One Vibe Africa

What One Vibe Africa does

One Vibe Africa is a nonprofit organization that delivers youth-focused creative education programs across East Africa and the United States, connecting Kisumu, Kenya with the African diaspora in Seattle. Founded in 2008 in the aftermath of Kenya's post-election violence, the organization runs an interconnected portfolio of four programs: EMAP (Education, Music & Art Program), the Madaraka Festival, One Vibe Studio, and One Vibe Films. EMAP delivers hands-on creative education in visual art, traditional African music, dance, guitar and vocals, poetry, theatre, fashion, photography, and filmmaking to youth — sessions are run at the Young Generation Centre in Kisumu's Manyatta slum, a facility originally serving displaced children. The annual Madaraka Festival, staged at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture and Seattle Art Museum as well as in Kisumu, functions as both awareness vehicle and the primary fundraising mechanism. One Vibe Studio operates as a recording and production space in Kisumu that generates income for the wider program; One Vibe Films has produced documentary work including Madaraka The Documentary (2017) via cross-continental teams.

The underlying technology is creative production infrastructure rather than software: recording studio equipment in Kisumu and filmmaking gear used by mobile documentary teams. There is no proprietary software platform; the organization's digital surface consists of a Shopify merchandise storefront and an Omprakash-hosted donation portal. The revenue model is multi-stream and nonprofit in structure: tax-deductible donations processed through fiscal sponsor Omprakash Foundation (Tax ID 20-8655418) at preset tiers from $125 to $1,250; merchandise sales; festival proceeds; and recording studio services. The organization operates with a small core team (Founder/ED Simon Okelo plus a few named staff) supplemented by volunteers, supported by an ecosystem of 16+ named partner organizations and a documented $25,000 grant from ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation in April 2023. Programs expanded to Uganda and Tanzania in 2023, and 12+ additional countries have expressed interest in replicating the model.

Name

One Vibe Africa

Legal name

One Vibe Africa

Website

https://onevibeafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education and Cultural Programs

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Dance Companies (711120), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Language Immersion & Cultural Exchange Programs (THAKAGAE), Educational & Youth Community Events (School/Youth Festivals) (MPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Youth arts education
• Cultural festival events
• Music recording studio
• Documentary filmmaking
• Community nonprofit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations processed through fiscal sponsor Omprakash Foundation. Monthly and one-time giving options at preset amounts ($125, $375, $625, $1,250).
2. Merchandise Sales: Brand merchandise including sweatshirts, t-shirts sold through Shopify store. Every purchase supports EMAP and the Madaraka Festival.
3. Studio Revenue: Recording and production services at One Vibe Studio generate income that sustains the wider program for young Kenyan artists.
4. Festival Proceeds: Annual Madaraka Festival in Seattle and Kisumu generates proceeds that fund EMAP, One Vibe Studio, and filmmaking programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

One Vibe Africa delivers a portfolio of youth-focused arts, education, and cultural programs: EMAP provides hands-on creative education in music, dance, visual art, photography, poetry, theatre, fashion, and filmmaking to youth in Kisumu, Uganda, and Tanzania. The Madaraka Festival is an annual celebration of African music, art, and culture staged in both Seattle and Kisumu. One Vibe Studio offers recording and production services for young Kenyan artists, and One Vibe Films produces documentary storytelling including Madaraka The Documentary.

Product overview

One Vibe Africa is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of four interconnected programs: EMAP (Education, Music & Art Program) providing hands-on creative education for youth; Madaraka Festival, an annual music, art, and culture celebration staged in Seattle and Kisumu; One Vibe Studio, a recording and production facility for Kenyan artists; and One Vibe Films, a documentary and storytelling initiative. These programs work together—the festival and studio generate revenue that funds EMAP and filmmaking operations, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem focused on youth empowerment through cultural events, education, music, and the arts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMAP (Education, Music & Art Program) Hands-on creative education program for youth in Kisumu, Uganda, and Tanzania covering visual art, traditional African music, dance, guitar, vocals, poetry, theatre, fashion, photography, and filmmaking. Sessions run at the Young Generation Centre in the Manyatta slum in Kisumu.
• Madaraka Festival Annual celebration of African music, art, and culture, staged in Seattle and Kisumu. Proceeds from the festival fund EMAP and other programs.
• One Vibe Studio Recording and production space for young Kenyan artists, providing an income stream that sustains the wider programme.
• One Vibe Films Documentary and storytelling initiative, including Madaraka The Documentary. Features a team of filmmakers, creatives, and artists from Seattle, Ghana, and Senegal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 youth engaged through EMAP since 2013
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AFIAminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Anyiko PRminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• ASPminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• BlackdotminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Common GoodminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Converge MusicminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Jemere MorganminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• KoelesminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• N33D CreativeminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• OSTminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• PerimiaminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Seattle Art MuseumcoreOthersVenue partner for Madaraka Festival in Seattle. Listed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Soulful ChangeminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• RVCminorOthersListed as a partner organization on One Vibe Africa's website.
• Love to LovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Uganda through which EMAP expanded in 2023.
• Simba's FootprintscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Tanzania through which EMAP expanded in 2023.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ghetto Film School: Global nonprofit providing film and media education to underserved youth. Directly comparable to One Vibe Films + EMAP in combining creative arts instruction with documented youth impact, though operating primarily in US, UK, and Bronx rather than East Africa.
• Afro Nation: Festival and cultural platform celebrating African music and arts globally. Closely aligned with the Madaraka Festival model — African-rooted cultural events generating proceeds for community programming, though Afro Nation operates at much larger commercial scale.
• Artolution: Nonprofit that facilitates collaborative public art projects with communities facing conflict and displacement. Comparable mission to One Vibe Africa's Manyatta/post-election violence recovery work, combining arts with youth empowerment in underserved contexts.

Emerging players

• Africa Yoga Project: Nonprofit using wellness/creative practice to build community and economic opportunity across East Africa. Similar nonprofit-with-East-Africa-footprint and diaspora-support structure, though focused on yoga rather than music/film arts.
• MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts): Brooklyn-based museum advancing contemporary African diaspora art. Comparable in bridging African cultural production with diaspora audiences, though operates as a venue/museum rather than a community education organization.
• Afropolitan Foundation: Diaspora-focused organization celebrating and amplifying African creative/cultural output. Comparable diaspora-anchored African cultural storytelling platform, though primarily media/community oriented rather than direct service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: Established US nonprofit network providing arts education programs to K-12 students. Comparable to EMAP as a fine arts education provider for youth, but operates through school partnerships and US chapters rather than direct community-based workshops.
• Sundance Institute: Major nonprofit supporting independent storytelling and arts education. Comparable in providing youth filmmaking/music education infrastructure (labs, programs), though operates at significantly larger scale and broader US footprint.
• BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music): Performing arts institution presenting global music/dance/theater with deep education programming. Comparable as a presenter of African music/festival programming combined with youth arts education, though much larger and US-anchored.

Others

• Omprakash Foundation: Fiscal sponsor platform connecting donors with global grassroots education nonprofits. Not a direct peer but a critical enabler — One Vibe Africa processes donations through Omprakash, making it structurally comparable as a fiscal-sponsored global education nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OneVibeAfrica
• Facebookfacebook.com/OneVibeAfrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about One Vibe Africa