LUO NYATITI MUSIC FROM KENYA

Nyatiti is an eight-stringed plucked lyre from Kenya. It is a classical instrument used by the Luo people located in the Nyanza western region in Kenya. It is about three feet long. The player of Nyatiti holds it to his chest, seated on a low stool, with the base firmly to the ground. Usually it is played together with the oporo, a curved horn.

Goyo Otenga is the dance for Nyatiti music. Otenga is the Luo word for eagle. Dancers move their shoulders, arms, fingers, legs and feet like an Eagle.

The performer has three tasks when playing the Nyatiti: percussion, strings, and vocal.

The Nyatiti is played sitting low to the ground, while keeping a small distance from your body. You also put iron bells called "gara" on your right ankle and a metal ring called "oduongo" on the big toe of your right foot. Then, you sing and play keeping the beat by tapping the ring on the edge of the Nyatiti. The Nyatiti is also called Kanbanane. "Kanba" means string and "nane" means eight, so it literally means "eight strings".
The body is made of a hollowed fig tree and is like a hemisphere. Cow skin is put on the surface of the hemisphere. Nylon fishing lines are used for the eight strings, which have three thicknesses. In the past, female cow's Achilles' tendons were used for the strings instead of the fishing lines. Two thin bamboos like sticks and wood chips are bonded together by bee wax, which creates a deep echoing sound. There are reasons why the Nyatiti has eight strings, why only men are allowed to play it and why it is called "Nyatiti". The first four days after a male’s birth and after his death are said to be very special in Luo culture. In Nyatiti, the lower four strings represent the first four days of his birth and the upper four strings represent the four days after his death.
Source Anyango Website http://anyango.com/e/nyatiti/

Ayub Ogada is one of the few Luo music artists who have made it both on the national and international music scene. Here he plays the nyatiti to one of his famed songs Obiero

And this lady from Japan could not resist---

More Information and Sources:
PittRivers Museum http://photos.prm.ox.ac.uk/luo/page/exhibition-recreation/

YVONNE CHAKA CHAKA - THANK YOU MR DJ FOR PLAYING MY SONGS

Yvonne Chaka Chaka-Africa's music diva

Yvonne Machaka aka Yvonne Chaka Chaka is an internationally recognized and highly respected Princess of Africa, performing diva, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka was born in 1965 Dobsonville in Soweto. Yvonne Chaka Chaka grew up in a humble family. Her father passed away when she was 11. Her Mother became the sole provider and struggled to bring three daughters with the little income she made as a domestic worker.
When asked who she admired most, Chaka Chaka said "My mother because she has always been there for me. My mother raised three daughters single-handedly on a domestic worker's salary. That took great courage and strength. She is my mentor and hero. When I was born in 1965 in Soweto, it was during apartheid, and those were extremely difficult times. My dad was a great musician who could never realize his dream. He died when I was 11 years old. I inherited my talent from both parents, so music has always been in my blood. When I was little I would strum an empty tin and blow into a broom stick pretending it was a microphone. I sang in church choirs. I loved singing. I am blessed that I achieved my destiny, and been able to accomplish what my father could not."

Yvonne became the first Black child to appear on South African television when in 1981 "Sugar Shack", a talent show, introduced her to the South African public.

Dubbed the "Princess of Africa", Yvonne Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South African popular music for 20 years. Some of her most famous songs include "I'm Burning Up", "I'm in Love With a DJ", "I Cry for Freedom", "Makoti", "Motherland" and the ever-popular "Umqombothi" ("African Beer"). Yvonne has won numerous awards and accolades and graced various magazines. She has shared the stage with megastars such as Bono, Youssou N'Dour , the classic rock band Queen, and South Africans Johnny Clegg, Miriam Makeba, and Hugh Masekela, to name a few. Yvonne has performed for HRM Queen Elizabeth, US President Bill Clinton, South African President Thabo Mbeki, and a host of other world leaders. As a young performer Yvonne was the first Black child to appear on South African television in 1981.

