:: Spotlight on Kenyan Music
Natasha Muthoni went to this concert at the Alliance Franicaise on 18th May 2007 and gives us this report

This is the very first event that I have attended not just as a very loyal fan of African music but with atria motives of informing the public about the event. At present this shall be my official signature article. So to all those who expect gossip from this woman, think again. I am and will always be, the music muse, so I only hope we are not a rare species…

The night was quite chilly what with the weather being as unpredictable as ever, and right before it started it had already started pouring outside… They naturally had anticipated such weather and as such, the setup was different from all other nights. The stage was setup indoors as opposed to there usual outdoors setup. The crowd as always was huge and it was particularly impressive to see that most of them were young and they knew their musicians well... You would think there would be very few people attend this event because as we all know all too very well that the music industry- esp. African music- in Kenya is not particularly popular as we would have it. But with the growing number of people at every event, this being the third out of five this year, its popularity keeps growing…and growing…Personally, I don’t know about you but that makes me proud to know that we are many supporters of our own music.

The talent is out there it always has been and this was the best opportunity to sample some of this very talent at the concert. There was a particular mood at the venue…we had a moment of silence for one of the artists who lost her life during the KQ crash in Douala… Shantal was one of the most talented female artists we had in Kenya. She had a very promising future ahead of her before. We do not mourn her death but we celebrate a life well live and the blessings she left on this earth. Her music –a favorite among many-included the popular ‘Olwanji Ndolo’. She will be greatly missed.
The first group to perform was a group named Owinyi Sikoma from the Kenya National Theatre. They performed two songs (as was the maximum number of songs each was to perform) ‘how will I live this life’ and ‘Dunia’. They had a particularly different style…they had dramatic begin and an even more dramatic end that makes your heartbeat beat to the same rhythm.

The next, a young lady, Maggie Muiru sang a beautiful kikuyu song ‘Choka’ and a Swahili song ‘Mayatima’. Very beautiful and equally talented, she won the crowd over with her vocals. Another youngun, this time a man, Benjamin Mutisya representing Machakos…sang a lovely love song ‘Nakupenda’ and a Swahili song. Energetic and talented, he captured the crowd with his love song and kept them all through to his Swahili song.

As most would have it, there’s always a favorite and Valentine was just that. From the introduction given the crowd was already going wild with anticipation. Very very beautiful and talented, she performed ‘Uhiki’ (the wedding) and ‘Nenda Salama’ (go well).

Simon Mugo followed with his two numbers ‘Ndugetekare’ and ‘Uthaka wa Kairatu’ (beauty of a girl). He was the last of the five performers but he didn’t disappoint. With that they had a surprise(Ok not much of a secret because we knew but you get what am sayin’) performance from Yunasi who were not so much the closing act but the ‘curtain closers’ marking the end of a lovely music filled night, with everyone satisfied with the great performances…

This was the highlight of my week and I hope that it was enjoyable to read as it was for me to write it for you. But this does not mean that we forget about this events that support African talent, Our African talent. We have a long way to go but we can only get there faster if we support our own first…Finally we pray for those who lost their lives in the KQ crash and their loved ones…We hope you find the strength to go on and to cherish their memories and celebrate their lives through your example..
Have a great week!

<< Back Home  | All Categories  | Talk to Nairobiliving.com! >>