Bridges for Music: Turning Langa's Turntables Into Careers

Founded in 2013 by Valentino Barrioseta and Thulani Headman, Bridges for Music addresses the lack of access to resources, skills and creative opportunity in under-served Cape Town communities. In 2019 it opened the Bridges Academy in Langa township, a state-of-the-art facility offering music production, live recording, entrepreneurship, and work-readiness training to 'co-creators' who often arrive with no prior formal training. International artists including Black Coffee, Skrillex, Ed Sheeran and Msaki have backed the programme, and Academy graduates have gone on to perform at festivals such as Glastonbury and Tomorrowland. The organisation reports it has built one dedicated training facility, enrolled hundreds of young creatives, and generated hundreds of income-generating opportunities for alumni.