A GLIMPSE AT NEO-LIBERALISM AND ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA:why banks were against the capping of the interest rates by law in Kenya

Photo Courtesy of TheSpotlighNews.net

Recently,the President assented to the bill that entrenches into the law the capping of interests charged by the banks on loans and deposits at a rate not higher than 4% above the CBK's Benchmark rates.

This comes after other legislative attempts to liberate the exploited Kenyans from rogue banks which inhumanely have been charging exorbitant rates failed-twice.One of the overriding arguments from the banking sector and economic pundits has been that Kenya is a liberalized market economy and state interference in the hitherto well-established and mega-profit generating financial sector will be counterproductive in so far as economic gains which have been made in Kenya is concerned.

Economic gains.They said.

That seemed a valid counterargument to those of the proponents of the capping law till you looked at the impoverished social and economic state of the masses vis-a-vis the fat waist and cheeks of the banks and you realized that the banks and the so-called economists have been talking as if they live on Mars and not Kenya.

With interest rates banks have been charging being  as high as 24% in most banks and higher than this in other few,have only ensured that they make illicit profits at the expense of the ordinary people they have impoverished and rendered their helpless financial slaves yet every year we have celebrated Madaraka Day as if we are really free; amidst the glaring immoral inequalities in our so-called "liberalized" economy.

Recently ,Equity Bank announced its 10.1 billion net profit for just half of its financial year ended June 2016. 10.1BILLION!In just half a year!And we are supposed to applaud.Admire.Celebrate and condemn those that can't claim same fete.This is supposed to be efficiency and excellence at their best.But at whose expense?How does this translate to social and economic growth of this sector of the world called Kenya?You ask these questions and you realize we have been fooled.It is arrested development in a system where daylight robbery,neo-slavery,down-trodding of the people through exploitative monopolistic mechanisms have been accepted in the society that we don't realize anything is wrong with our space at all.

This has been NEO-LIBERALISM at work.

Through capitalism and the grave influence of international organizations such as IMF,WTO and World Bank which we have never been independent of as far as our need for partners in our development agenda is concerned,we have embraced them and their hard-to-notice neo-liberalism so much that it is a way of life in our new capitalist nation that is silently arresting our development through perpetual poverty,wide gaps between the rich and the poor,lack of state urgency in creation of jobs,dysfunctional education,health and security systems,corruption and glorification of the rich and wealth without questioning the origin of such wealth,exhibitionism by the rich,rampant individualism at the expense of working for the nation's well being,inefficiencies in public service...

According George Mobiot of The Gurdain newspaper,Neo-liberalism as coined by its proponents Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises in 1938 is an ideology that sees competition as the defining principle of human relations;where merit is rewarded and inefficiency punished.

"In its philosophy of competition those who win are the achievers-captains of industry-Forbes top 100 or something of that sort, but those who fail are "defined or self defined as losers",Third World economies-

The  freedom that neo-liberalism offers,the same that bankers in Kenyan wanted, " is freedom for the pike,not the minnows".As Mobiot further puts it, " Freedom from regulations...means freedom to charge iniquitous rates of interest"-at the expense of economic emancipation and empowerment of the Kenyan people our banks are legally and morally obligated to do.

So when the bankers went out of their way to pile pressure on the president not to sign the bill into law and came up with frivolous goodies to hoodwink Kenyans into supporting their position,it was the dark demon of paranormal neo-liberal competition and social and economic inequities doing what it does best-protecting its new world order of neo-liberalism that is choking the world by the rise of dichotomized arena of  the few  super-rich individuals,companies or corporations and nations who are admired and celebrated by the world and the poor and condemned who are told to blame themselves for their inability to be creative,aggressive, assertive and individualistic enough to be where the lucky few are.

Just as Naomi Klein in her book "The Shock Doctrine" states that neo-liberalism theorists advocated use of crises to impose unpopular policies" the pissed-off banks have been quick to prophesy that the signed amendment to the banking law will have dire consequences including locking out SMES and high risk Kenyans from accessing loans.This tells you  Crises Phase in Kenya's Financial sector is about to begin with the consequent decline in economic growth because bankers warned us of our reckless desire and demands.

