Young people dancing duirng a disco matanga. (Photo for illustration: Freepik) Among the Luhya community of western Kenya, funerals are not merely solemn rites of passage but expansive communal affairs. They draw villages together, weaving grief, solidarity, and ritual into days of mourning that culminate in an event known as disco matanga. These night vigils once featured restrained music, storytelling, and companionship for the bereaved family. Yet in modern times they have morphed into something quite different: rowdy gatherings marked by thumping music, frenzied dancing, binge drinking, and, increasingly, crime. To outsiders, disco matanga might appear a curious blending of mourning and revelry. To insiders,…