Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
On The First Ongala Music Festival Heaven Shed Tears Of Joy.
Dr. Remmy Ongala was undeniably a Tanzanian music icon. He was a well-known musician in East
Africa since the 80s and was deeply mourned when he passed on in 2010. It is said that when he
passed on, his bongo beat music was played on Tanzanian radio stations nonstop. He was so popular
that an area of his home district in Dar es Salaam was named after him.
It, therefore, came naturally for his daughter Aziza Ongala to want to do something for her Dad.
In an interview, she had at an online radio show called Underground pride , Aziza said organizing the festival is something she
felt she had to do.
Early this year she decided this would be the year to commemorate her father. So she set
everything else aside to focus on curating the festival. And I think I speak for most when I say
she did an awesome job.
The Main Stage
Ongala Music Festival was a 3-day music affair. It was held in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam at Malaika
Beach Club from the 23rd to the 25th of August. Twenty of us traveled from Nairobi to Dar es
Salaam in Dar Lux, a bus company which also happened to be a sponsor of the festival. They had
such impeccable customer service, super comfortable seats and an awesome movie collection to keep
us entertained during the 16 hour trip.
It was a surreal experience to travel with some of the Kenyan artists that were scheduled to
perform at the first Ongala Music Festival. Other than the good vibes they emitted during the
conversations, we also got serenaded by some smooth guitar tunes and improvised songs.
Staying at Malaika beach club meant we had access to the beach anytime we wanted. So while the
rest of us enjoyed the warmth of the morning sun while in the tents and lengthened our sleep, some
of our friends went out jogging on the beach.
On the first night preceding the main event, we had DJs and a few Afro-Fusion artists play music
on a mini 'Nyumbani' stage next to a bonfire. One of the DJs only played old school reggae music
on vinyl and we were so thrilled that we started dancing under the stars. People took turns to
rekindle the fire everytime it tried to die down. We threw dried palm tree leaves into the fire in
turns like we had a schedule or something.
The Mini 'Nyumbani' Stage
Our tents were pitched a stone throw away so circumstances forced us in on the fun. But who is
complaining? Unless you were a log, I don't see how you could sleep with all that feel-good
music playing in the background. No wonder we stayed up till around 4 a.m most nights. It mostly
depended on when the DJ would say enough is enough.
On the second night of the festival, it rained. This was something no one had expected so it threw
many off balance. My theory is this: Remmy must have been moved to tears by what Aziza, his
family, and friends had organized in his memory. Therefore, the Tanzanian skies joined Remmy in
solidarity.
Due to those showers of blessing, the show ended early. The next day, the East African artists
performed with an extra oomph. No one was taking anything for granted, neither the artists nor the
audience. We were more than grateful for the clear skies and for the opportunity to be part of the
first-ever Ongala Music Festival.
Papillon on stage
Goosebumps would run up and down my body when different artists went on stage. From Fadhilee to
Mandela and then from Papillon to Swahili Ally just to mention a few. It was electric performance
after electric performance. Occasionally, some of the audience members would get touched and jump
on stage to cheer the artists on by dancing on stage. One even went up to help Fadhilee wave a
flag in solidarity with Bobi Wine, a Ugandan musician, and politician who was arrested in his
country.
I got to attend a couple of workshops at the festival too. The first workshop I attended was on
music management facilitated by Liberian born Raphael Benza. It was eye opening and shed light on
how artist management works and how people like me who are interested in helping artists boost
their online platform can join the team of the many people behind artists' success.
As my first time in Dar es Salaam, Ongala Music Festival was a wholesome experience. Other than it
being a chance to enjoy rich East African music, you also got a chance to be on vacation, learn
about music and new cultures, make new friends, have fun and be happy. Just like Remmy Ongala
would have wanted.
Art and Poetry : The Irony of He vs SHe
Flashback: I am 12 and as my girlfriends buy sanitary towels and slowly adjust their wardrobes to
the changes happening to their bodies, a different kind of change is happening to my own.
I am not comfortable talking to you about it but my voice is changing. Now I definitely have to
say something. It's either that or I remain mute for the rest of my life and even so, it will be a
short lived solution.
So here goes, but before I say anything let me make one thing clear, I was born a girl.
I'm a Guevodoce which translates to the growth of the male genitalia at 12. They also refer to me
as a Machihembra meaning first a woman then a man.
This is the story of many young children in the Dominican Republic.
Young girls who grow up to become boys.
Young girls who grow up to become boys.
The Art and Poetry event on Masculinity vs Femininity reminded me of this. Hosted by Ink Overflow,
it took place at the Micheal Joseph Center Nairobi on the 18th of June.
If you got a chance to read what I wrote on the one they did on beauty you'd understand why I was excited
and had to make it for the next one.
Masculinity and femininity is more dual than we realize. A single person can be both masculine and
feminine.
Actually biologically we all have a bit of both in us. The sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and
testosterone are found in everyone; the only difference is that they are found in different
proportions.