So,here we are:the state at war with neo-liberalism.Will the state's bold move on neo-liberalism save us from the dark pit  of arrested  development? How much more do we need to do to liberate our existence from the yoke of this limiting ideology? At what point should we entertain neo-liberalism? What measures do we need to ensure this philosophy is applicable within checks?

I AM NOT A POET, NOT EVEN A WRITER

Have you ever wondered how life happens to us?How our failure to consistently abide by our prior plans for our lives ridiculously change everything?Complicate things?You glance over your past and consider the winding path you have come and you wonder if that has been really you.Countless decisions made along the way; some in haste,some well considered and others thought well considered till you really realize the fact basis wasn't right.Yet you are here.With consequences to live and tonnes of more decisions to make.It is life.

So,at some point I went to college.Well that is good.I studied English and Literature.Mmmh.OK.And then I wrote a poetry book.OK.Purple Bloom for that matter.Yees.

It has been...10years?Yeah,ten years of painstakingly learning to do what,if you were to ask me,I have had no business teaching my self to do best.I could have been a scientist-whichever discipline of science my head could have taken me to,an architect,a painter,an artist,a banker-These were my desires-but not writing.It has been a long tiring journey of learning to realize a thing that I can't explain why I so badly needed to be done but which impulsively and calculatively I have felt over the years must be done instead of the easy obvious choices I could have taken to just like fish takes to water.

So,have I been a victim of my own changed flow of life?Yes.One day in 2014, I woke up and I felt for once I needed to do something crazy.I needed to publish a book-hitherto not part of the script.The feeling was right.The holy spirit was at work-I think so.I went to the custodian of my paltry wealth and demanded to be given a good portion of what is mine; a portion of what I am supposed to live on, to publish a book.It didn't matter what I was going to survive on.No.Whether the book would sell-who cared?The moment was right.The feeling good.I was going to push 8years of writing to the edge of precipice.And it was done.It was so fulfilling.

The fact that I studied Literature and English didn't warrant the bold step out of a comfort zone to spend ones fortune on publishing a bunch of words in verse for reasons so twisted when sure investments opportunities were available.No,there are other flimsy reasons.It is the burden of the calling.

I don't think of myself as a poet.Or a writer.No. 'Am a man of few useful talents.I am still looking for my what my real talent is.I am just that guy who occasionally is visited by "lofty" ideas that in their powerful spell  make me do one of those few things I know just a little how to do-write.

When I did my book,it wasn't 'cause I am a good writer.Real writers know themselves.I know of many  writers out there.Very good writers.Very good Poets.And I bet you know them too.

For me,when under the control of the spell of strange muse I can't shake off,I write.Call it "juogi" .Ask Adipo Sidang,he will enlighten you about how this thing works.

I labour with words because it is my calling,not because I am good.No.I write,not thinking of money,because prior to today, I didn't have that money; many people have been here before me and some had lots of money yet some never had it yet they have all lived-the wheels of life never stopped turning because of such disparities-some happy,some sad-then they went on to death,each leaving their tales that defined what people thought of what their being here changed or meant.

I Write poems because that is who I am.It is what I must do.Bacause no matter how less poignant what I create is,how less aesthetic,less mature or very creative,well thought of...it matters not.What comes to me that has to be said must be said because it is one of the many pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of the tale of our existence that I must provide to help complete the whole tale of what and who we are.

And so writing I must.Publishing I must.The calling has been,is and will always be right.The feeling is just awesome.

Ratatouille:Lessons for me

Movie poster for Ratatouille

Great stories are always woven in creative ways that sucks you into their fabric that you become every element of the stories lives.To deliver memorable moral lessons means breaking rules; venturing beyond the confines of the normal in order to deliver artistic masterpieces that conquers the imagination of the audiences who live cherishing an artistic piece for its many subtleties, the ferocity of its portrayals  and its lasting impact on those that consume its offers.

