Irene, a member of Lydia Achieng Abura’s group, at a performance in Zanzibar

A project to identify, nurture and present Afro-fusion to the world from Kenya came into operation in January 2005. The project, Spotlight on Kenyan Music, is an initiative of Alliance Francaise of Nairobi that took over from the French Cultural and Cooperation Centre as the leading partner of Franco-Kenyan cultural cooperation from January 1, 2005.

Although Alliance Francaise had helped musicians in recording albums and videos since 2002, says director Jean-Michel Frachet, it is in 2005 "creating a framework that reaches out to Afro-fusion musicians across the country in order to provide them with a foundation from which they can build their music." By so doing, he says, Alliance Française hopes to help create a platform for what he refers to as "a genuine Kenyan musical identity." A steering committee chaired by Frachet and consisting of members from the Department of Culture, music producers John Katana, Tabu Osusa and Tedd Josiah, and musicians Lydia Achieng Abura, Suzanna Owiyo and Suzanne Kibukosya, is responsible for the project.

To participate, Frachet says, talented musicians are identified at provincial level with the assistance of the Department of Culture and Provincial and District Cultural Officers. Such musicians must be Kenyans, perform Afro-fusion music, and have 'no significant recordings'. Although no age limit, themes or language are imposed on prospective participants, they must possess 'musical originality and creativity' and can be either solo artists or groups.

Once selected, the musicians are invited to perform at Alliance Française in Nairobi in a series of free concerts planned throughout the year. So far three concerts have been held on January 28, March 18, and April 22. Two more performances are expected. The first concert featured three Nairobi-based musicians: Juma, Makadem and Lydia Dola. Following a series of auditions in February 2005 conducted by Suzanne Kibukosya and Victor Seii (Rift Valley), Tabu Osusa and Gabriel Omondi (Nyanza and Western), John Katana and Achieng Abura (Coast), Peter Wambugu Gitau, Zadok Wekesa and Eliud Githinji from Rift Valley Province, and Abdalla Khamisi ‘Alai K’, Abuti Mkoko and Rhythm Africa from Coast Province, participated in the second concert.

The third one showcased musicians Ronald Ontiri, Oguda OTC, and Tremor Music (Nyanza); Bin Harre, Jakob Amani ‘Dellymess (Coast); and Lwanda Magere (Nairobi).

Lydia Ogot

Further auditions, Frachet reports, have been held in Eastern Province (Machakos, Embu), Rift Valley Province (Eldoret), Central Province (Nyeri) and North Eastern Province (Garissa). The pre-selected artistes will be showcased in one of the forthcoming Spotlight on Kenyan Music concerts in the Alliance Française gardens on May 20 or the special edition on the occasion of the Fête de la Musique on June 24, 2005. Musicians who stand out in all the concerts are expected to be given opportunities for concerts at larger and more popular concert venues in Nairobi with the very best being offered recording opportunities under the guidance of Lydia Achieng Abura and Suzzanna Owiyo, who have already benefited from Alliance Francaise programme and have been made godmothers of Spotlight on Kenyan Music 2005.

Alliance Française has in the past sponsored and facilitated the production of albums by mainly musicians performing in mainly western Kenya languages: Yunasi (Nang’i Amana), Absalom Nyinza (Mudunia), Achieng Abura (Spirit of a Warrior) and Suzanna Owiyo (Yamo Kudho). The programme is expected to wind up with a major concert in Nairobi at the end of 2005 at which the newly discovered musicians will perform alongside their well known and established counterparts. Alliance Francaise helped in the making of music videos for contemporary African gospel group Yunasi, urbanative duo Gidi Gidi-Maji Maji, and Owiyo in 2003.

Conducted by Alliance Françoise and the audio-visual department of the French Embassy, all the three selected songs were produced by Tedd Odongo Josiah. Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado) directed the Gidi Gidi-Maji Maji Unbwogable video that is full of visual and graphical elements, and is as attention-gripping as it is pleasing to the eye and ear. Just what a young music lover would enjoy. It matters not that it is not sub-titled like the others. The action of invincibility and indefatigability communicated in the song comes out strongly. The song is as unbwogable in delivery as it is in theme. Sandore, by Owiyo and directed by Wanjiru Kinyanjui, catalogues the plight of female domestic workers--referred to in Kenya as house girls--at the hands of their employers. The theme is brought out well in action which blends with the setting and photography. Even without the sub-titles—which appear rather forced--the video would still have been clear even to the non-Dholuo audience. It appears to be based on a Luo oral poem that was later published in Poems from East Africa.

