Why We Do This
Music is more than performance. It can be a form of storytelling, a source of resilience, a connection to place and a way of transmitting cultural knowledge across generations. Many musical traditions are closely linked to personal histories, local languages, cultural practices and collective memories. By documenting songs and the stories behind them, Wandering Songs explores how music helps people remember their past, understand their present and imagine their future. Our aim is not only to record music, but also to document the human stories embedded within it.
Our Story
Wandering Songs began in 2013 with a series of field recordings in northern Uganda. Over the course of eight months, more than one hundred songs and video recordings were documented in a region deeply affected by two decades of conflict. Many of the musicians used songs to reflect on experiences of violence, loss, resilience and hope. These recordings revealed how music can serve not only as artistic expression, but also as a powerful medium for storytelling, memory and cultural reflection.
What began as a recording project gradually evolved into a broader initiative exploring how people across different cultural contexts use music to express identity, preserve memories and share lived experiences. Since then, Wandering Songs has expanded its work to the Netherlands, where recordings with people from refugee backgrounds are ongoing. In 2025, recording sessions took place in The Gambia, with a return visit currently being prepared. A new chapter recently began in Suriname, where recordings are being made with musicians and communities across the country. Together, these recordings form a growing collection of musical stories from diverse cultural settings around the world.
Our Approach
We work directly with musicians, singers, dancers and communities in their own environments. Every recording is approached as an opportunity to understand the context in which music is created and shared. We are interested not only in songs themselves, but also in the experiences, memories and cultural meanings they carry. Through a combination of field recording, filmmaking and storytelling, Wandering Songs creates a growing collection of musical stories from diverse cultural settings around the world.
Our Values
Wandering Songs is a volunteer-driven initiative committed to working with musicians and communities in a respectful and collaborative way. All recordings are made without financial compensation, and participating artists retain full ownership of their work. We believe that the people who share their stories should remain the owners of those stories.
Our role is to document, share and celebrate the diverse ways in which people express themselves through music. The Wandering Songs platform provides a space where songs and the stories behind them can be experienced by audiences around the world.
Our Vision
We believe that every song carries a story worth hearing. Through music, people remember, celebrate, mourn, resist, hope and connect. These stories offer unique insights into the lives of individuals and communities around the world. Wandering Songs aims to build a living archive of musical stories that connects people across cultures and generations, while ensuring that these voices, memories and traditions remain accessible for the future.