I love cartoons and animation movies.I love "Tom and Jerry". It isn't it just hilarious?Its ingenious way of characterizing relationships in the society is may make you lose yourself in laughter but its many lessons are always well served; always sticking out in the mind as if you were the very characters in the cartoon.It is awesome.When you look beyond what many would consider a thing for entertaining kids,there before us is the work of the greatest artistic mind that will ever walk this earth.Then there is The "Ice Age" Franchise.Samurai Jack.Detective Bogey...The list is endless.

I got a chance to indulge in such easy-to- condemn peculiarities by watching  the Jan Pinkava and Brad Bird's 2007 Walt Dysney and Pixar Animation Studio's computer animated  French-based cooking comedy "Ratatouille" and found the story really inspiring and entertaining but above all, the witty attack on the whole enterprise of CRITICISM.

Anyone that has ever created anything or ventured to do anything no one has ever done knows  the wrath of critics.The world can be unforgiving and many dreams and talents that would have been a wonder have been crushed to pieces beyond redemption by the vile and lethargic venom of the critics.Those that have survived to be something are the thick-skinned- big-hearted men and women who have refused to give in to the darkness that  critics vomit from their cowardly righteous sanctuaries.

Ratatouille gently and forgivingly turns the spotlight on the critics' hideous sanctuary of righteousness and know-it-all foul airs,educated them,but forgiven them.Yet "Ratattouille" is just an animation with the protagonist being a RAT!

This animation challenges the norm that greatness is a preserve of the few; the already established and known names.Chef Gusteau's,the celebrity chef in the fictional Paris, is destroyed by the work of the hard- to-please and sadistic fat-egoed critic,Ego,who discredits his work when he ventures beyond the normal to create new recipes for dishes that no had thought about before.His desire to create new becomes his doom because the critics don't see the good,the possible and the exciting in what he is trying to do.Gusteau believes that "any one can cook" which essentially translates to "any one can be what they want to be.There are no limits.You just need to want what you want to be and then become it.The limit is yourself."It's this ideology of possibilities and space for all that want to explore that inspires Remy,a rat,to break from the bondage of just being a rat and doing what rats are supposed to do-stealing food from humans-to do what no rat had ever thought of doing:becoming a super-chef,which he accomplishes against all odds and disapproval from his friends,family and the humans.

When Ego,the critic who crushed the old famous chef Gusteau  and his popular eating house hears that there is a new super-chef in town who has taken the dead one's place and that the hotel is back in business,he instinctively thinks of nothing other tearing it down again with his pen as he did previously.But he gets a rude shock.The super-chef,a rat,does him his favourite meal that only his mama used to prepare him when he was a little boy.He discovers that people,however new they might be new on the scene,can always surprise you in ways you can't imagine. He is forced to re-examine his principles.He confesses thus:

"In many ways,the work of a critic is easy.We risk very little,yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment.We thrive on negative criticism,which is fun to write and to read.

But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaning than our criticism designating it so.But there are times when a critic truly risks something and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.The WORLD is often UNKIND to NEW TALENT, NEW CREATIONS.The NEW need FRIENDS.

Last night,I experienced something new,an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source.To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement.They have rocked me to my core.In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto,"Anyone can cook".But I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant.

Not EVERYONE can become a GREAT ARTIST,but a great artist CAN COME from ANYWHERE.

It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's,who is, in this critic's opinion,nothing less than the finest chef in France.I will be returning to Gusteau's soon,hungry for more.The happiest of my life.But the ONLY THING PREDICTABLE about LIFE is its UNPREDICTABILITY."

For further reading,follow the links:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille_(film)
http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/a2/ratatouille-script-transcript.html

craft and aesthetics: Crunching Susumila's New Single ' Wewe'

The poster  for Susumila feat.Avril's new song 'Wewe'

He is taunted as the Mombasa's King of Afropop by those that follow the sound made in Mombasa.He is the most visible  and the most sought after neo-artiste from Mombasa,according to the claims of those those privy to the inside narrative of the music game in Kenya.