In 1989 she created her own company, Chaka Chaka Promotions. In 1995 she created her own music label, Chaka Chaka Music. Since then every album Yvonne has released has been on her own label. She has two diplomas from the University of South Africa, one in adult education, another in local government, management and administration. Her business ventures include companies in the Information Technology sector; Energy and Minerals sectors; Human Resource Development focused on adult training; and Sandown Motors, a luxury motor vehicle retailer . Yvonne's energy and enthusiasm is boundless. She has become a hero and mentor to others, a willing warrior and agent for change in enormous proportions. Considered a role model throughout the African continent, she has demonstrated compassion for others throughout her career.

Yvonne actively promotes the rights of women, and the protection of Children. She is a Trustee of Tomorrow Trust, which educated orphans and vulnerable children. Yvonne Chaka Chaka is also UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador against malaria, and also Ambassador for Roll-Back Malaria (sponsored by the World Bank, United Nations, World Health Organization, and other institutions). She also founded and runs her own charity the Princess of Africa Foundation.

One of her favourite male mentor and father figure is Nelson Mandela. Mandela who fondly refers to Yvonne as his dear daughter once stated, “It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another. Yvonne, you are a testament to my belief. You have made all of South Africa proud to claim you as a national icon. You have motivated millions of women and men on our continent. Your generosity has benefited untold numbers of families and orphans facing the challenges of AIDS, terminal illness, abuse, poverty, and illiteracy. I know you will always make your indelible mark wherever you go, and with what ever you do. There is no stopping you! You will always be my Princess of Africa.”

Yvonne Chaka Chaka with husband and family

The men in her life

Yvonne Chaka Chaka with hubby Dr Mandlalele Mhinga

Her philosophy is, “When we are born we come with nothing. And when we die, we die with nothing. So every day I wake up and say, ‘God thank you for the life that you have given me. I take nothing for granted. I love living, I love life, and I live it to the fullest.'”

In Greek legend the goddess Clytemnestra said, “We are the instruments of Heaven. Our work is not design, but destiny.” African icon Yvonne Chaka Chaka is living her destiny, and those who understand her message are enriched by it.

YVONNE CHAKA CHAKA MUSIC VIDEOS

TEXT SOURCES AND MORE INFORMATION

OFFICIAL YVONNE CHAKA CHAKA WEBSITE

CESARIA EVORA -THE ISLAND SONG BIRD

CESARIA EVORA

Cesária Evora a.k.a. Cize, is an internationally renowned singer from Cape Verde. Cesária was born on August 27th, 1941 in Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde. Cesária's love affair with music began at early age. Her late father, Justino da Cruz Evora, played cavaquinho (a small four-stringed guitar), guitar and violin. Among her fathers friends was B. Leza, Cape Verde's favourite composer. Cesária was seven when her father passed away. Cesária used to sing from the bandstand on the main square accompanied by her borther Lela on the saxophone. At a young age Cesária went to stay with her grandmother. She was educated by nuns an experience she has no fond memories of as she claims that it made her 'despise all moral structures.'

Cesária later met a Cape Verdean musician Eduardo who is claimed to have helped her sing on Radio Mindelo. Her reputation soon spread through out the neighbouring islands. She sang traditional Cape Verdean music style referred to as Coladeira and Mornas which are songs of sadness, sorrow and yearning.

Cesária the “barefoot diva” prefers to perform without shoes

In 1975, Cape Verde attained Independence and Cesária stopped performing in public, sinking into a prolonged bout of depression made worse by excessive drinking. This silence lasted about ten years. They say that she wandered naked and wild through the streets of Mindelo in the grip of a "feitiço" (an evil spell). Cape Verdean musicians despised her because of her extremely low social standing.

While she was singing at a restaurant in Lisbon Portugal to make money for her return ticket home, she met José da Silva who become her mentor and official producer. José fell in love with Cesária’s magnificent voice, and he invited to come and make a record in Paris. Cesária was 47 then and had nothing to lose and, never having been to Paris, she agreed. In Paris she recorded the album La diva aux pieds nus (The barefoot diva) which was released in 1988.

