Our story
This label has been created by Massinda Zinga. She founded the MDF (Maïthé’s Dancehall family) movement in 2012 with the desire to bring Jamaican culture, and especially Dancehall, to Brussels, knowing that it was not so present at that time.
The movement grew, and in 2016, she opened her own space called MDF studio, the 1st Afro-Caribbean dance & cultural center in Brussels where she enlarged her view by bringing in other Afro-Caribbean cultures.
She has been working hard, bringing the source to Brussels to share dance & cultural knowledge to the Belgian dance scene, in the cozy & family environment that is the loft which holds MDF – the studio. All of that, through various events, such as trainings, workshops, intensive weeks, conferences, lectures, etc.
After traveling to some of these countries, analyzing the needs & will of each continent, she decided to enlarge it as MDF-the label, the mission behind this concept being to become the bridge between Africa, the Caribbean & Europe.
MDF – The Concept
MDF- the Label is the first bridge between Europe, Africa and the Caribbean for Afro-Caribbean dances & cultures. The main purpose is to get better promotion in Europe, to avoid appropriation of these dances and the impoverishment of these cultures. Therefore, we promote the culture from an intercultural, intersectional and decolonial perspective. More precisely, the organisation aims to promote intercultural exchanges as well as access to dance knowledges and techniques, while raising public and artists awareness of the historical and social issues underlying artistic creation.
The association is articulated in various poles of activities:
- Cultural & dance lessons on the different continents
- Organisation of workshops, conferences and festivals on the different continents
- Dance & cultural trips (decolonial trips)
- Sisterhood program / whiteness program
- Production label of Afro-Caribbean dancers to Africa and the Caribbean
- Clothing line & accessories from the MDF brand
Our mission is to ensure that we are providing dancers or Afro-Caribbean culture lovers, with innovative events, technical & practical trainings and authentic cultural immersions, around those 3 continents. All the while making sure you that are having an exclusive experience at the source, and that credit is given to the countries where these art forms and culture were created.
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Massinda Zinga
Massinda Zinga is a prominent Panafrican & Afrocentric choreographer, educator, lecturer, and researcher dedicated to promoting African and Afro-diasporic cultures through dance and education. As an Afro Caribbean goddess and the founder of MDF the Label and Sisterhood Be, Massinda’s work emphasizes artivism, community building, and cultural preservation.
Early Life and Education
Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, to an Angolan father and a Martinican mother, Massinda Zinga’s early life was steeped in rich cultural influences. Her father, a significant figure in the Belgium Fitness Federation, played a pivotal role in her exposure to dance and fitness. This diverse background laid the foundation for her profound connection to her cultural roots and her passion for dance. Massinda holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Trade and has undergone extensive training in dance pedagogy, anatomy, and fitness.
Professional Career
Massinda’s professional journey began with the establishment of the MDF movement in 2012, aimed at introducing Jamaican culture, particularly Dancehall, to Brussels. This evolved into MDF Studio in 2016, the first Afro-Caribbean dance and cultural center in Brussels. The studio offered a wide range of activities, including dance classes, workshops, conferences, and cultural events, promoting African and Afro-Caribbean cultures.
In 2019, Massinda launched MDF the Label, an initiative aimed at bridging Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe through dance and cultural exchange. The label organizes cultural trips, workshops, conferences, festivals, whiteness programs and sisterhood programs. It also produces Afro-Caribbean dancers and offers a clothing line and accessories.
Get to know her artistic works details in her resume just below.
In 2014, she was part of the team that made the opening show of the biggest dance competition Juste Debout (as well as Juste Dancehall), where the Dancehall category was added for the 1st time at this international dance competition in Bercy, Paris. She also taught at the 1st world Ragga Jam & Dancehall conference at Aquaboulevard in Paris.
She also started her entrepreneur life by organizing the 1st Dancehall workshop in Brussels in 2013 with the French Squad Danca. Later she also organized workshops with Blaya (Buraka Som Sistema), Latonya Styles, Kool Ravers, Kimiko Versatile, and many more.
In 2015, she started animated the summer festival Bruxelles-les-Bains for many consecutive years, and started a kuduro & afrohouse training in Portugal with the singer & dancer Blaya . Since then, she has continued to be trained by Angolan dancers like Fabio Krayze, Paulo Cassul, Virghuilla from Pink 2 Toques, etc.
That same year, Massinda also started her choreographer career by creating dancehall shows for different types of events.
In 2016, she flew to Los Angeles to be part of the cast of Dare to Dancehall 2016.
In 2017, she started dance coaching girls entering dancehall queen competitions & show contests. She was also selected by Karim Belharch at the audition to be part of the cast of What’s up Brussels 2017.
At the same time, she was still traveling and teaching workshops in Belgium, France, Italy, etc. It is also in 2017 that she created her Female Dancehall concept, Bloom like a flower.
In 2018, she started traveling often to Jamaica to get closer to the Jamaican culture. Soon, she had opportunities to be interviewed for local radio Skyliner and to teach kuduro & afrohouse classes at Dance Fyah school.
She won the auditions to be choreographer & dancer for the opening act of Yemi Alade’s concert in Brussels. She participated as a dance teacher at Couleur Café festival, as well as at the Festival des Libertés, at the Cirque Royal in Brussels.
Massinda also did different choreographic & dancing jobs for singers (shows, video clips).
In 2019, she won the CDC Festival show contest, with a show that she choreographed with her friend Fanta Tounkara.
This show is part of a bigger project called Be Your Authentic Self (B.Y.A.S.), that they also present at the World Reggae Championship 2019 in Jamaica & been rewarded as “ best international entrant”.
In March, B.Y.A.S. was selected to be representing Dancehall at the renowned festival “Lezarts Urbain” in Brussels, showcasing female empowerment & african heritage in Dancehall culture. Massinda has been selected to be part of the cast of “Le ballet de Monte Carlo” in Monaco.
While Corona crisis affected her work, she create her 1st collective of young Afro-descendant dancers who distinguish themselves from existing crews by their desire to build a safe space where these women collectively question their experiences as black women & emancipate themselves.
Massinda is working on the dance piece project that will be presented in 2021 at the “Afropolitan festival” at “museum of Bozarts” in Brussels.
There is beauty in keeping your aura authentic
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