He has labelled his sound as Afro-Chakacha which true to his own perception of its making and delivery, is uniquely crafted around the popular coastal Chakacha rhythm which has been modified into a disco oriented uptempo beats  that are simple in structure but great in appeal.This, he fuses with other elements of the urban Afro-Pop and Afro-beat giving it a hybrid blend of the traditional and modern aspects that make his beat to be rich and complex in its package while maintaining quite beautifully unique and unadulterated appeal.

The man in question is Susumila.

True to his belief in his art,the one man who delivered hits such as Ihale,Hidaya(Feat.Chikuzee) and Acha Ngoma Itambae(Feat.Chikuzee-another great artiste from Mombasa),Susumila has released yet another hot single-WEWE- featuring the sassy and talented hinterland singer, Avril.

"Wewe" is a seamless blend of coastal musical nuances such as Chakacha beats and tempo(though a little faster) that dominates the whole sound track and a bit of Taraab in its launching.Making the rhythm richer are the  fused elements from popular Africa's musical sounds such as Congolese Rhumba in terms of the smooth and clean- toned solo guitar tune fused in the melody and which is rendered by the single finger picking groove in the climax and the anticlimax of the song.Within the same sound track is the superimposed electric guitar tune still played  by means of the uniquely African finger style that gives the song a smooth rock feel that weaves effortlessly through the song.These ingenious fusion of the unique solo guitar and electrical rock guitar  sound have worked powerfully in other musical renditions in other genres thus becoming the hallmark of artistic ingenuity in Afro-beat and AfroPop and the identity basis of Africa's sound and which have equally made 'Wewe' a fine song.

The song is a powerful rendition of the poetry of  the complexities of love and man-woman relationship characterized by accusations of pretense and betrayal by the men.This message is  delivered in the duo/bi-rendition dialogue or antiphonic approach pitting the man against the woman(Susumila vs Avril) as the man expresses his love and great desire to have the woman as his ('Kila npokuona,moyo wangu unadundadunda/Nakupenda, wewe/Endapo utapata mwingine,moyo itaniuma') yet the wary woman is cautious to easily fall into the man's 'trap' since for her "women have been victims of men who feign love but to whom the women are like bones to the hyenas which are discarded after use"('Kaka tulia,usije kwa pupa utaumia/Wanaume kwenu sisi ni mifupa kwa fisi/Mkishiba mwisho wanatumuagia matusi/Nisije nikawa wako,ukaniumiza moyo{sic}').

The duo antiphonic performance in the song that facilitates its dialogue rendition style gives the song a sense of immediacy on the matters of social justice it wants its listeners to think and talk about, the key ones being the need for a woman and man to be together in a loving and fulfilling relationship yet which can only be true in an ideal situation since anxieties of mistrust and imminent betrayal make realization of such just a dream.The solemn tone and mood of the song delivers efficacy of well executed intention of commenting on human relationships that has taken catastrophic turn in recent times with deaths,grave bodily harm and deep psychological trauma  in complex love triangles and violent relations in the context of GBV(gender based violence) in men-women relationships.

Having Avril grace the song with her amazing voice and powerful presence in the video has made this one of yet another great songs of 2016 .The song has grounded further the assertions that Susumila is truly the King of the Coast of Kenya.

To bring the highly sought after Nairobi based musician,Avril, to work with him in this project tells you of the recognition and respect Susumila enjoys due to the now undoubtable fact that he is talented,assertive and an energetic artiste.Going out of Mombasa to collaborate with a Nairobi based star also communicates his bold attempt to break the coastal jinx of people believing that coastal artistes are not easily sellable to music lovers outside the coastal region and they can only be small time kings and queens within the peripheries of their coast margins.

This song is great considering the powerful and talented minds behind it apart from the natural and smooth way in which Susumila and Avril weave their story of love and adoration of the beauty of the singer's love and doubt about relationships really working out.This song has been produced by Totti and the video done by Big Dreams under the directorship of Ricky Bekko who also directed the Hidaya hit.These guys are not new to music production and delivery of masterpieces.They have made Susumila great even as they themselves claim a niche of glory and honour in the music crafting scene within the Kenyan and East African arts space.

