Achieng Abura during an interview with ArtMatters.Info

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is using music as an instrument for change. Their goal is to help sensitise Africans so that everyone may protect themselves and others from HIV/AIDS. Kenyan Lydia Achieng Abura, who has just been declared Best Female Artist in East Africa at the 9th Kora Awards, is one of the 18 musicians led by Baaba Maal, UNDP’s goodwill ambassador for youth, working with the UNDP. She speaks to ArtMatters.Info publisher Ogova Ondego.

What is this UNDP project you are involved with?

UNDP is using musicians to communicate the UN Millennium Development Goals. This project is located in Dakar because that is where Africa Fete, who are coordinating it, are based. African artistes came together and recorded Tam Tam: The drums of Africa, a song with focus on eradication of AIDS, poverty and hunger in Africa. Who are some of the musicians on this project? Koffi Olomide, Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Habib Koite, Salif Keita, Manu Dibango, Chiwoniso Maraire, Miriam Makeba, Jaal Jubi, and Mohamed Ahmed. For a project of this kind to succeed you need to sell names.

What will you be doing between now and 2015 when the project ends?

There will be concerts and advocacy programmes. UNDP 2015 is a project that you can individualise.

Are you a full time musician or do you sing as a hobby?

I became a full time musician three years ago. Before 2002 I was a part time consultant, and part time musician.

Do you feel you made the right decision in going into music full time?

It is a difficult decision because music is difficult in terms of earnings.

I loved to sing since childhood. I had had a lot of music interaction while in primary school. As I pursued my undergraduate studies in chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University in the USA, I sang with the Monroe Sisters. Upon returning home I released my debut album, I believe, in 1990. I recorded Way over yonder, in the memory of my mother, in 1993. I did my third album, Sulwe, in 1994 My gospel years were very fruitful. I got to be very well known as Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Television supported me at a time when gospel was most popular in Kenya. I think Kenyans are very religious. The gospel artiste sells more than the mainstream one. If one is looking for money in music, gospel is the way to go. In those days Faustin Munishi, Mary Atieno, Helen Akoth, sold well. I have now kept my gospel recordings aside. Every album I do has a gospel song, though. I believe music is religious as it connects me strongly with my God.

But why did you switch from gospel to secular music?

In the gospel years I used to sing very Western music. By the time I was doing songs like Sulwe I was getting out of the phase of singing Western music as I started listening more to people like Miriam Makeba, Angelique Kidjo, Nayanka Bell, Dorothy Masuka, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, Randy Crawford. I wanted to expand and not be limited by what I could sing about. A gospel singer tends to be put in a box, a straight jacket.

How many albums have you recorded?

Five, three gospel and two mainstream ones.

Is any of your recordings on video?

I have got three songs on video.

I do not hear much of your music on local radio.

KBC, Metro, Kameme and Ramogi play my music. I don’t expect the FM stations that play hip-hop to play my music. Kiss, Capital and Nation are the three stations that people say they don’t hear me …but other stations do play my music.

Lydia A Abura is a well read musician

But was it not the newspaper division of Nation that first brought you to the national limelight through a public concert at Nyayo National Stadium in 1996?

Through ‘Sounds of my people’ concert, Nation gave me strong support and in fact Nation is the one who facilitated my passing over from just being a gospel singer and I appreciate that because many people outside Kenya heard about me. But I think they need to do more, though. I don’t think a station like Nation FM is honest when it makes African music ‘the other music’ to be played for two hours on Sunday morning. I feel the limitation and restriction in the thinking of many of these stations is that African music is not as good as Western music. It is world music that has an international market. That is why BBC has World Music Awards and Grammies have world music categories. This is music from Africa, Caribbean, and Asia. It’s not mainline contemporary. It tends to be more artistic, sometimes more mystical and exotic, but it is music that is based on the different cultures of the world. Mainline pop music very commercial.

But don’t you find the category ‘world music’ to be in bad taste just as Nation’s ‘other music’?

All music is world music because it is created in the world… The forces-that-be describe it as ‘world music’ and who am I to cringe about that? As far as I know I am doing Kenyan music. Kenyan Afro-Jazz Music. What I am saying is there is already a market for it. Hip hop music has a limited market. It is urbanite music. But world music has got a wider appeal everywhere.

Is your music for dancing to or for listening to only?

Afro-Jazz is not really dance music.

What difficulties have you faced in your music career?

I have not had a lot of financial support to do what I could have done with my music. It has been difficult right from my first recording. My parents gave me a little bit of support though they were still hesitant because they thought I would get lost in this career. I think the time for the reward is coming and things are opening up now. My degrees are still there. I had gotten admission to do my PhD in peace issues in Africa. I’ll still do it.

What are your degrees in?

Bachelor’s in Chemistry and a Master’s in Environmental Studies. I also did a bit of Sugar technology at another Master’s level

Don’t you think you are wasting them by not practising what you studied?

No. All these put me in a good position to address African issues more intelligently. I can talk about African issues comfortably and authoritatively.

Have you faced any discrimination for being a woman in music?

No. If anything that is my strength. I think being a woman has helped move me up faster. The only setback I have got is that many people do not respect musicians. Any musician. People think you become a musician because you cannot do anything else. I am not a musician because I cannot do anything else.

How do you target the international market when you perform in vernacular?