That is the main issue the Ink Overflow team sort to address this time round. Many other issues that arise when we start categorizing people according to their genders were addressed by the performances we were graced with too. Having arrived a little late I will sample the few I got to watch.
That is the main issue the Ink Overflow team sort to address this time round. Many other issues that arise when we start categorizing people according to their genders were addressed by the performances we were graced with too. Having arrived a little late I will sample the few I got to watch.
Shikkiey on Feminism
The lights went off when she came on the stage. Then she did a couple of intense dance moves that
totally caught my attention. She was joined by another lady who I later found out is called Seise.
They recited some of the pieces in sync almost instinctively which was very impressive.
Shikkiey brought to light the fact that there is a difference between feminism and toxic feminism. She took us back to the 1980's during the onset of feminism. It became as a result of the fact that men assumed all power and were reluctant to give women a chance to air their grievances.
Shikkiey brought to light the fact that there is a difference between feminism and toxic feminism. She took us back to the 1980's during the onset of feminism. It became as a result of the fact that men assumed all power and were reluctant to give women a chance to air their grievances.
It was and should continue being a space for women to come and speak about issues. Issues such as
voting and participating in sports which not too long ago women were not allowed to
participate in.
Thus feminism is meant to give hope for a better tomorrow to women rather than spread hate for men.She made it evident that we don't gain by fighting wrong with wrong or hate with hate. In fact we lose. The agenda is what matters than the title womanist, activist or feminist.
She finished her performance by saying, " What a man can do. a woman can do differently not necessarily better. In a world where only women exist the human race would be extinct and if men are trash then women are ashtrays"
Thus feminism is meant to give hope for a better tomorrow to women rather than spread hate for men.She made it evident that we don't gain by fighting wrong with wrong or hate with hate. In fact we lose. The agenda is what matters than the title womanist, activist or feminist.
She finished her performance by saying, " What a man can do. a woman can do differently not necessarily better. In a world where only women exist the human race would be extinct and if men are trash then women are ashtrays"
Tetu Shani on Father's Day
He was the surprise artist and boy was the crowd ecstatic. He lived up to and even exceeded expectations if all the applause he got after his performance was anything to go by.
He started by wishing all the father's in the room a happy father's day. He went on to point out the fact that there are very few songs about fathers.
The few he knew had a not so perfect image of dads. Such as Queen Ifrica's Daddy Don't Touch Me There and Luther Vandross' Dance With My Father.
He told us that maybe the reason he had not written a song about his Dad was because he was not perfect. Then he posed a question to the crowd. Do we just celebrate perfect? Immediately after that he sang a song about his Dad titled An Ode to Pa
He owned the stage and engaged the audience with ease. I still remember joining the crowd chanting ladidadida mbamba to one of his songs. It was truly an experience and a half, not forgetting his epic whistling and beatboxing skills.
FUN FACT: Tetu Shani got a scholarship to Berklee College of Music to study performance, but he turned it down. A really bold decision. Echoing his words he explained " Why go where the sun is setting when the Kenyan sun is rising. There are many opportunities here right now and Berklee will always be there but when a window is open it's not open forever"
Abu Sense on
Woman is To Man What Man Isn't
x
x
He was the headlining act. His first performance was out of this world. He impersonated a Jamaican
boy occasionally behaving like a Jamaican woman in this case his mother. His patwa sounded like the
real deal. I even got lost a couple of times but I did not care much. His gestures and body
movements were hilarious enough to keep me attentive.
His next piece was about gender and gender roles. He spoke of the way we have worked tirelessly to come up with a measure of manliness or womanliness. It's main component has been comparison to one another, meaning individuality is totally exterminated.
He told us about his experience living in multiple households and having learnt the most from the mothers and the daughters. As opposed to fathers and sons who are reclusive and had to play the role to appear wise.
The ladies embraced life to the fullest and if there happened to be tomboy, he would be accepted and plugged in both worlds. Notice the use of the pronoun he, I believe that it was used deliberately. I believe there is power in embracing both your feminine and masculine sides, because she is he and he is she for they contain each other.
As the performances came to an end. Kaatoony was at the back doing his thing.With his permission I got to take a short video of the whole process. That along with the picture of a happy client. Watch out for his interview and the video.
Thanks to Ivan Irakoze and the Ink Overflow team for yet another successful event. To all that performed we loved you. To those I missed out on I look forward to watching you next time. Until next time.
AA (Auspicious Art)
Wendi Mutisya
Photo credits:
@IAmNickJyalus
@InkOverflow
His next piece was about gender and gender roles. He spoke of the way we have worked tirelessly to come up with a measure of manliness or womanliness. It's main component has been comparison to one another, meaning individuality is totally exterminated.
He told us about his experience living in multiple households and having learnt the most from the mothers and the daughters. As opposed to fathers and sons who are reclusive and had to play the role to appear wise.
The ladies embraced life to the fullest and if there happened to be tomboy, he would be accepted and plugged in both worlds. Notice the use of the pronoun he, I believe that it was used deliberately. I believe there is power in embracing both your feminine and masculine sides, because she is he and he is she for they contain each other.
