TaFMA ‘Stay Home’ gig to spread message of hope

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Vishü Rita Krocha

Kohima | April 1

 

Spreading the message of hope and to encourage people to stay home at this crucial moment of history, Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA) is doing its bit by bringing together some of the most celebrated musicians of Nagaland for a Stay Home Gig from April 4-14, 2020. Eleven artists including Mengu Soukhrie, Nise Meruno, Kekhrie Ringa, Atsa Lang Roths, Metet Jamir, Sunep Lemtur, Thunglamo Ngullie, Tali Angh, Tetseo Sisters, Imliakum and Alobo Naga will go live streaming on Instagram (tafma_nagaland) at 7:00 pm daily for eleven consecutive days.

 

Speaking to The Morung Express, Alobo Naga said that the whole idea is to give out the message of hope during this difficult time while putting across that “people are going through anxiety and depression, and we want to give the message of hope and positivity.”

 

At the same time, he said, “there are people who want to watch us perform but can’t. So, we are making this happen for everybody to watch us inside your living room.” Each artist will perform about 4 songs and this will be accompanied with some interactions during the approximately 20-25 minutes of the live stream. The performing artists are all fulltime musicians and COVID-19 has harshly affected the music fraternity with all their shows being cancelled. As Alobo Naga pointed out, even music teachers are without salary with music classes currently being suspended. At such a juncture, Alobo Naga expressed his deep appreciation for TaFMA Advisor, Theja Meru, who is donating his one month salary towards the Stay Home Gig.

 

Meanwhile, Mercy Tetseo of Tetseo Sisters reiterated that, “we can't stress enough that people stay home but also make the time to learn something new, no pressure - spend time with family, read a book, listen to music, music and join in with us all - musicians of Nagaland as we show we care by sharing our music from our homes.”

 

This will be the first time for Tetseo Sisters to live stream for a specific gig. “We do live streams from our rehearsals or green room at gigs but to actually sit down and do a full/special set - this is a first”, she enlightened. Further stating that people all over the world are finding hope by sharing food, music and art, she expressed, “we request everyone to join in the fun and also support artists of Nagaland as we reiterate #StayHome with this gig.” “We are bringing the music/entertainment home to you. Enjoy it from the comfort and safety of your home”, she added.

 

In their Instagram post regarding the Stay Home Gig, TaFMA has conveyed, “Do enjoy their extraordinary talents, meet and interact with them online and celebrate the joy of music. Thank you. Stay strong. Stay safe. We care.”