DAN CHIZI ACEDA & MZUNGU KICHAA ROCK BENGA vs BONGO

Words by Moses Mbasu, Images by Marius van Graan


The evening of Friday 28th January 2011 was a special night at the Goethe Institut, Nairobi as crowds flowed in from all over the city to watch the long awaited concert of this season; Benga vs Bongo produced by Ingoma Talent Management Ingoma. Benga vs. Bongo was a showcase of Kenya’s and Tanzania’s favourite music genres and at the same time uniting the two nations’ people. The stage lit up at exactly 8pm as planned with the MC of the night was Ingoma’s own Moses Mbasu calling on stage the Crown Prince of Benga – Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda. In the first half of the gig, backed by his Wananchi Band, Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda, stood tall on the auditorium’s stage belting out what has now come to be known as Benganology a multi flavoured brand of Benga that captivates anyone who has the veins to dance all night. In no time, the crowded auditorium turned into a battle for leg space as there was no room for chance. The Crown Prince plunged into his set does not fail, he started out with material from his album Suluwe then following into his newer hits ‘Soufle’, ‘BlackBerry’, ‘Sana Sana’ and ‘Saida’ just to name a few. By the time the Crown Prince was done, all you could spot was many wet faces from the dancing that ensued at the beginning of his set. If only that dance floor could talk the story would’ve been a bout a hurtful evening.

As the music went on, so did the filling up of the Goethe Institut auditorium to where there was no space left to dance except on each other’s toes. Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda’s fans were totally satisfied with his showmanship. He also made new fans who kept asking where he has been all this time. They had been served Benganology on a large plate and they embraced it with both feet. Next on stage was the popular Tanzanian sound of Bongo Flava by Danish born musician Mzungu Kichaa. This is one artist who enjoys a special place on the highly competitive East African music scene being one of the few Europeans that has passionately embraced African culture, music and identity without fail and without imitation. His style and grace makes him so accepted in East Africa as one of its own sons. What makes Mzungu Kichaa tick is that he is a true musician that he sings authentic Tanzanian music without sounding like he is a gimmick taking his place as a true pioneer of the art he help build many years ago in Dar es Salaam. As he hit the stage he retorts “I hear white people in Kenya don’t speak Swahili, well I live in Tanzania and tonight this is how we do it over there.” He broke into a Swahili freestyle rap that got the crowd cheer in bewilderment.  The show went on without any hitches as Kichaa kept the crowd glued to the dance floor. Bongo Flava had never been so sweet.

Kichaa gave the crowd his best hits such as ‘Jitolee’ which originally featured Prof. Jay, then ‘Wajanja’, ‘Ukiwa’, ‘Sista Kichaa’ and the reggae induced ‘Tuko Pamoja’ which was a favourite of those in attendance. The crowd danced all night and one thing that was clear was that people are starved for great live music by dynamic artists such as Dan Chizi Aceda and Mzungu Kichaa. Another thing that was clear was that these artists had permanently cemented themselves in the fabric of East Africa’s music scene. After four hours of amazing East African music, all CDs sold and all the sweat a crowd could produce, it was time for the crowd to go home not knowing what had just hit them. It was only Benga and Bongo folks so keep it here at Ingoma Talent Management for more amazing shows and musical genius. There is more music, news, collaborations and events in the pipeline. Follow us Ingoma Talent Management on twitter at Ingoma to get updates on all events by Dan Chizi Aceda or better yet for personal correspondence follow him on DanChiziAceda while Mzungu Kichaaa can be found on MzunguKichaa   


More Pictures: Benga vs Bongo Pictures

LIVE MUSIC: BENGA vs BONGO

It is time to showcase the beauty of Kenyan music – Bongo and Tanzanian music Bongo for the first time in East Africa. On Friday 28th January 2011 roads head to the Goethe Institut Auditorium http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184369098249281 on the

corner of Loita and Monrovia Street in Nairobi.  The agenda will be to dance your night away to the beautiful live tunes of Kenya and Tanzania so prepare yourself physically. Bongo has been known to get people hooked to the dance floor while Bongo has been known to keep couples stuck on each other forever. The choice is yours.

