Students from Somali Bantu Secondary School in Kakuma Refugee Camp rehearse during a past session [Kipsang Joseph/Standard] They are students from various war-torn African countries, schooling in Kenya, and they share one painful experience: they have never known peace and stability in their home countries. Many of those who fled ended up in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana County, Kenya. Kakuma’s Bantu Somali Secondary School is one of the institutions that has welcomed these students, despite the initial language barriers. French is the first language for many, having come from Francophone countries. The students come from Somalia, South Sudan,…
Author: Ben Ahenda
They are students from various war-torn African countries, schooling in Kenya, and they share one painful experience: they have never known peace and stability in their home countries. Many of those who fled ended up in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana County, Kenya. Kakuma’s Bantu Somali Secondary School is one of the institutions that has welcomed these students, despite the initial language barriers. French is the first language for many, having come from Francophone countries. The students come from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Motivated by this newfound peace, they began using music…
He was an articulate singer and composer with a great reputation, who sang in three languages: Kiswahili, French, and Lingala in Kenya and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). His work spoke volumes about the complexities of the music industry. He was a team player who was meticulous in his compositions and performances. In some of his compositions, he sang in two languages, as did many Congolese musicians who had lived in Kenya and Tanzania and were equally fluent in the Kiswahili dialect. In other compositions, he sang purely in Lingala or French. And that is how the…
More than four decades since his death, Bob Marley remains an unmatched force in global music culture. His voice, message, and dreadlocked image continue to cast a long, unwavering shadow over the world of reggae. It’s not just that he was good, it’s that no one has ever come close. Marley died young, just 36, at the peak of his creative brilliance on May 11, 1981. Yet even today, no artist has replicated the soul-piercing power of his lyrics, the melodic magnetism of his tunes, or the technical precision of his studio and stage production. Bob Marley wasn’t just a…
The late Papa Wemba performs at a past event [File/Standard] On April 24, 2016, the sun set on an illustrious son of Africa and musical legend. Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba was his name, but the world knew him as Papa Wemba. That was nine years ago, but the Congolese rhumba star’s legacy lives on. Africa remembers him as one of the pioneer artistes who transcended three generations of distinct musical styles. The three styles were traditional Rhumba, Soukous, and Ndombolo — all of which Papa Wemba embraced with ease in his compositions. Some of his popular songs included Show…