My music is in Dholuo and Kiswahili. I am just saying that I am doing music that I know is marketable outside

Would you care to say something about music awards like Kora All Africa Music Awards?

Going to KORA is so much fun. I enjoyed going there in 2002 and meeting all those wonderful people. While I think KORA did huge amounts of publicity for me, I also think KORA will take time to mature. In 2003, Kenya had 11 Kora nominations which ranked it second to South Africa’s 20. With 11 nominations you are saying that Kenya did better than Congo, Mali, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt in Africa. That is not reflective of the reality as the East African industry is still a baby. It is not even an industry though it has great potential.

Does Kora pander to tokenism?

If you are going to help me in my music just take me to the level where the continent has reached. But if you give me an award while I am still a bad musician, how can I improve?

Are music awards in Kenya necessary?

It is important that musicians get a pat on the back. It is the way to create artists and push them into the international arena. My problem is that most of these awards do not reflect the true music of Kenya. Kisima Music Awards need to embrace traditional Kenyan music and not just hip-hop. We need to hear more about Dola Kabarry and Musaimo in their territory. Then we have world music, exotic music, Afro-Jazz, Instrumental, choral and many other Kenyan styles. So long as any system of awards has no integrity then it need not be there. Many people felt KISIMA had no integrity in 2004. The awards must not only have integrity but should be seen to be so. The reason I say there must be a jury is because songs like ‘I love you like fish and chips’ do go to number one on some FM stations and the common person chooses them not because of their quality but because they are topping charts on FM stations. I feel voting by SMS and online system is the worst kind of voting because people who have time are the youth. Some songs get to number one because some kids have registered 300 email addresses and they vote from all these addresses.

Could this explain why Saida Karoli, who is immensely popular in East and Central Africa, could not get a nomination for the Tanzania Music Awards in July 2004.

Yes. Neither did she feature in KORA. I think Saida did good songs but I don’t think she is at the pedestal on which she is being put. It is Nation FM who know why they wanted to make her big, dubiously big, when they sponsored her tour in Kenya. It is a case of the media deciding they are going to promote so and so. Many Kenyans have been singing longer than Saida. What’s the basis of her being big? There must be fair play even in the media

You’ve benefited immensely from the French Cultural Centre in Nairobi

Yes, both the French Cultural Centre and Alliance Francaise have supported me. Alliance Francaise supported the production of the Spirit of a warrior and its launch in Paris, and connected me with TV5. They also produced my Sandola video. They not only opened West Africa for me enabling me to tour Dakar but also connected me with Africa Fete who have helped in getting me known, I have toured South Africa, and I am in the UNDP’s Millennium Development Goals project because of Africa Fete

What exactly is Africa Fete?

It is a music promotion centre headed by Mamadou Konte who has been instrumental to the career of people like Angelique Kidjo, Manu Dibango, and Youssou N’Dour.

Does Africa Fete pay you?

No. If they take me somewhere, and we are to be paid they take their agency fee. So far what I have done has been promotional and not been very money-based. It is really to build my name and to get my music out there. I think they have done a lot for me.

But why do you think the French are supporting artists in Kenya—is there a hidden agenda?

I think the French are doing it because they feel there has been a cultural vacuum in music in Kenya. They selected those they felt needed international appeal. I have got the support, Suzana Owiyo is now getting the support, Abbi and Yunasi have also benefited.

What role has the Music Copyright Society played in promoting you?

MCSK has played no role in promoting me. MCSK is expected to collect money on my behalf and give it to me after taking a little for its administration. It doesn’t do that. MCSK should not be a welfare organisation. You should earn according to how your music is played. But I hear the government will not allow a second royalty-collecting organisation for musicians. Then we’ll go to court. We want to know who says that I must be a member of MCSK and under what law in Kenya. They cannot stop us from registering another organisation. We are the ones to be recognised; the role of MCSK is just to collect royalties on our behalf.

Although you are known to work with Tedd Josiah, you did African Woman, the song to be included on the UNDP album compilation at Samawati and not at Jossiah’s Blu Zebra Records. Why did you do this?

I still work with Tedd just like I still work with Pete Odera, but I think when you are thinking of a song, you are thinking of a style. Maybe your producer will not give you the style. I must have that flexibility. Secondly at that time Tedd was overwhelmed with Kisima and Didge going to Project Fame in South Africa.

What are you addressing in African woman inside?

That an African woman inside is a woman who can take in a lot with strength and dignity. Her daily routine is difficult. It is not pampered. She faces poverty, disease, war… 80% of African women live in rural areas. Just give her a little liberation and a little freedom and it will change her life. That is the one I am talking about…. But she still has that spirit of determination. That spirit of perseverance. I am trying to show people the circumstances of the African woman. And the things that she needs: education, freedom and time. The beauty of this song is that even an Indian woman can be an African woman inside. Even an American woman can be an African woman inside.

Where do you—a liberated urban woman--get all these ideas about a rural woman?

I grew up on a farm. I do know that I have to wake up at 5 am to go look after cows, and I have gone through that. I am a musician, an artist…it doesn’t have to be personal.

Who foots the cost of recording music for you?

I paid for all of them except 'The spirit of a warrior' which was funded by Alliance Francaise.

Congratulations. You have finally won a Kora award in 2004. What do you say about this?

I owe this award to Kenyans who have given me support through this tedious journey, and the honour is for all of us. My priority is to use my music to assist in the process of developing a culture of peace in Africa

Back to Top