Congolese Muscian Kofi Olomide on stage. [Photo/allafrica.com]
With the music industry evolving every single day, it is surprising that some genres such as rhumba haven’t faded into the background. In fact, Kenya has seen the emergence of more and more Congolese artistes gracing the country for tours.
It is a music genre that defined generations until Rock ‘n’ Roll, reggae, hip-hop, pop and the likes became all the rage. However, some bit of it survived and until today, almost every radio station still plays the legendary tunes. In clubs, there are Rumba themed nights. For quite a while, people have perceived that only mature (read old) listen and dance to it. Is this true? If not so, how has it evolved and what makes it so resilient?
Kenyans embraced the genre after it gained its popularity in the 50s. If you were to ask the 70s and 80s generation, they will beam with pride on how they spent the days of their youth. During Franco’s concert in Kisumu, the perimeter wall around the stadium collapsed under the weight of a crowd, who stormed in just to catch a glimpse of the star.
Celebrated Congolese artistes Tabu Ley and Mbilia Bel even went on to compose the song Nakei Nairobi, with one version of the lyrics reading twende Nairobi tukamuone Baba Moi, which fronted the former President to lift a ban on playing foreign music. According to Mama Africa, one of the genre’s ambassadors in the country, rumba has a special place in the hearts of Kenyans.
Almost every renowned rumba musician has graced the stages of 254. From Franco, Mbilia Bel, Tabu Ley, Pepe Kalle, Soukous Stars, Koffi Olomide, Bozi Boziana, Papa Wemba and Kanda Bongoman, among others, each of these legends has visited and performed in the country. Some, even more than once. Take Cameroon’s legend Koffi Olomide, whose Ultimatum album was shot at Safari Park Hotel.