From his rehearsal studio,  Independent Reggae Artist Mighty Joshua joins Todd B. Waldo to begin a new season of the 40 Lessons podcast.  Mighty Joshua talks about growing up in Virginia and how it shaped his musical foundation.  They talk about life on stage and at home as well as the work in community.  And they talk about the pursuit of liberation in the midst of all that has happened in our world this year.

Mighty Joshua engages audiences by opening minds and activating bodies through song. Conscious lyrics flow freely to create distinctive refrains that pulse with pride against rhythms rooted in percussion. His soulful exploration in the evolution of sound creates an expression of reggae for the modern day.

Mighty Joshua plays in a multitude of arrangements including high energy live performances with support of his back-up band the Zion #5 and as an acoustic configuration known as Roots Covenant. From mountain top festivals, to intimate club gigs, he invites listeners of all ages to experience the spirit of reggae.

His musical roots in African percussion led to experimenting with sound and rhythm. Soon after exposure to Djembe and Djun Djun drums they became a part of his playing repertoire which also includes the Didgeridoo. Mighty Joshua played percussion and supplied backing vocals for Corey Harris albums “Father Sun, Mother Earth” and “Fulton Hill Blues” and has opened for several internationally acclaimed reggae acts including Steel Pulse, Culture w/ Kenyatta Hill, the Meditations, the Itals, and Ziggy Marley.

The spotlight for this episode is Makindu Children’s Program. Makindu Children’s Program is a charitable 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Eugene, Oregon that supports a day resource facility called Makindu Children’s Centre (MCC) in a rural region of eastern Kenya.  The Centre provides for the nutritional and medical needs of hundreds of destitute AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children, as well as access to primary education through high school, psychosocial support, advocacy, and vocational training. The children live in guardian homes in the community, and come to the Centre daily for food, recreation, bathing and laundering facilities, emotional support, and crisis intervention.  Learn more at makindu.org

40 Lessons is a podcast about the lessons we've learned about family, career, community and the lessons we are still learning.

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