Martin Fredrick Muyeshi Staff Profile
…he photography circles, learned photography at an early age from his father, John Muyeshi, who worked at the Voice of Kenya (VoK) as a Presidential Press cameraman. It soon turned into a passion. After earning his Diploma in Mass communication at the Thika Institute of Business Studies he joined the Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation’s Metro FM Radio as a Production intern from Jan 2006-June 2006. With the experience he had gained at KBC he then mov…
Day Five: January 22, 2019 Mwanza Continued Story
…all of life’s challenges by working together Mwije Tuzane: We filmed this freestyle, where the group encourages the audience to get up and dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmP_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 ne…
Hannah Calascione Staff Profile
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Day 2 – Sunday 2nd July 2017 Story
…now how to do it correctly. Meshack Okoth Okumu K’orengo then played for us, accompanied with a choir of 5 men of different age, 3 tunes on his nyatiti. The tunes were recorded as follows: Koblo gi long maratong’ Owino Konjwang’ Ojung’ Kogera The recording of songs was followed by a short interview. Probably the most interesting finding of this session was the fact that younger traditional players do not (or only exceptionally) compose new tunes,…
We assemble in Kisumu Story
…arch methods, data collection and analysis, and is experienced in academic writing, content creation and editorial. Kahithe has a master’s degree (MPhil) in Ethnomusicology and Dance Anthropology from the University of Paris X Nanterre and is currently finalising her PhD in Anthropology (ABD) at the same university. She was recently appointed Head Choreographer for Bomas of Kenya, a national dance troupe tasked with the mission to preserve, promot…
Kahithe Kiiru Staff Profile
…arch methods, data collection and analysis, and is experienced in academic writing, content creation and editorial.Kahithe has a master’s degree (MPhil) in Ethnomusicology and Dance Anthropology from the University of Paris X Nanterre and is currently finalising her PhD in Anthropology (ABD) at the same university. She was recently appointed Head Choreographer for Bomas of Kenya, a national dance troupe tasked with the mission to preserve, promote…
Day Three: 9 March 2022 (Kisumu) Story
…m Nairobi. During his illustrious musical career spanning over four decades, Akwabi composed over 250 songs with Dada Njoo being his biggest hit. After retiring from the Teachers Service Commission, Akwabi joined Kenyatta University’s Performing and Creative Arts Centre where he directed music activities for another 12 years before finally retiring to his village in Ebuhongo were he currently resides. During this recording he was accompanied by hi…
Day 4 – Tuesday 4th July 2017 Story
…players, for whom he does a sacrifice upon completion of job, and outsiders, commercial clients for whom he does no such thing. Finally, we closed our day with an indoors interview at Namsagali hotel in Siaya. There we talked to Thadayo Owit Mutumura (born 1940), an excellent nyatiti player. He told us about the history of nyatiti in his family and its presence in all occasions (both weddings and burials), as well as about organised competitions h…
Singing Wells Stories Page
…thern Uganda Otacho Young Stars We recorded the Otacho Young Stars in Rongo, Nyanza, West Kenya as part of our field visit to record the music of the Luo. It had been a bad day up to that point – we had been hit by a spell of rain. We changed location to Dinky’s Resort Club in Rongo, and the first group we recorded was the Young Stars. Their brand of traditional music songs brightened our day immensely. Their song Charles Manager tells the story o…
Mr Bado Group
…music for generations. He is the son of the legendary mwanzele singer and composer, Nyerere wa Konde. He was greatly influenced and inspired as a child by his father’s Mwanzele playing as well as by Maulid Juma’s Taarab, and Bhalo’s Chakacha. He started singing in 1994 while studying in Mombasa, and is now an accomplished music producer in his own right, and he runs his own studio in Watamu called Bado Records, where he records his own music as w…
Support Singing Wells Page
…t the Singing Wells project to record the songs of traditional music groups, help us tell their stories and keep their music traditions alive. Your donation to the project will be spent in East Africa and will go towards supporting music groups during their Singing Wells recording session. Each group receives a payment for their performance, which they can use to help them continue practicing and performing in the future. The songs and videos we r…
Irimbene Cultural Dancers and Self-Help Group Group
… Irimbene Cultural Dancers and Self-help Group, formed in 2000 with 21 young men, and is led by Edward Kiogura. They play in the Authi style and are from the Ameru ethnic community, from the Irimbene Village, upper Kiungone Sublocation, Abogeta West Division. The group uses Mbere (shakers) worn by Bernard Nkonge, Ginfold Mbae, Amos Munthi and Fraras Ikunda. They also use a flute, Coro, which is performed by John Mwiti….
Victoria Denison Staff Profile
…order to support the project, Victoria set up The Abubilla Music Foundation, a company limited by guarantee, and then managed the application for charitable status with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. (Charitable status was achieved in June 2011). As well as acting as administrator to the Trustees, Victoria is the UK Project Manager for Singing Wells. Working closely with colleagues in London and Nairobi, she is involved in all aspec…
Day two: From Sirisia to Mabuyole Falls Story
…d prosperous, playing in the Tindikiti style. The play at hotels, festivals, weddings, funerals, etc.. In terms of instruments they have: Luengere: Drums Eng’oma: Drums Litungu: Strings They performed the following songs: Kuzula Ni Bora: This is a song that emphasizes that prevention is better than the cure. The singer takes us through many illnesses to argue there are ways to recognize the symptoms but there are also ways to prevent these illness…
Here for Research? Page
…musicians we meet and the instruments that they are playing. Alongside this, expect interviews, historical information and first hand accounts of the way East African music has developed and grown. Instruments In depth information and photography of the different musical instruments used in East Africa. This database is constantly evolving as we discover and record more instruments. The instruments are tagged by their ethnicity, their recording lo…
Gacharaigu Gitiro Women Group Group
…Fidelia Nyambura Mwangi. They are from Munuga Village, Munuga sub location, Muguru Ward, Muguru Division, Kamgema District and was formed in 2006 and dedicated to self-help. Its style is Ndumo, an old women’s dance purely for entertainment and preservation of culture. For all their songs, the ladies used the Kigamba (leg shakers) The group played 6 songs: Ndumo: sung by Wambui Mwangi. Ngucu: sung by Charity Muthoni and Grace Njuguini Muthuo: sung…