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