If you love the coastal Chakacha sound blended with modern urban pop music elements ,then this song is a definite listen for you.It is called "Wewe".
To watch the video,follow thelink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWc2DzaACsM

The King Coast,SUSUMILA,featuring AVRIL, drops a new studio single "Wewe":Another hot one of Susumila's AfroCHAKACHA flavour

The Poster for "Wewe" by Avril and Susumila

He is taunted as the Mombasa's King of Afro-pop by those that follow the sound made in Mombasa.He is the most visible  and the most sought after neo-artiste from Mombasa,according to the claims of those those privy to the inside narrative of the music game in Kenya.

He has labelled his sound as Afro-Chakacha which true to his own perception of its making and delivery, is uniquely crafted around the popular coastal Chakacha rhythm which has been modified into a disco oriented uptempo beats  that are simple in structure but great in appeal.This, he fuses with other elements of the urban Afro-Pop and Afro-beat giving it a hybrid blend of the traditional and modern aspects that make his beat to be rich and complex in its package while maintaining quite beautifully unique and unadulterated appeal.

The man in question is Susumila.

True to his belief in his art,the one man who delivered hits such as Ihale,Hidaya(Feat.Chikuzee) and Acha Ngoma Itambae(Feat.Chikuzee-another great artiste from Mombasa),Susumila has released yet another hot single-WEWE- featuring the sassy and talented hinterland singer, Avril.

"Wewe" is a seamless blend of coastal musical nuances such as Chakacha beats and tempo(though a little faster) that dominates the whole sound track and a bit of Taraab in its launching.Making the rhythm richer are the  fused elements from popular Africa's musical sounds such as Congolese Rhumba in terms of the smooth and clean- toned solo guitar tune fused in the melody and which is rendered by the single finger picking groove in the climax and the anticlimax of the song.Within the same sound track is the superimposed electric guitar tune still played  by means of the uniquely African finger style that gives the song a smooth rock feel that weaves effortlessly through the song.These ingenious fusion of the unique solo guitar and electrical rock guitar  sound have worked powerfully in other musical renditions in other genres thus becoming the hallmark of artistic ingenuity in Afro-beat and AfroPop and the identity basis of Africa's sound and which have equally made 'Wewe' a fine song.

The song is a powerful rendition of the poetry of  the complexities of love and man-woman relationship characterized by accusations of pretense and betrayal by the men.This message is  delivered in the duo/bi-rendition dialogue or antiphonic approach pitting the man against the woman(Susumila vs Avril) as the man expresses his love and great desire to have the woman as his ('Kila npokuona,moyo wangu unadundadunda/Nakupenda, wewe/Endapo utapata mwingine,moyo itaniuma') yet the wary woman is cautious to easily fall into the man's 'trap' since for her "women have been victims of men who feign love but to whom the women are like bones to the hyenas which are discarded after use"('Kaka tulia,usije kwa pupa utaumia/Wanaume kwenu sisi ni mifupa kwa fisi/Mkishiba mwisho wanatumuagia matusi/Nisije nikawa wako,ukaniumiza moyo{sic}').

The duo antiphonic performance in the song that facilitates its dialogue rendition style gives the song a sense of immediacy on the matters of social justice it wants its listeners to think and talk about, the key ones being the need for a woman and man to be together in a loving and fulfilling relationship yet which can only be true in an ideal situation since anxieties of mistrust and imminent betrayal make realization of such just a dream.The solemn tone and mood of the song delivers efficacy of well executed intention of commenting on human relationships that has taken catastrophic turn in recent times with deaths,grave bodily harm and deep psychological trauma  in complex love triangles and violent relations in the context of GBV(gender based violence) in men-women relationships.

Having Avril grace the song with her amazing voice and powerful presence in the video has made this one of yet another great songs of 2016 .The song has grounded further the assertions that Susumila is truly the King of the Coast of Kenya.

To bring the highly sought after Nairobi based musician,Avril, to work with him in this project tells you of the recognition and respect Susumila enjoys due to the now undoubtable fact that he is talented,assertive and an energetic artiste.Going out of Mombasa to collaborate with a Nairobi based star also communicates his bold attempt to break the coastal jinx of people believing that coastal artistes are not easily sellable to music lovers outside the coastal region and they can only be small time kings and queens within the peripheries of their coast margins.