Yunasi’s Ji Opogore calls for contentment and cautions people against comparing themselves with others as they may not be fully aware of what the people they are comparing themselves with went through to be where they are. Slow, lushy, and contemplative, the song was directed by Sagwa Chabeda, a photographer-cum film director Gerard Saby, the immediate former Alliance France's General Representative in Kenya, said their initial aim had been to produce a video for Yunasi but that they had decided to produce three videos in order to open up the market for other musicians as well. “In order to develop local talent,” Saby told ArtMatters.Info on February 7, 2003, “we decided that Kenyans direct the videos themselves.”

The videos will be distributed through local and international television stations, and arts festivals to help market and promote Kenyan musicians. The videos resulted from a music video workshop conducted by AF in November 2002 with a view to promoting Kenyan music. AF had then invited entries from musicians to compete for the three music videos. Martin Meissonnier, a music producer and video director who has worked with many African musicians including Manu Dibango, Papa Wemba, Fela Kuti, and King Sunny Ade, had conducted the workshop

It was at this workshop that participants had been asked to propose story lines for the making of the three videos. The story lines of Kinyanjui, Gado, and Chabeda had been selected for Sandore, Unbwogable, and Ji Opogore, respectively. Vivid Features and Development Through Media located sites, directed, shot and edited the videos. Pierre Jacquemot, the immediate former French Ambassador to Kenya, had told ArtMatters.Info that he hoped the three videos would help catapult the three artistes to local and international stardom. He added that the French government is interested in creating understanding and collaboration with Kenya through the promotion of arts and culture.

Felicia Ogot

But one wonders what came of these videos or Made in Kenya, a music album of Kenyan artistes that were meant to promote Kenyan music on the world music scene. Was the goal achieved, and then why the long silence? It has also resulted in the East and West African collaboration that saw Abura and Uyoga perform in Africa Fete in Dakar, Senegal, and Fest Horn 2002, respectively, last year. The latter was organised by Association du development d'animations culturelles with the goal of mobilising African artistes in the promotion of peace and understanding among people.

Over the years, AF has hosted Fete De La Musique (World Music Day) in Nairobi which has seen famous French musicians perform on the same stage as Kenyan acts. AF also funded the production of Yunasi's debut CD in 2001 and Kikwetu's debut CD in 2002. Yunasi, who were previously known as Emanuel's Clan, say their mission is to bring about hope, faith and love in spreading the word of God. Meanwhile, says Frachet, Alliance Française will continue its support for Afro-fusion Kenyan musicians like Abura, Owiyo, Yunasi, Abbi and John Katana with whom it has already established working relationship through once a month performances in the Alliance Française gardens and a special workshop with a professional from the music industry in France.

The Alliance Francaise director appeals to mass media in Kenya to assist in "broadening the local audience base for quality Kenyan music by giving [Afro-fusion] music the necessary airtime and coverage." Meanwhile, Uganda has taken the lead in revamping its music awards ahead of Kenya and Tanzania that continue to rely on the much misused SMS and Email votes in deciding winners. (See http://www.artmatters.info/articles/kisima1.php/ and http://www.artmatters.info/zanzibar2.php/). As organisers of Pearl of Africa Music (PAM) awards of Uganda were announcing nomination changes in the run up to the third edition in 2005, Kenya's Kisima Music Awards founder was threatening to discontinue the event due to the ruthless criticism the event received in 2004 (See DRUM, March 2005).

Unlike 2003 and 2004, PAM Awards Committee Chairman Isaac Mulindwa said, only registered artists and media houses--not media practitioners as in the past--will generate four nominees in each category to avoid nominating artists in the wrong category genres. Mulindwa announced on April 11, 2005 that eventual winners would be chosen by a nine-member panel of judges whose vote would constitute 60 percent while the general public's vote through SMS would constitute 40 percent of the total vote per category. The nine judges will be drawn from major players in the Ugandan music sector.

To be eligible to vote for nominees, musicians will be required to register with the PAM awards organizing committee. Mulindwa said that the changes in the voting system had been prompted by issues raised after the previous two editions; it was said artists have won awards on account of their ability to lobby and canvas the most public SMS votes. To cause awareness of the awards, PAM awards committee will go on a nationwide awareness drive around Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale and Kampala.

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