Salama Africa

Origins

Salama Africa was established in Dzaleka in 2014 by Congolese-born brothers Toussaint and Fredy Farini, together with collaborators. It began as a dance group and grew into an intercultural youth centre.

Jesuit Refugee Service and the Wilson Center have both profiled the group as an example of refugee-led creative work in the camp: young people organising their own training, performances, and activities rather than waiting for outside programmes.

Activities

Reporting on the group describes a nationally competitive dance crew alongside football teams and arts classes for children and young people in the camp. Malawi’s Nation newspaper has covered the crew’s influence on the national dance scene, and Jesuit Worldwide Learning reported its second-place finish in a national Kajive dance competition in Blantyre.

Salama Africa performers have also appeared at the Tumaini Festival, the annual arts festival held inside Dzaleka.

Economic and Psychosocial Impact

Sociological fieldwork (Stammen 2025) highlights Salama Africa’s model of internal employment generation and psychosocial empowerment:

• Salary Generation and Internal Hiring: The organisation prioritises recruiting internally from within the camp, paying stipends for performances and securing external employment for dancers as dance instructors in Lilongwe, directly countering legal barriers to formal employment.
• Artistic Self-Worth: By enabling youth to perform alongside established Malawian artists, the centre builds artistic confidence and equal standing (“we are all artists”).
• Emotional Haven: Youth members report that sharing experiences and dancing together provides a supportive peer family, relieving stress and trauma from encampment.