Imagine it is the year 2030 and all the sustainable development goals have been achieved what would the world (Kenya) look like, what would it (you) feel like?
It is a thought to ponder...
Flashback to the present the struggle to attain these goals are real but all hope is not lost with an evolving movement started by the Mbogi Konnection. A band of four instrumentalists (and two freelance guitarists) with a strong background in spoken word poetry; Ice Tonic, Gugz Ngugi, Masese and Dullee Sigilai. Together with their right arm The Evolution Art Hub they pioneered #Unganisha a cultural music festival that seeks to bring together creatives, the general public and other industry players with the purpose of creating a globally resounding African rhythmic sounds and an environment where cultural music is embraced and promoted. In these, the event is subdivided into three: the Unganisha Trees, Unganisha Drum Café and Unganisha festival.
This far the Unganisha Trees and the Drum Café sessions have successfully taken place in Kikuyu at Ondiri Swamp and 902 street respectively. Their choice of the aforementioned wetland which is allegedly considered to be of unknown depth by the Chinese contractors and the second deepest in the world after Douala, Cameron. Ondiri Swamp serves a dire significance but of like many other issues/institutions/people in this country, it is undervalued .
Did you know it the wetland pours to Nyongera River, a tributary of Nairobi river and is the under source of the oldest Nairobi water source-Kikuyu Springs. Needless to say it is used by Nairobi Water and Sewage Company to serve the suburbanites in Karen.
So what is the fuss about?
Ondiri Swamp over the few years has been facing encroachment due to human activities like farming and malicious growing of eucalyptus add that up to global warming effects, the wetland is being sucked dry. Therefore, the initiative by Mbogi Konnection to save the it.
As the government figures it out Mbogi Konnection took it upon themselves to pull together a crowd and plant trees in the area,not only did they plant but they care for the 141 (61 pines and 80 bottom brush) trees they planted on the 10th Aug 2019. Later on the 16th a week later after passing by Ondiri Swamp Mbogi Konnection led a group to 902 Street for the Unganisha Drum Café session (watch here).
Here is a tease;
Remember the 'tum tum drums' expression? The vibe was real! Once your ear is hit by the rhythmic sounds of the handmade African drums in tandem with the Xenophon, saxophone, tambourine, gourd shaker and the a wooden version of the Mijikenda's ndere musical instrument it is an-of-this-world experience. A cultural spirit was hovering in the 902 st and the artistic souls were basking in it under the moonlight as the lead band member Ice Tonic ululated and chanted in our forefathers dialect. It was like a scene out of 'She's gotta have it' TV series (Sn 2,Ep 7, 28:19).Our bodies let loose off all the stress and burdens and gyrated in all manner of ways to the beats of the drums. I was fresh and empty like a hanging blank canvas on the wall ready for the next chapter?
Unganisha Festival is coming up, are we ready?
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