Mozambique meets the USA in a transatlantic, cross-cultural meeting of musical minds. American musicians Ari Pluznik, Erik Schwarzenberg, and Peace Corps friends provide the aural backdrop to HipóLite's musical storytelling in Portuguese, English, and Changana, the local language of Maputo province, Mozambique.

We are so excited to present this album to the world. It is the result of a two year long friendship between Peace Corps Volunteer Ari Pluznik, Maputo native Hipólito Sandes, and Baltimore-based musician Erik Schwarzenberg (Revolver). Together, we incubated these tunes transatlantically, writing and recording in both Mozambique and Baltimore, Maryland.

HipóLite's lyrics speak of life and its challenges, from the comical to the most serious. In "Minha Cunhada", HipóLite's protagonist laments falling in love with his sister-in-law, something you're really not supposed to do no matter your culture. And in "Stop AIDS", HipóLite calls for action and awareness for Mozambique's more devastating disease, offering tools and strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention.

Three of the songs on this album, "Julieta", "Somos Todos Iguais", and "Stop AIDS", were made possible through the kindness of donors via the Peace Corps Partnership Program grant. We wrote these songs with Mozambique's youth in mind, and recorded them specifically for the Peace Corps Mozambique youth group program, JUNTOS (Jovens Unidos no Trabalho para Oportunidade e Sucesso). The songs promote healthy lifestyle choices and tolerance of all peoples. In "Julieta", a brother and sister argue over the sister's transactional relationship with an older man, which she argues to be the only way she can escape her poverty. The brother urges her to consider safer lifestyle options, and struggles to understand his sister's point of view. In "Somos Todos Iguais", HipóLite joins another Maputo-based rapper Febre Vermelha as they argue for diversity and tolerance, repeating in the chorus, "We are all equal, with beautiful differences."

As we speak, Mozambique Peace Corps Volunteers are sharing these tunes with their students, youth group participants, friends, and colleagues. By harnessing music's power as an emotive educational tool, we hope to spread these positive social messages of love, tolerance, and healthy lifestyle choices throughout Mozambique to help empower our youth with knowledge and compassion.

We thank all who helped make the recording of this album possible.