It is time to cut ohangla and benga musicians some slack

Every time a popular benga or ohangla musician falls sick or dies, their predicament is bound to elicit controversy. This hue and cry often has nothing to do with loved ones haggling over the deceased's estate like in developed countries, but how they have been unashamedly deserted by fans and politicians they sang about.

The musicians have been ridiculed for failing to build houses in their rural homes and staging lavish parties with slayqueens while their wives and parents lead a life of misery in rural areas.

It happened with the legendary Owino Misiani, Okatch Biggy and, lately, Abenny Jachiga and Lady Maureen, to mention just a few.

We have seen people stubbornly arguing that these musicians are architects of their own misfortunes: choosing to lead a life of opulence during their hey days and completely forgetting to invest in the future.

This is a tired line society continues to rub in the face of every Tom, Dick and Harry who fell from grace to grass, whether from formal employment or sports, conveniently forgetting that it is the wearer of the shoes who knows where it pinches.

Treated as demigods

Celebrities the world over are treated as demigods, and society, more often than not, builds castles in the air on their behalf. And ohangla musicians are no exception.

Just because one listens to a song on radio, a phone or a laptop doesn’t confer them the moral high ground to decide an artiste’s financial status or taste for life. Truth be told, the young men and women who go gaga about ohangla and benga music do not have the financial wherewithal to attend their shows, robbing them of a key source of revenue.

The politicians who zealously use their music during campaigns dump them immediately the political fever subsides, and none other than James Onyango, he of the 2017 Nasa Tibiim song, can testify to this. He has been all over the media crying foul how NASA luminaries refused to pay him his dues despite the political outfit using him to hype up the crowds.

What this means is that many benga musicians are left to their own devices, performing in low-scale entertainment joints, whose earning cannot ensure day-to-day sustenance and future investment. The fans, nevertheless expect them to lead a Hollywood type lifestyle, a development which forces them to fake a life of flamboyance.

It is this juggling between reality and the expectation of fans that has condemned them into depression, but no one seems to care. We cannot expect Tony Nyadundo to be a Justine Bieber overnight when we do not spare a moment to pay for his shows.

Support musicians

Fans must support musicians, and the government must launch an all-out war against the monster of piracy that cripples Kenyan musicians.

For ohangla musicians to succeed in their trade, they should cease composing songs about the Luo political elite, and start writing lyrics that champion the plight of humanity like global warming, rule of law, democracy, poverty, diseases and stories that soothe the soul of human beings.

Benga maestro, Princess Julie, made a mark with her Dunia Mbaya hit that narrates the misfortunes brought about by the dreaded HIV/Aids.

But even as we seek to make money out of our talent and skills, it should not escape our attention that we cannot always predict the future.

This world is fraught with former millionaires who are today leading a life of penury because all their savings and investments have been channeled into treating chronic diseases.

There are many who fell from the Ivory Tower after their only investments were brought down during periods of political uncertainties, and today countless are in depression, thanks to the ravages of coronavirus.

Before we judge others, let us first walk in their shoes.

The writer is a freelance journalist and writer. [email protected].