Kenya-Stockholmers are faced with a weekend packed with action. After all, it’s month end and people have Kwachas! This follows a period when the community has been in solemn mourning after a series of bereavements that greeted the entry of summer. Josephine Kirigo lost her brother after a short illness and she had to rush home for burial. While she was still in Kenya, Pastor Tillarh lost her dear Mom and the community was back to condole with the bereaved family.
Then, Nelly Musira’s mom also departed and as she left for Kenya, Rose Wachira’s Mom passed away after a short illness. This makes the month of May one of the worst months when it comes to Kenya Stockholm bereavements.
The case of Nelly is especially unfortunate because just a few months ago, she lost her sister and she had to rush home for burial. It’s not so long ago when Kirigo lost her brother who was working in South Africa. Now, she had to return to burry yet another brother. Surely, death is very cruel. It takes away our loved ones without mercy. How good and pleasant it is for Wakenya to congregate and share the grief with the bereaved!
It reminds me of the passing of my elder bro in 2007. I had to rush home to bury him. His death means that I am now the eldest in the family but do I say? Before all these latest bereavements, Queen Johansson lost her sister and people had to rush to her place to console her. And that was after Rukia Amina also lost her Mom.
I still remember how Jamlik Muritu lost his relative in Germany and the difference was that he had to rush to Germany to identify the body and to pick it up for transportation to Kenya, all by himself. Just imagine arriving in Kenya with a coffin and you will understand how Jamlik felt. It was not easy.
Many Kenyans still remember Ofore who lost his Dad and many other Kenyans losing relatives back home each and every time. May be, we need to start a Network just to remember our departed and loved ones. We could then fix a day when everybody could come and remember them by talking about them. I always get very sad when one of us loses a relative because in 1999, I lost my Dad and learnt about the real pain of death.
It is especially shocking when it comes to deaths because on January 20th, we lost Moussa Awuonda, one of the most rounded up African Journalist I have ever met in Stockholm. Awuonda was one of us and the shock has even prevented me from writing about his cremation in Stockholm.
DON CARLOS
On the other hand, a stream of parties have also kept Party lovers on the move. The forces that have been “keeping the winter warm” have included Sound of Blackness, Africa Maison and Network for African Unity, groups which have ensured that there is something purely African to get people out to sweat at night.
On the entertainment scene, there has been at least one serious and new entrant – DJ Wadada and the “Zion Heights”. He had his debut last Friday at Kista and he will be in action again today Friday at the same venue.
The difference with the new DJ Wadada activity is that he has a very big potential of putting together a place where reggae lovers could congregate every Friday to praise His Imperial Majesty Emperor Hail Selasie-I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, I-Lect of Jah, Ever-living Jah, Alkebu lan Africa, de hola one of I-ration, Jesus Karast living in the hearts of everyone this day continually… Eko de man kal you black man joe Texas man Prince Jasper de man kal de man believed to be de man hu boosku bu so Jah sey Ras Okoth Osewe inna de mike ha!… those were them 1994 days in Sundsvall when we used to rap with Man Muirani, Man Mwaura and Man Manto 22 inna de room. We used to pull big crowds before going into pension.
Wadada is coming in at a time when the “in-thing” is to wait for one action after another in an irregular way. By trying to get a foot-hold at a regular joint in Kista, Wadada’s idea is to regularize entertainment using his world of reggae as a space to gather people every Friday, just like other communities are doing at different joints.
Many DJs have succeeded with this strategy with the most successful groups being “Mama Africa” and “Trinity”. Both have a long history of getting their thing done at specific joints and at the moment, they have become names, not just within the African community but also among reggae lovers in town.
While Mama Africa has become popular with European and West African clientele, Trinity Sounds departs from African-Caribbean roots. The significance here is that Zion Heights could begin by curving a niche within the East African Reggae fans as it spreads its wings to capture fans from other regions. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t make it to the Wadada debut because I had to catch up with Don Carlos who was performing in Tyresö.
