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A World of Sound: Kenya
By Sarah Godcher Murphy
Berklee.edu Correspondent
June 14, 2002
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Photo by Justin Knight |
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Vocalist Eric Wainaina (center) performed his upbeat, original song "Usiku Wa Manane," which means "late at night" in Swahili. He was joined by vocalist/dancers Wambui Thuku and Viola Karuri (in photograph, flanking Wainaina).
Wainaina's music is a blend of Kenyan benga rhythm and East African guitar styles with Western harmony. This combination has made him a pop star in his home country of Kenya, and "Usiku" is just one of many of his songs to receive widespread airplay on the radio there.
Last year, Wainaina caused a stir in Kenya with his song "Nchi Ya Kitu Kidogo," which literally means "the country of something small." In Swahili "something small" is a colloquial expression for a bribe, and the song protested the widespread corruption common to everyday life in Nairobi.
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