This song is great considering the powerful and talented minds behind it apart from the natural and smooth way in which Susumila and Avril weave their story of love and adoration of the beauty of the singer's love and doubt about relationships really working out.This song has been produced by Totti and the video done by Big Dreams under the directorship of Ricky Bekko who also directed the Hidaya hit.These guys are not new to music production and delivery of masterpieces.They have made Susumila great even as they themselves claim a niche of glory and honour in the music crafting scene within the Kenyan and East African arts space.

If you love the coastal Chakacha sound blended with modern urban pop music elements ,then this song is a definite listen for you.It is called "Wewe".
To watch the video,follow the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWc2DzaACsM

Crafts &Aesthetics:Sheikha takes to fame with her big hit "Bahati|

The song begins with the techno sound minus the beats and vocals for about six seconds which misleads you to think it is Chris Brown’s ‘Forever’ cover of some kind. Then it quickly transitions out of the Eurodance effect that dominated Chris Brown’s hit song to a moderated up tempo smooth and exotic Afro beat that gives it the distinct quick signature of an African tune made in Africa though with incorporated elements from other pop genres from the US and Europe.

Before you absorb the rich dance nature of the song, a mellow voice seamlessly begins to ride on the rich rhythm and the mellow mood created by the techno and trance sound incorporated in the melody of the song. Before beginning to sing, a soft and sure female voice lets you know it is Mercy Wangari aka Sheikha.There is light hook in the beats which then transitions to the song itself  which is  a regular danceable fast tempo mixed Afro beat with now vocals fully rooled out that renders Sheikha’s poetry of love.

 

The lyrics are concise and precise, blooming into the deeply heartfelt render of one in love and wants nothing than to keep the love and the  loved due the realization of how difficult getting  love is which for her has been sheer luck thus the need to keep it by her side without letting go. The song which has been rendered in easy and memorable Swahili poetic style goes: ‘Kukupata bahati/Kukuacha sitaki tena/Sitaki tena/Nataka nitulie nawe(Getting you was luck/I don’t want to leave you/Ever/I want to stay with you..”.The song also acknowledges and celebrates the unique features of the loved one described as having eyes like the flowers and a love so sweet that become the magnetic force that binds the voice in the song in reverence, acceptance and submnission to the love he/she feels for the one being celebrated in the song, that is, ‘Macho yako kama maua/sura yako yaniua/mapenzi yako tamu kama halua”.The voice affirms her commitment in the relationship with a promise of ever being just and fair in their love without anxiety of betraying their union. This is captured in the lines: ‘Si unajua navokuepnda/si unajua sitokutenda/Si unajua/Si unajua”These lines have been delivered in a regular repetitive structure that emphasizes the persona urgent need to instill confidence, assurance and security in the loved on and the relationship as a whole for stability, satisfaction and harmony. The inconspicuous antiphonal feature of the male voice that weaves into the song providing a short response at unique points in the entire stretch of the song adds to its unique flavor and immediate resolution to the  song’s outstanding message as it provides assurance that the loved one is in agreement with the stated needs in the song.

The song is a piece worth betting every dime on due to its beauty and smoothness from the firm balance of its fused elements  that entail the moderate up-beat tempo of its Afro beat and the inclusion of the techno and trance qualities of its melodies that is common of the Euro Disco dance hall music. Its lyrics that are easy to grasp the gist of the proclamation and are short and measured to enhance rhythm in the song add to the general artistic construct of the song thus one get Afro-fusion delivery of a superb soft and quite interesting dance hall piece that one cannot resist dancing to and/or listening to.

The composition of the soundtrack has been done by Tribe Records which simply tells a promising tale of how diverse, talented and deep is the appreciation of our local music makers for amazing sounds. It is an inter-continental phenomenon with deep cross cultural bias creatively put together that is easy to  fail to notice since they have been  recrafted into a unique East African melody.

