Kenyan protest songs still relevant years later

When youthful politician John Kiarie took to the podium to deliver a keynote speech at a campaign event in February 2011, the audience at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre’s plenary hall wouldn’t have guessed what was coming.

The diversion that KJ (as he’s popularly known) took right in the middle of his speech was like a bolt of lightning on a dark night. He started quoting lyrics from a local hip-hop song. “Vita ni juu ya tamaa, Mbio juu ya saa, Ma – ministers wanabadilisha magari kwa uwoga wa kufuatwa; Andika will leo in case kesho utamadwa….” KJ quoted, to the delight of the audience.

Using Mashifta’s 'System Ya Majambazi' lyrics, the comedian-turned-politician poetically described the corruption that had infiltrated the country’s football governing bodies, even as he campaigned for a candidate he hoped would end the vice at the organisation. If Kitu Sewer were in the plenary hall that February afternoon as his rap lyrics were being quoted, he would have been very proud of his composition.

As the dominant one of the Mashifta duo, rapper Kitu Sewer incriminates almost everybody on the track. Ma-pastor majambazi, ministers majambazi, ma-lawyers majambazi, na sisi vijana wa ghetto, maja-mbazi. It’s a hard-hitting, old school hip-hop track that has dug its heels into the national psyche, thanks in part to a steady stream of corruption scandals.

The latest scandal is the Ministry of Health’s Sh5 billion monster now referred to as the Healthgate Scandal. It’s figures make beneficiaries of the National Youth Service scam look like they were “eating” mere popcorn. 

SIMPLE STRATEGY

Wherever former anti-corruption czar John Githongo is, he must be saying: “I told you so!”  

In his book, It’s Our Turn To Eat, Githongo bemoans Kenya’s fascination with “eating” — a term referring to all the spoils of corruption. The vice is practised by virtually all bigwigs, and specifically the political leadership.

These never-ending corruption scandals, according to veteran deejay Hassan Ali, are keeping the flames of socially-conscious songs like System Ya Majambazi burning.

“When Mashifta wrote that song in 2004, would they have imagined how popular it would still be in 2016?” he asks rhetorically.

Having been in the entertainment industry since the Moi presidency (1978-2002), the burly DJ has seen many songs come and go. When Buzz contacted him, he was quick to offer a simple clue on why songs like System Ya Majambazi and Eric Wainaina’s 'Nchi Ya Kitu Kidogo' last this long.

“It’s a simple strategy,” he says. “Just look at what’s happening in Kenya and craft lyrics on what the citizens are complaining most about — you’ll probably have a song that will endure.”

This, coupled with packaging a song in a captivating video, is what will ensure its longevity, he assures.

Hearing the celebrity DJ’s opinion, one figures Eric Wainaina must have been doing the same when composing 'Nchi Ya Kitu Kidogo'! The song almost became an alternative national anthem?

Wainaina deliberately tapped into the same vein as Mashifta, as his composition resonated with the public’s frustration with corruption, although it was released years before 'System Ya Majambazi'. To distinguish himself from artistes who chant vague lyrics to musk combative content, the dread-locked, award-winning musician went to specifics. “Hata shule kuingiza mtoto lazima utoe mchoto; Road licence bei nafuu tutanunua, Huko Kenyatta madawa zimeisha, Masheet zauzwa marikiti mia kwa mia, Kwa elfu chache mshtakiwa ndiye mshtaki...”

The song proved to be an encyclopaedia of sorts on Kenya’s corruption dens. But a couple of years after the release, things weren’t so rosy for the man who also crooned a patriotic number, Daima Mkenya.

OFFENDING THE POWERS

At one point, the government even banned 'Nchi Ya Kitu Kidogo' from being aired on the national broadcaster, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. And Wainaina’s mic was even switched off when he was scheduled to perform at a Kenya Music Festival event.

Luckily, the popular artiste survived to make many more hit songs.

Included in the category of socially-conscious songs is Julius Owino’s 'Utawala', another hip-hop banger that tackled an entire spectrum of evils bedevilling the country. “Ufisadi, Ubinafsi, Ukabila…”

Juliani, as he is popularly known, sang on a track that many praised for its “double punch” effect. Not only was the five-minute masterpiece a poetic exhibition of sorts, it was also found to be full of “substance” by many music critics and laymen.

Unlike 'Nchi Ya Kitu Kidogo', Juliani’s 'Utawala' was widely tolerated by the government, even celebrated at some point. His appointment as a Vision 2030 goodwill ambassador is an obvious pointer to this fact. Perhaps the energetic hip-hopper has mastered the art of poetically speaking his mind through rap without offending the powers that be.

According to DJ Hassan, it is musicians like Juliani and Mashifta who will always have an audience in Kenya. He says that when songwriting is directly related to what’s going on in society, the result will be a durable song that will transcend generations.

“Songs that address society’s social and political ills, and which are attractively packaged in simple beats and videos, will perpetually maintain a vibrant audience,” he says.