On that Friday, I first caught up with Otieno Owiyo with whom we attended a meeting and after linking up with Barry Owino and his bro, we began the long cruise to Tyresö. Despite his old age, Don Carlos is still very strong and it was good seeing him live for the first time. I hope I will have time to upload the video clips soon. “It was a passing cloud”, “Sensimilla” and other hot Don Carlos numbers were all part of the menu. When we left the place passed three in the morning, we were satisfied that the 300 kr gate fees was well spent.
WHERE WAS “LADY TETEMESHA VIOMBO” AT MAGIC SYSTEM?
When you attend these kinds of concerts here in Sweden, you begin to change your mind about racism and discrimination. Out of a crowd of over 400 people, 95% were white and they seemed to have mastered the songs like the National anthem. At one point, a whitie tried to get me on a sing-along of one old number and I just couldn’t compete! I had to hurry up from the scene under the pretext of taking a picture of Don Carlos!
I did meet Man Bryan Njoroge aka Njoro after a long time and it was nice to know that he is doing well. He told me about some rumours which have been doing the rounds although they are not for public consumption. There was no time for a serious chit chat because we were both there for fan. I wanted to ask him why he closed down his blog and other stuff but then, we had to party at the same time so we promised to meet again. He did hint to me that he is working on a book project, the kind of stuff that interests me. I hope I’ll soon hook up with him for more exchanges.
Time has really gone and I have missed a lot of stuff that should have been at KSB long time. I am just catching up. We were at the “Magic System” show and I was surprised that Wakenya were nowhere to be seen. Gaouo fans had decided to chill at home when the Magic System boys were in town.
For example, I expected to see Lady Lingash gyrating her stuff to the beats or even Lady Tetemesha Vyombo getting cargo close to the ground and shaking it as if swallowing stuff lakini wapi! They are popular among “Party insiders” because they like Gauo and when it hits at the disco, you can think that the Jesus Christ of music is descending on earth to prepare his people to be lifted to heaven to dance to the staccato beats of Angel Gabriel, the heavenly DJ. The “Gauo girls” are known to dance with feeling and if you study them closely when Gauo is booming, you can be forgiven if you begin to think that their souls have been taken over by “Misic spirits” commanded by the devil DJ who?
From the absence of Wakenya at the Magic System concert, my conclusion was that the Global economic crisis seem to have hit hard because in a crowd of over 500 (mainly white) there were less than ten Kenyans and that was Mark Gaya, DJ Jimmy, VJ Frank, VJ Safi and Man Clay Onyango as the big names worth mentioning.
At 300kr, it was cash well spent because when you left the hall, you moved out quietly without grumbling about them having played for a short time or having performed few numbers. They gave us the full feed. The question is why when Kenyan artists come to Stockholm and the gate fees is 200kr, people begin to complain eti “it’s expensive!”. You could even hear some Kenyans saying that the organizers are “trying to exploit people!”. Our Kenya-Stockholm is really a different world.
At the moment, I am warming up for the Friday Wadada show then on Sato, there will be no shortage of where to go. Kwanza, I will be at Mrs Nyambura Ngatia’s “Caai wa Mwana” in Norsborg. Apart from the fun of welcoming the baby, I expect to hear lots of Kikuyu traditional songs including “Werukamu” and stuff. It’s my favourite! At least, it’s a huge break from CNN and BBC.
After that, it will be a bit tricky because I have to get a leg at Norsborg Musikhuset where Lady Winnie and crew will be getting some feet on the dance floor while at the same time my other leg will also have to wonder in Märsta Central Skolan where Vumbi Decula and Pablo Machine will be performing Live before the explosion of a disco extravaganza that will run for the whole night.
DJ Jimmy will be spinning and if you know Jimmy, the curiosity may not be the kind of music that will be rocking but whether your two loyal carriers will be able to sustain the kilograms of beef for the whole night as you shake and sweat it out on the floor in the name of “taking a break” from work at MacD.
Okoth Osewe
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