East African music has undergone tremendous transformation. Coming from an era when music was a mere spectacle to an era when music is a legitimate vocation, a sense of purpose and more importantly a vehicle through which vital messages are dispersed to the general society. The region has many music genres such as Kadongo Kamu, Genge, Taarab, Utake, Luga Flow, Kapuka, Mugithi but Benga in Kenya and Bongo in Tanzania are the ones that have surpassed all of them in terms of popularity and relevance. These genres carry the pulse of this whole region.  www.ingoma.co.ke

In Kenya, a generational music form called Benga has taken to the airwaves by storm producing some of the most memorable music material ever. This vast genre is spearheaded its top aficionado; The Crown Prince of Benga - Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=34042589814 who not only thinks, eats and talks Benga but believes that the whole world’s music evolved from it.  Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda is a special artist, an extraordinary songwriter and an amazing performer who give you tunes that make you feel Kenya from the east to the West.

Tanzania the nation of brotherly love is usually known as Bongo and its people’s preferred genre of music is Bongo Flava. The talent in Bongo Flava is immense but the and Danish artist Mzungu Kichaa http://www.facebook.com/MzunguKichaa who resides in Tanzania and has been at the forefront of this genre ever since its beginnings. He has been in Tanzania so long he is one of the most prominent names in the music business there. He stage performances are memorable and an awesome experience for first timers.  

By Moses Mbasu

INGOMA THE BIRTH OF A MUSICAL JOURNEY

INGOMA TAKES OVER

From Burundi to Kenya, Cameroon to Zimbabwe, Uganda to South Africa, the Bantu people know the word Ingoma to mean music by the drum. Truth be told, the drum is the most outstanding instrument in the music created by great music maestros of Africa. As the drum travels fro Africa to other parts of the world it is important that the music is preserved and there’s a high regard to the origins of the drum – Africa. Here at Ingoma Talent Management we celebrate the importance of this instrument in our music through giving musicians the most needed care.

Over the last few years, there has been an upsurge of African music talent that is shining throughout the globe and finally African artists are beginning to earn the respect they dully deserve. The world is now exposed to our Benga sounds vibrating from the shores of Kisumu, Mbaqanga from the Southern parts of Africa has now become popular through artists such as Oliver Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe. Lingala which is a mixture of zouk and African sounds has become a favorite all over the globe with many star globe trotting around the world. Africa musicians have earned their stripes.

In the near future there will be a scramble for African music and there’s a foreseeable battle for who will own the music of Africa - Ngoma za Wafrika. This was already demonstrated when multi-million selling Colombian artist Shakira did a rendition of an African Waka Waka for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. There was a major cry from Africans claiming that Shakira should have reached to the Cameroonian group Zangalewa to get rights for the song but that is exactly where the problem stems from. Did they really own the song? Ngoma za Afrika need to be documented and protected.

Here at Ingoma Talent Management we endeavor to do just that – to document, to showcase and to protect Ngoma za Afrika so if you ever hear your favorite African tune redone by an international star in future rest well assured that the songwriter has been dully compensated and there is a balanced benefit to all parties involved. So as we embark on the year 2011 the year of elevation, we want to elevate our artists so that it is not just about the music anymore, it is not all about just the talent anymore but its about everything else that comes with it.

Ingoma Talent Management brings you some of the freshest artists that you have had the pleasure listening to recently. We will be bringing you events, updates and on goings of artists around Africa. We go deep into the continent and bring out a son of Burundi - Nimbona Jean Pierre better known as Kidum the most sought after song writer and performer. Then we have the Crown Prince of Benga - Dan Aceda who is now a major name on the performance circuit in Kenya. Others are Habida, Nameless, New York native Denise Gordon. Keep it here for much more. It’s Ingoma Time.
By Moses Mbasu

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