Jackie Akinyi Group
…si, Rorya District, Mara Province from Form One . She completed her fourth form in 1992, but was not able to pursue higher education, and that’s when she started her career as an artist. She has always loved music, especially traditional drums and songs. This love for music started way back in primary school when she used to sing in a traditional music choir and continued even after joining Secondary School. In 1998, she started singing with Jambo…
Otieno Aloka Group
Otieno Aloka is a musician best known in Kenya for his hit song ‘Kanungo Eteko’. In our session with the Ohangla group he plays the orutu, the second major instrument of Luo music. The orutu consists of a hollow wooden box that has monitor lizard skin stretched over one side. The string used to be made from fibers of the sisal plants but is now made from a variety of repurposed materials, including bicycle brake cables. When played with a bow, or…
Mr Bado Group
…emeji’ and ‘Susumila’ were mega hits in the coast region, earning him a performance slot at Safaricom Live in 2010. He has performed internationally, including in the USA as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2014. He released his album Kama Kazi with Ketebul Music. He mixes an impressive combination of styles, and part of his mission is to help preserve styles such as Taarab which are fading on the modern music scene. To do this, he perfor…
Culture Musical Club Taarab Orchestra Group
…ngers on instruments. It was clear that this orchestra had played together for a long time and were well rehearsed. They have a total of 45 people in their orchestra. They usually play with about 25 and we saw 15. Instruments in this orchestra we saw: 4 violins, 1 oud, 1 base, 1 qanun, 1 accordion, 2 drums and 1 tramboline. They produced a wonderful rich sound. Performers: Taimour Rukuni Taha (secretary general, accordian), Maulid Haji Mkadam (mus…
Aynu Traditional Group Group
…the Lugbara tribe and play the adungu, the ari (log drums) and a tin sheet for percussion. The Lugbara Tribe Population: Around 900,000 History: They were known in the 19th century as ‘The Naked People’, due to the lacking importance of clothes in their culture. In the early days, the Lugbara were a mainly chiefdom-based community. They did not have kingdoms and kings presiding over them as like other ethnic groups in Uganda. They mainly had chief…
Richard Sewanyana Group
…t he tried to play and failed to learn. But he pretended to play at all performances, acting like he was blowing the flute while his band-mates played. My father was in the palace pretending to play the flute and desperate to replace my grandfather but time was running out. Over time, the other players realised he couldn’t play. So they asked him to lead the next song, to be the starter. But he failed. So they then asked him to play any song of an…
Day Five: January 22, 2019 Mwanza Continued Story
…RmP_vEbiMI&feature=youtu.be Group 2: Kidedeya: From Kagera, this group was formed in 2005 or 2009, and performs in the Omusingero style. Their instruments are: Ng’oma (Drums) and Nyimba (Shakers). This was a group of wonderful dancing and costume changes. Every song a new and wonderful outfit. We recorded six performances: Omusingero: A song about playing the drums and dancing Nchuma: A song about traditional music that the elders love to play…
Kika Boys Cultural Troupe Group
…been performing together since 2007. Group Leader: Dumba Charles, other performers include: Nassonko Passy (lead vocals),Waswa Cosmas, Ssembusi Huzairuh, Kalema Frank, Katongole Hakim, Nalwadda Shadia Style of Music: Nganda from Buganda Song meanings Mbidde (A medley): The Mbidde is the banana plant that makes the local brew and the song talks through each step to make the brew that locals consume: Butuuse: The time has come for cutting down the b…
Namaddu Troupe Group
…after the harvest. But the children don’t stay home and are out all the time, so they suffer from bad spiritis. They need to be home in the house for the good spirits. Gradually they return home and all is well….
Bukaala Twesitule Troupe Group
…s grown in Uganda. “Abag’ageno”: Talks about HIV and the factors influencing the spread of HIV and how the community can come together to deal with it. Very tragic song telling the story of deaths with man sobbing at one point. “Akabira” (Worship Song): Means a small forest where spirits tend to run, deep in the trees and high in the mountains. But they are not always well cared for and they then tend to cause havoc with the rest of family members…
Mumias United Group
…Mumias United was founded in 1997 by Francesca Odour. They have 38 members and 22 showed up for our performance. They perform in the Imbira style. They are part of the Wanga tribe, which is a sub-group of the Lua, known for their Kings (Nabongo). We performed next to the mausoleum where four kings were buried, dating back to 1700s….
Bigilia Group Group
…and the women were sitting on the Mbuzi, which is used to cut the coconut for Wali (Coconut Rice). The dancers all had lovely necklaces (Usalu), hats (Kigarama) shakers (Mbugu), whistles (Firimbi), and ‘brooms’ (Usinga). The group leader was Asha Saidi Kazidi. The style was Unyago. Here is the group: They played 12 songs, including Magic Moments and Influences Sessions: Zakulola: You’ve come to see us play Wake Kwa Ume: Female to male Nataka kuse…
Liwambwe Group
…ader is: Atanas Teleni. It is a fairly new group, having played off and on for three years. They had unique drums, including small drums with wooden spikes on bottom to be embedded in sand, called the Siganga. They also had a pair of drums called the Likuti and a long drum called the Msondo, and a very long thin drum called a Neya. In the dance they had a character in a mask called a Lipiko, who wore a vest called a Mjuga. They played five songs:…
Bungoma Roots Band Group
…s, mostly in construction, and then would gig in the evening, often in clubs filled with drunkards. However, after years of hard work and managing to record multiple records, they needed to bring in other musicians to form a much bigger band. They then produced their third CD in 2013, Namusia, again with Soundcheck in Kisumu. They started performing all over Kenya. They are now very well established with houses of their own….
Fanuel Amimo Group
…ngle in 1964 with David Amunga as producer, in a studio owned by Andre Crawford and Betty Tete. His second record was produced by Sammy Osere for Lamore record label, while his third song led to his fall out with Polygram records in 1974. After that, he started producing himself and established his own label entitled African Beat. We recorded five of Amimo’s well known songs: “Safari ya Magadi”; “Ndeshera Omwana”; “Harusi ya Leah”; “Omwana Yenyang…
Pius Wafula Group
…with a famous local group called “Webuye Jua Kali” up to 2009, when he founded his own group. Today the group counts 5 members who play the following instruments: LITUNGU – a 7-string traditional lyre; ISIRILI – a one-string fiddle; LUENGELE– a percussive idiophone, they use a wooden stool struck with wooden sticks; ENG’OMA – a generic term for drums, they use a plastic water container also struck with wooden sticks; CHISASI – shakers made out of…