Cesária was again hopping from bar to bar, making a little money here and there. Being responsible for her two children and her mother whose sight was failing, she had to earn a living for family which at the time lived in a dilapidated house in Mindelo.

"... in all those years when I sang in bars and in front of strangers I sometimes had an idea I might someday be successful outside my country. The thought never stayed with me for very long, but here I am."
Source: Africanmusic.org

Cesária returned again to France in 1991 to record a new album Mar Azul, which was immediately play-listed on the FIP and France Inter radio stations.

Miss Perfumado album was released in 1992. With more than 300,000 copies sold to date in France, many see it as Cesária’s masterpiece. The album was released in the USA in 1999 and was nominated for the coveted Grammy Awards. Her music has garnered a total of six Grammy nominations. Cesária's won a Grammy award for her album Voz d'Amor in 2004 for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

“So I began singing again for good […] I don't believe in dreams or fate […] What delights me today is the happiness of having got through all the years of suffering to better enjoy the life I live now. At home, we say it's better to drink the venom first and the honey later. Now, I'm drinking the honey.”

MUSIC VIDEOS

Cabo Verde

Angola

Jacek Jaglowski has an awesome series of Cesária photos click here for more

TEXT SOURCES AND MORE INFORMATION

Cesária Evora Official Website

Cesária Evora on Myspace

PAPA WEMBA THE KING OF RUMBA ROCK

Papa Wemba

The King of Rumba Rock

Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Thabani Kikumba aka Papa Wemba, was born in 14 June 1949 in Kasai, Zaire. Papa Wemba is said to have first made his mark in 1969 in Kinshasa, where he was a singer, composer, and co-founder of the Soukous Band Zaiko Langa Langa. He left the Soukous group in 1974 to form his own band, Isife Lokole, and then in 1976 began Viva La Musica.

Young Papa Wemba with Mum and sibling

He later moved to Paris, France in the 1980s with the hopes of having his music reach a wider audience. His group Viva la Musica has lead to the emergence of new music talents from Congo. Some of the notable talents include Koffi Olomide and Kester Emeneya.

Papa Wemba is fashionably stylish when it comes to dressing, always taking risks with colours and designs. According to a BBC documentary Papa Wemba is reported to be the leader of Snappy "Le Sappe", style the Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, which translated into English means a society of people who spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes with the motive of making themselves as conspicuously elegant as possible.

Papa was arrested on 18 February 2003, and charged for aiding illegal immigration of individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo into Europe. Papa Wemba was found guilty and spent three and a half months in prison, an experience which he declared had had a profound psychological effect on him. The singer claimed to have undergone a spiritual conversion in jail and even recounted this episode on his new album, "Somo trop" (released in October 2003). On the song "Numéro d'écrou", Papa Wemba recalled the day "God" paid a visit to his cell.

According to the French authorities, would-be immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo paid $4,500 in exchange for documents showing that they were members of Papa Wemba's band or road crew.
French officials...became suspicious when some 200 people showed up at immigration in 2000, claiming to be Papa Wemba's musicians, yet none had any musical instruments with them. French police say some turned out to be goat herders and others fishermen.More Click here BBC

Papa Wemba was made an Ambassador Against Mines on International Mine Action Day, 4 April 2007, by MAG, as part of a UNICEF funded Mine Risk Education (MRE) and communications campaign. In his new role as Ambassador, Papa Wemba will be publicising mine risk education messages through television, radio and posters, to reduce the threat posed by explosive remnants of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The great Papa Wemba from the Congo. Picture shot at Festival Mundial, 17 June, 2007

Photos By Nailman

VIDEOS

In 1987, Papa Wemba played the male lead role in the successful Congolese film La Vie est Belle by Belgian director Benoit Lami and Congolese producer-director Ngangura Mweze.

