytime. To be honest, we had to use my mobile set-up in Tanzania because P-Funk’s studio equipment failed all the time.”

What do you hope to get out of the concerts in South Africa and Swaziland?

I hope that, just like last time, we get back the same positive and joyful vibe we give to the people. It’s completely insane when somebody asks you to sign their leather jacket because they love Marley’s music; we’re not him! But we love it in Africa and of course hope that we are invited to come back. Hopefully next time also in Cape Town!