As the performances came to an end. Kaatoony was at the back doing his thing.With his permission I got to take a short video of the whole process. That along with the picture of a happy client. Watch out for his interview and the video.
Thanks to Ivan Irakoze and the Ink Overflow team for yet another successful event. To all that performed we loved you. To those I missed out on I look forward to watching you next time. Until next time.
AA (Auspicious Art)
Wendi Mutisya
Photo credits:
@IAmNickJyalus
@InkOverflow
Collateral Beauty Via Art and Poetry
MiCE- the band
Collateral beauty refers to inner beauty, the kind that never fades and that goes hand in
hand with an individuals personality.
By the way have you watched the movie?
Well I finally did after wanting to do so for so long. It caused a battle between me and my tears.
"Nope I'm not going to cry" I told myself. We all know that what we resist persists. So tears
won.
On the 8th of April ,the Ink Overflow team graced us with an artistic event themed around beauty at
the Micheal Joseph Center, Nairobi, Kenya. They gave visual artists, poets and musicians a chance to
do what they do best together.
Kaatony
If you wanted to have a caricature of yourself drawn while the poets and
musicians did their thing. James a.k.a Kaatoony was there with his art materials waiting for you to
ask.
When my friend and I walked into the Micheal Joseph Center we found Kerosh (the graffiti artist I introduced you to last
month) drawing Kaatoony his former classmate in Art School. Kaatony had already drawn Kerosh
and Kerosh was simply returning the favor.
Ivan
Then there was Ivan the guy who made the whole event possible. He told us that the event was
inspired by the movie Collateral beauty. We went to the same campus and I had seen him in poetry
events a couple of times. I just had no idea he was a poet himself until early this year. He was the
first one on stage and it was really nice watching how his face lit up while he got in the zone.
MiCE the band
They just made me happy from their unique name to their passionate and energetic performance. They
are four friends who teamed up to create and learn how to express themselves through different modes
of art. I later find out that MiCE stood for My Inter-missive Creative Escape.
Shingai
She repped the poets like a boss. She has a way of capturing your attention and maintaining it.She
caught mine when she projected the results of a Google search she had done on beautiful skin and
lips.
After which she went on to dispute those results with a touching piece on the beauty of
chocolate skin and that it is a color that is needed in this world too. She touched on major issues
many women and girls go through about beauty.
Then she maintained my attention when she took us back to African history and slowly unraveled the
achievements of African Queens such as Queen Amina of Nigeria, Queen Nzinga of Angola and Ethiopia's
Queen of Sheba.
These women added her story to history. Shingai made us see the beauty these women exuded that went beyond their looks. After her pieces it was evident that history is not just his story but her story too and I thank her for schooling us.
These women added her story to history. Shingai made us see the beauty these women exuded that went beyond their looks. After her pieces it was evident that history is not just his story but her story too and I thank her for schooling us.
Glady
Glady kept the crowd silent and attentive with her unique performance. The two guys playing the
guitar and violin set the mood for her pieces. At some point the guy with the guitar sang and I got
goosebumps all over. I was not the only one that got touched by his voice cause people cheered him
on.
Mitteiy
She is a visual artist who paints because there are stories she wants to tell and sometimes
cannot find the words. She did a couple of pieces but the one that stood out for me was the one
she did about natural african hair. Having cut her hair a couple of times and grown it back she
told me African hair is many things but above all it is pretty.
Thus the reason created the piece of a lady with puffy african hair. Although it should not be,
hair is a definition of beauty to many. That's why many women with afro textured hair go to great
lengths to "look good". Go on, look lovely ladies but before anything else love what you have,
love your beautiful kinky hair.
Ben Soul
He was the last one to perform along with a friend on the piano. He sang and played the guitar
soulfully. At some point he even sounded like two people singing together. I found that so cool.
Jonathan
Jonathan told me he is a Fine Arts student at Kenyatta University, he draws inspiration for his
work from people. objects and events. He is currently studying interactions contained in body
language.He is drawn to communication between individuals, attempting to capture what goes unsaid
in people's interactions
Obfuscate I
The art piece from him that stood out for me was one piece he
did that had another piece hidden within. I later found out it was titled obfuscate I.
He also had a piece of someone holding their belly fat. He told me society's definition of beauty
is often slim well toned bodies. He wanted to challenge that with that piece.
We should love our bodies regardless. That does not mean we leave out healthy living, it simply
means truly embracing our bodies as we journey towards healthier ones.
"I exist as I am that is enough.
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
and if each and all be aware I sit content.
One World is aware and by far the largest to me and that is myself
and whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years.
I can cheerfully take it now or in equal cheerfulness I can wait."
We should work on our relationships with our inner selves. That is the only way we can nurture
that unwithering inner beauty . So when self defeating thoughts come our way. Whitman's
message I exist as I am and that is enough should be our mantra. Until next time.
AA(Auspicious Art)
Wendi Mutisya
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