Best African Movie - Papa Wemba - La Vie Est Belle Part I
Best African Movie - Papa Wemba - La Vie Est Belle Part II


MUSIC VIDEOS




PAPA WEMBA: N.Y. Broadway "eScLAVE"
Papa Wemba - Fa fa fa (sad song)
Kaokokokorobo
Dixieme Commandement
Kolo histoire
So why- Papa Wemba
Wake up Koffi Olimide and Papa Wemba
Papa wemba et koffi olomide Mi amor live
Generique

For More Information
Papa Wemba Official Site


"Singers and musicians aren't able to make a decent living from their music any more because of the problems associated with piracy," he says, "So I think we should try and compensate this lack of earnings through dedications. We should return to the old tradition of 'praise songs' - where money wasn't originally involved - where singers glorify a person, recounting his life story and the history of his parents and his grandparents, a bit like 'griots'."

...
"When I started out we basically worked under live conditions in the studio," he says, "But these days musical programming has come to play an increasing role in the studio. I'm trying to adapt to the new technology - that's what's in fashion now and I can't afford to ignore it!"

Papa Wemba plays musical godfather The Congolese star promotes the next generation

LOKOU KANZA - ANGEL VOICE FROM THE HEART OF AFRICA

Lokou Kanza
Singer, songwriter, and composer

Pascal Lokua Kanza was born April 1958, in Bukavu in the province of Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the eldest of eight children, with a Mongo father and a Tutsi mother from Rwanda. In 1964, the family went to live in Kinshasa. Following the tragic demise of his father died while captaining a ship at sea, his mother then moved to a much poorer area of the city. Lokou helped provide for his family by taking part-time jobs while he was still in school. Setting aside a few hours each day to teach himself guitar, he soon began playing with friends in local bands. As he got older, his approach to music grew more serious. After studying at the Kinshasa Music Conservatory and performing with Abeti in Zaire, Lokou moved to the Ivory Coast where he played the guitar and served as a back up vocalist for local bands. He left Ivory Coast after three years for Paris to study jazz at the prestigious CIM. Here he was accorded the opportunity to perform with many of his role models.

Miriam Makeba was a big inspiration in his life and Lokou was honored when asked by Miriam if he could compose and write songs for her to sing.
He wrote four songs for Miriam Makeba.

Lokou has performed alongside many renowned music artists such as Youssou Ndour(Womat), Papa Wemba, Miriam Makeba, Geoffrey Oryema and Angélique Kidjo. He has bagged several African Music Awards in honor of his musical talent. Lokua sings in French, Kiswahili, Lingala, and English.




MUSIC VIDEOS

• Salle
• Wapi Yo
• Plus Vivant
• Never Loose Your Soul
• Juste un Peu d'Amour
• I believe you feat. Fally Ipupa

"My music is African music but with many flowers, its like a garden"
From Sounds of Africa

MORE INFORMATION AND TEXT SOURCES
Lokou Kanza Official Site
Sounds of Africa

FAREWELL DUBE

1964-2007

© Lee Abel www.reggaeportraits.com

Saharan Vibe today mourns the sudden demise of Lucky Dube who was killed in an attempted car-jacking as he dropped his children off at a relative's house in the Rosettenville suburb of Johannesburg. The incidence occurred at approximately 8pm on the 18th of October. Police reports suggest he was shot dead by carjackers in front of his son and daughter. He is survived by his wife, Zanele, and his seven children.

I cant believe you are gone Lucky.

RIP AFRICA'S REGGAE SON

IVORIAN REGGAE STAR ALPHA BLONDY

Alpha Blondy the Bob Marley of West Africa

The first son in a family with nine children, Seydou Koné was born in Dimbokro Côte d'Ivoire, 1953. Alpha was raised by his grandmother, and his memories as a child were all filled with happy years. Carrying the first name of his grandfather, his grandmother always joked that Alpha was her "small husband". Growing with his grandmother, Alpha learned the local Dioula culture and norms. One of his memorable lessons as a child was the importance of speaking the truth and not lying, for the consequences of lying were dire.

