Musician and activist Eugene Skeef performs selections from his musical works, and discusses his life and ideas.

Eugene Skeef is a South African percussionist, composer, poet, educationalist and animator. During the apartheid era he was an activist in the Black Consciousness movement with Steve Biko, and co-led a nation-wide literacy campaign teaching in schools, colleges and communities across South Africa. He moved to London in 1980.

He also works in conflict resolution, acts as a consultant on cultural development, teaches creative leadership and is a broadcaster. In 2003 he founded Umoya Creations, a charity set up to facilitate this international work.

As well as being at the forefront of the contemporary music scene collaborating with innovative artists, he has also been instrumental in developing the education programmes of some of the major classical orchestras in the United Kingdom. Eugene is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has served on the board of directors of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). He is on the advisory committee of Sound Junction, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music’s award-winning interactive multimedia educational project.

Eugene is the Artistic Director of Quartet of Peace, an international project using music to bring about peaceful resolutions to conflict and poverty, with a special focus on young people. Eugene Skeef

Chair: Michael Walling – Artistic Director, Border Crossings