It all began a couple of years ago, a few boys in highschool, trying to make some extra money selling custom print t-shirts. Where this small idea would take us was still fuzzy and unclear, but we went with the flow. When we weren’t selling t-shirts, we found ourselves falling deep in the musical realm. Whether I was playing the saxophone in the highschool band, or performing at a party as a DJ, it was clear that my passion for music was growing.
All teenagers have dreams, and in today’s society, we are often forced to follow a path that makes us wealthy rather than one that makes us happy. As time passed, I slowly discovered that the University of British Columbia was a good place for me, and therefore I’m blessed to be studying here today. Migrating from the South-East Coast of Africa, Mozambique, all the way up North to Canada was a drastic change in lifestyle. Yet, I focused primarily on the positive aspects of this transition and new stage in my life, as I viewed it as an open door for new opportunities. As 3 of my close friends and I were separated, there was one aspect that kept us tightly connected, music. It was inevitable that music was truly our passion, and with such a strong connection, we felt that it was our duty to use such a passion to create unique experiences and to support the people that surrounded us. We discovered that through music, we would be able to do something we enjoyed while helping the underprivileged individuals that we encounter with in Mozambique. Therefore, we began the Perspectiv Inc. initiative.
Perspectiv is a multi-faceted brand that is a record label, event promoter and artist manager. We focus on improving both the living conditions and the access to art & music facilities in the Mozambican rural areas. We are empathetic, human-centric, innovative and earth-conscious. Perspectiv sprung out of the 21st century need for innovative, conscious and socially responsible brands. It takes pride in its multi-faceted, holistic identity. Today’s world has, and continues to bare witness to the consequences of short sighted, profit driven organizations. These have played a momentous role in creating the social and environmental transgressions that characterize today’s urban and rural landscape. Perspectiv is first and foremost a proudly African initiative. Through investment in the continent’s richest resource; human and cultural capital, it seeks to generate a self-sustaining cycle of fundraising and investment.
With its official launch on October 1st, 2016 at UBC, Perspectiv is beginning to grow within the UBC community. Our launching event was a huge success. We hosted an event filled with artistic and musical elements as a means of entertainment. The main focus of the event was to spread positive vibrations between our fellow students coming from various parts of the world. The event may be depicted as a cultural one, as the individuals came together as one in attempts to learn more about each others cultures and backgrounds. Perspectiv events are devoted to cultivate a community sentiment, urging individuals to come together as a collective commix by a shared appreciation for artistic expression, mutual respect, and positive vibrations. We create a place where individuals may unite in the celebration of creativity, artistic expression, love, and diversity. As Perspectiv Inc. begins to thrive around our UBC community, we focus on differentiating ourselves from other event groups, by creating unique environments with individuals of distinct cultural diversities.
Perspectiv Inc. was not only triggered by the love for music, but also through the will of supporting the often undermined African cultures. We believe that there isn’t enough awareness of and engagement with African culture and art, more specifically Mozambique. Mozambique’s reputation is very superficial and negative in the sense that people are known for being very poor – both financially and intellectually. The cultural aspect of the country is highly neglected. Financial constraints restrict and limit Mozambican artists from various industries to either not exist or to not reach their full potential. These constraints limit their access to knowledge, infrastructures and resources. As I moved to Canada, I realized that it’s almost impossible to find Mozambican artifacts and artistic products outside of the country itself. While on the other hand, many products of the Global North are slowly making their way down South to Mozambique. Therefore, there is a one-way flow of globalization that’s currently occurring, and we attempt to diverge this into a two-way flow. There isn’t enough social uplifting/developing programmes focused on the Mozambican culture and arts. Individuals outside of the country are unaware of the potential held by Mozambican art and culture. Blinded by the media’s attention on negativity and lack of interest, they only see the stereotypical side of Mozambique – Suffer & Struggle.
Above are a few of the problems being faced by Mozambique’s human and cultural capital. The Perspectiv team is developing a few strategies focused on diminishing these problems, and opening up opportunities for Mozambican artists. One of the main objectives is to create a worldwide, online platform to expose Mozambican art and culture. We aim at generating funds through music and art events in Vancouver to invest in social uplifting and development back in Mozambique. It’s important for us to tap into the country’s human and cultural capital by establishing arts centers for the underprivileged youth. Fore fronting empowering workshops, lectures and events. The team also aims at supporting local businesses and artists by promoting their crafts and arts abroad such as in the events taking place at UBC. For example, at our launching event, we handed out approximately 150 hand-crafted bracelets by a local Mozambican artist.