Alpha with his grandmother and cousin Abou on the left

In 1962, Alpha moved to Odjenné, Ivory Coast, to live with his parents. Whilst attending high school Alpha formed a band. This hobby affected his schooling, however, and Alpha was expelled from school due to poor attendance. His parents then sent him to study English in Monrovia in the neighbouring country of Liberia in 1973. He spent thirteen months there and then moved to the United States of America, with hopes of improving his English, attending university and setting up a full fledged music band. Life as an immigrant in the USA was not easy for Alpha Blondy.

Young Alpha with his friend Fulgence Kassy

In 1976, Alpha Blondy on the ferry boat to Staten Island, New York.

Having landed in the Big Apple, the city of New York, to commence his English studies, Alpha had to work part time to make ends meet. In New York, he met Rastafarians and attended Jamaican music concerts, such as Burning Spear. During this time, Alpha maintained his passion for writing music. He later moved on to Texas, briefly working in poultry slaughter houses. This was not what he had dreamed of when he moved to the United States. He attempted to record music; however, due to financial problems, his album was never released. Already, four years had gone by, and he was still in the United States, without any real tangible result. In 1980, Alpha Blondy decided to return to Ivory Coast. Distinctly lacking in glory, his return was made even more painful by the transformation of his American dream into a nightmare.

On returning to the Ivory Coast, Alpha got in touch with his childhood friend, Fulgence Kassi, who had become a famous television producer. This was the beginning of his real career as a singer, a transition marked by him changing his name to 'Alpha Blondy'. He had always been a rebellious child, and, for this, his grandmother had nick named him "Blondy," her unique pronunciation of the word "bandit." He later took on the name Alpha (the first letter in the Greek alphabet) so his name literally translates to "first bandit."


After various TV shows for Kassi, in the early '80s, he recorded his first single, Brigidier Sabari. Blondy recorded his first solo album in 1983, entitled 'Jah Glory'. However, by the time of the album's release, he was not able to share the joy with his cherished grandmother; she had passed away. This album was to have enormous success and would become later a symbol of resistance, because of the song 'Brigadier Sabari', where Alpha criticized the harassment of the police. Alpha Blondy became a big star in Abidjan, with his own African twist of Reggae music, becoming, in the eyes of his fans, 'the Bob Marley of West Africa'. Having found success with his music in Europe, Alpha went to Paris in 1984, to make his second album, 'Cocody Rock'.

Blondy sings in Dioula, English, French, Arabic, and Hebrew. His band, The Solar System, is likewise international, with members hailing from Cameroon, England, France, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, and Togo.

Alpha has had a rich musical career that has seen him release more than fifteen albums. With his group, Alpha's musical artistry has been heard world wide, spreading their African rhythms far and wide.

Ivorian reggae star and UNOCI's Messenger of Peace, Alpha Blondy (with microphone and in dark jacket) and Charles Blegoude, leader of the Young Patriots (right of Alpha Blondy with a cap), along with other youth leaders call for calm and denounce violence on the eve of UN Security Council resolutions concerning the stalled peace process in Côte d'Ivoire. Picture taken in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 30 October 2006.

Alpha has also been hailed as a world star because of his fight for peace and unity all around the world. "Jah Blondy", as his friends call him, has been a UN goodwill ambassador because of his actions in favor of peace and justice. He has also participated in many humanitarian and charity concerts, such as the concert in Senegal in March, 2006, for the eradication of Malaria in Africa.

Alpha Blondy is one of Africa's most famous reggae musicians. One of Alpha's ardent fans once noted that Alpha Blondy's albums are like hidden treasures. Once you discover them, you'll wonder how you ever survived without them. A pleasant surprise for new listeners, and a must for any true reggae fans, Alpha Blondy is one of the great inspirational song writers and singers in the evolving world of reggae music.

WATCH ALPHA BLONDY MUSIC VIDEOS
Cocody Rock
Jerusalem
Massada
Brigadier Sabari
Souroukou Logo
Who Are You


MORE INFORMATION
Alpha Blondy Official Site (French)
Alpha Blondy Myspace