TRADITIONAL o act. back to Nairobi as a sol to trument ins the for on ssi d instruments by order pa his e discovered then I’ve made and sol ce Sin it t tha but had to put longer to sell one than when he was only eleven rformance gigs. It takes pe nt me pli com re are ucation. As Dennis ney in performance. The on hold to pursue his ed make it. There’s more mo to es do sic to give mu got d ly y beyon days. I recent ional instrument goes wa ce opportunities these an rm rfo pe re mo explains, playing a tradit . y told in music er artists. The event rature in song, our histor francaise alongside oth lite l ce ora ian is All it at t n; tio cer cia con a pre ap ons, I have rs old. I used uncil. On several occasi okano when I was 11 yea anized by the British Co I started playing the ob org s wa my lly, ua age. Act at poetry recitals. her at a neighbouring vill provided backup music to visit a distant grandfat . ays lid ho l oo sch g rin d me to her sister du grandmother used to sen g ceremonies after music is vital; it’s a l yed in that village. Durin na io it ad Tr This instrument was pla try try and try and e nced, I’d pick it up and we had danced and da oral literature becaus of rm s, grandfather and fo sin cou my g on am be to until I got it. I was proud were e of the songs which play the obokano. m ld so cou o wh other villagers y , one da s not played in my village uries ago tell storie nt Since the obokano was ce d se po m d an co age vill r’s one from my grandfathe I managed to flee with ies of our cultures. king for it. So or loo st e hi cam r d he an fat nd gra My ce. pla went with it to my d but still got trument. It wasn’t that goo then I made a similar ins a g around and dern band where we had o told me to stop playin also performed in a mo I’ve destroyed by my dad wh lves n’t rse to form 4 I did mmer. We called ou l. So from standard 5 up nyatiti player and a dru a t, nis ho op sax concentrate with schoo ation from the at the Windsor and s a long period of hibern performed once or twice wa d t an Tha na . no ika Sh oka i ob un ad the Tam touch ething. We even recorded som Golf and Country Clubs. iga tha Mu instrument. ke an instruments from differ l, 2004, I decided to ma ditional ensemble with tra a in yed Three years after schoo pla I’ve band at a ian. A few friends got to play with an Italian become a fulltime music rts of Kenya. Recently I pa ent obokano and decided to tival iNa Ha to uld travel titute and at the y Fes al dance group and wo anized by the Italian Ins org p ho rks wo and I formed a tradition didn’t survive go back home. The group in the UK. robi for a few gigs then ure I came l; it’s a form of oral literat pursue other things. So to d nte wa ers mb me Traditional music is vita as the other centuries ago gs which were composed because some of the son is contemporary of our cultures. My music ies tor his d an s rie sto l tel about current afst of my songs and sing because I compose mo ots in West Africa. oral historian like the gri fairs, so in a way I am an chings and inforlked the desert giving tea These are people who wa re, but not here y are much respected the mation through song. The g time ago that precious from a long, lon and yet I have something been going on out. For example, we’ve people have forgotten ab on reaching us it apre is so much informati about famine. Since the But really, famine is the worst famine ever. is s thi ugh tho as rs pea I know this because every generation or so. something that affects lks with her young ks of a woman, who wa we have a song that tal they are drowned but the rain comes and son in search for grain, rch for food, that ves their dwellings in sea by floods. If someone lea the help of the song really severe. Plus, with means the famine was it happened. ically trace the location we are able to geograph urban music was ignored in the For a while, traditional rs want to sing and rural areas where village the in as ll we as s tre cen be because when mit themselves. It may dance but wouldn’t com That is, they got y also got westernized. people got educated the l to acquire knowlwledge. We go to schoo kno ked lac t bu n tio educa and you come out s wrong along the way edge but something goe t of revival. People r now. There is some sor without it. But it’s bette and international . They attend both local seem to have woken up music because they mercialize this form of festivals and even com that, traditional in our culture. Besides ue val s re’ the t tha lize rea t people who have r school system. I’ve me music ought to be in ou t plain ignorance. g a wandindi! That’s jus told me that I was carryin media. So if they what’s provided by the low fol to d ten o als ple Peo more people will on on this type of music provided more informati learn to appreciate it.
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