The video done  byPanorama Pictures is another piece of its. In as much as the dance scenes have not been given a heavy choreography investment in harmony and uniqueness of the dance styles and moves(like the beach scene), and that Sheikha is not much of a super dancer as such, compensations have been made. The scenes are simple telling the story of a girl taken over by true love and the need to keep and preserve and the a little wild dance scenes gives it a feel of unsophistication which is the essence of the call of the song, a simple love devoid of many entanglements. The village setting of the song away from glamour of the exotic creates aura of the simple just as the song’s voice wants it to be. The setting also authenticates the song a s a local East African song despite bearing elements that may make it sound a little foreign and extracted from the confines of the East African cultural influences.

The song and the video are quite interesting but there is a distraction that can easily take you away from enjoying the richness of composition the song. It is Sheikha.The songstress is a beauty. With an amazing voice. And singing talented. She fills all the other spaces in the song and its video that were beyond the reach of its makers and captivating voice and singing. Her attractiveness and soft spoken demeanor in the song takes the song to a new dimension. And the girl spits Swahili too!

The manner the song has been crafted makes it to be misleadingly a Bongo tune till you Google and you find that this is a Kenyan production by a Kenyan artist though with a heavy coastal bias. I had never had of Sheikha till I bumped onto the song on Youtube and skeptically listened to it.Sheikha or Mercy Wangari,a Qatar based Kenyan artist ,is not a stranger in the Kenya’s music scene but why her songs are yet to receive a wide airplay beyond the confines of Youtube and the small circle of her fans that love her music is a little disconcerting. It has been a matter of hours since I got to know her and already I have taken my hat off for Tribe Records, Panorama Pictures and this talented sassy diva how is ours to adore and celebrate.

Sheikha is undoubtedly one of the biggest East African and Kenyan music queens whose tenure in stardom has just started.I look forward to enjoy her Sheikha-reign and more culture-diverse productions from Tribe Records.

 It’s a 4 stars.
Follow the Youtube link below for you share of Sheikha's magic
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftXFXtsQFV0

Haina Budi,Eko Dydda

This song is poignant.Subtly subduing.It is about brokenness and remorse for having destroyed a beautiful  and superior relationship and upon this realization ,the urgent need to resolutely come back to that love and union walked away from but so powerful to draw  the gone away party back.Its scent is an acute feeling of that love that makes you weak and meek.

It is that pervading knowledge of helplessness to that object of longing that holds you in its spell you have nothing to do but submit to the immense power it has over you because it is the source of the ultimate  energy that powers and propels your whole existence. It is total submission to that one mighty force that forms the center of gravity to ones desires, longings and that sublime happiness that is always so fragile and so  consuming it borders on the edge of dark sadness if the link between the beholder and the beholden is severed, only that in this case the connection is with the higher power.God.The object of worship and reverence and adoration is God;the desire to love and worship being one that is irrevocable and overriding all other needs,the need to come to the devoted worship of GOD.

The opening lines to this powerful song goes:“Haina budi/Inabidi kurudi/I wanna do this/Ushaipenda mungu  design design yenye haina budi/so inabidi kurudi/I wana do this."

The song is Eko Dydda’s “ Haina budi” .The song of surrender of a prodigal child in whose loneliness discovers that no love is stronger and better than the one he/she severed links with and no matter where he/she runs to, that love is so strong and so sweet he/she has to go back to it.

Putting the message aside for a minute, this song and its video is a tale of the great artistic journey that  Dydda is on, the spiritual one not forgotten. It is a coming of age in maturity, calm and sophisticated with a heavy investment in subtle poetry of an all encompassing transcendental love and submission to worship that has been reworked in a composed and assure measured tempo of play and the smooth fusion of elctronica and house sound elements that have created the perfect feel of loneliness of a forlorn soul that run’s away from the master and embodiment of true love and has to come back to that love because none is better that it.

Eko Dydda’s signature stuttering rap style is not forceful in this creation but it is still present though much softened and refined than in the earlier works. The song on the whole has retained Dydda’s artistic signature that makes his sound uniquely his own with the characteristic hip hop foundation biased towards the crunk  effect that has been refined in his own artistic style that has set his musical sound from the rest of other artist around the world in the Gospel and secular music alike.

