The day Franco brought down Kisumu walls!

Good afternoon friends,

Welcome to the music edition of the Lughayangu newsletter. In today's issue, we are talking about music in Africa. Enjoy!

Marimba

Marimba is a musical instrument of African origin consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with yarn or rubber mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators or pipes are suspended underneath the bars to amplify their sound.

According to oral history, marimba began a while ago in Africa, where holes were dug in the ground, wooden bars crossing over them and the bars struck to produce sound. Gourds that amplified the sound were attached to the undersides of the wooden bars.

Fun fact: Zimbabwe holds the world record for the biggest ensemble of marimba players. 202 students played the popular marimba song, Manhanga Kutapira, on the marimba for 5 minutes, earning Zimbabwe the record.

Enjoy this therapeutic video of students from Hillcrest college in Zimbabwe playing the marimba.

The day Franco brought down Kisumu walls

François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi, popularly known as the Franco, was the lead guitarist of TPOK Jazz, the most popular and significant African band of its time.

In 1988 Kisumu came to a standstill. The master of African Rhumba was in town. Makiadi was set to perform at Moi Stadium, Kisumu, to a mammoth crowd who had travelled from all over East Africa to dance to his popular tunes such as Mario and Mamou.

The venue was jam-packed, yet thousands of agitated fans were still locked outside. The crowd outside the stadium kept surging, very eager to see Franco perform on stage.

Hell broke loose when Mario song rented the air. The crowd went into a frenzy! They pushed the stadium walls, which came crumbling down, leaving casualties.

A similar incident happened in Tanzania in 1973. Two people died after being trampled on by the massive crowd who went to listen to Franco.

The legacy of Franco, the music legend, still lives on. To appreciate the impact that he had in Africa, you should check out the comprehensive documentary about his life.

Ingoma dance of the Zulu

The Ingoma Dance is one of the purest forms of Zulu dance. It is agitatedly danced and integrates high kicking motions. The dance is performed during transition ceremonies, such as coming of age initiations, weddings, childbirth, lobola (bride price ceremony), inaugurations of kings, victories and numerous traditional festivals such as harvesting.

Girls dance bare-chested and wear wool skirts and ankle rattles, while boys and men cover only their genitals and backsides with cowhides.

The Adumu Dance of the Maasai

The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania perform a dance known as the Adumu during the eunoto ceremony. The eunoto, which lasts for about ten days, is a ceremony where junior warriors(morani) transition into adulthood. They afterwards become senior warriors and are allowed to choose wives upon successfully passing the ritual.

Read story