This song is also an acknowledgement of the greatness of God that that inspires the prodigal child to want to submit to that very power“Hello/Your Highness/we ndo King of Kings definition of Highness/Zingine ziko chini kama trao ya high waist”.

The forlornness of the prodigal child in the video is underscored by the unique setting of the song’s video shooting that enhances the mood of loneliness and the song’s speaker’s  distance from the love that he/she is supposed to be subsumed into for it is what is supposed to matter most.As Brian Cliff of Daily Nation  puts it: “That lonely and vast, arid plain where the sun sets against a golden horizon was a beautiful background choice for the video.”

The song and its message, style of rendition and the musical packaging has been excellently done.It is a true work of a well inspired art.

Watching it is so inspiring considering that every time Eko Dydda keeps getting stronger and better in his business of administering the Gospel through music and general musical art, commendation for his musical talent undoubted all the time.

To watch the video on Youtube,follow the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Xk9xnZbQo

Haina Budi,Eko Dydda

This song is poignant.Subtly subduing.It is about brokenness and remorse for having destroyed a beautiful  relationship and upon this realization ,the urgent need to resolutely come back to a love and union walked away from but so powerful to draw  the gone away party back.Its scent is an acute feeling of that love that makes you weak and meek. 

It is that pervading knowledge of helplessness to that object of longing that holds you in its spell you have nothing to do but submit to the immense power it has over you because it is the source of all the energies that power and propel your whole existence. It is total submission to that one mighty force that forms the center of gravity to ones desires, longings and that sublime happiness that is always so fragile and so  consuming it borders on the edge of dark sadness if the link between the beholder and the beholden is severed, only that in this case the connection is with the higher power.God.The object of worship and reverence and adoration is God;the desire to love and worship being one that is irrevocable and overriding all other needs.

The opening lines to this powerful song goes:“Haina budi/Inabidi kurudi/I wanna do this/Ushai penda mungu  design design yenye haina budi/so inabidi kurudi/I wana do this."

The song is Eko Dydda’s “ Hauna budi” .The song of surrender of a prodigal child in whose loneliness discovers that no love is stronger and better than the one he/she severed links with and no matter where he/she runs to that love is so strong and so sweet he/she has to go back to it.

Putting the message aside for a minute, this song and its video is a tale of the great artistic journey that  Dydda is on, the spiritual one not forgotten. It is a coming of age in maturity, calm and sophisticated with a heavy investment in subtle poetry of an all encompassing transcendental love and submission that has been reworked in a composed and assure measured tempo of play and the smooth fusion of elctronica and house sound elements works the perfect feel of loneliness of a forlorn soul that run’s away from the master and embodiment of true love and has to come back to that love because none is better that it.

Eko Dydda’s signature stuttering rap style is not conspicuous in this release but it is still present though much softened than in the earlier works. The song on the whole has retained Dydda’s artistic signature that makes his sound uniquely his own with the characteristic hip hop foundation biased towards the crunk  effect that has been refined in Eko Dydda’s own artistic style that has set his musical sound from the rest of other artist around the world in the Gospel and secular music alike.

This song is also an acknowledgement of the greatness of God that that inspires the prodigal child to want to submit to that very power“Hello/Your Highness/we ndo King of Kings definition of Highness/Zingine ziko chini kama trao ya high waiste”.

The forlornness of the prodigal child in the video is underscored by the unique setting of the song’s video shooting that enhances the mood of loneliness and the song’s speaker’s  distance from the love that he/she is supposed to be subsumed into for it is what is supposed to matter most.As Brian Cliff of Daily Nation  puts it: “That lonely and vast, arid plain where the sun sets against a golden horizon was a beautiful background choice for the video.”

The song and its message, style of rendition and the musical packaging has been excellently done.It is a true work of a well inspired art.

Watching it is so inspiring considering that every time Eko Dydda keeps getting stronger and better in his business of administering the Gospel through music and general musical art, commendation for his musical talent undoubted all the time.

To watch the video on youtube,follow the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Xk9xnZbQo