THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN KENYA REGION

BY PROF: CHARLES NYAKITI
KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

Introduction
The discussion on the role of music in the region here refers to the functions or uses of music. As for the region, I am not sure whether our discussion should cover Africa; observe that music like language is a universal human phenomenon, which operates at both the biological and cultural levels. Biologically, a normal human baby is born with ability to make music, but the music that the baby makes when it grows up into an adult, is determined by the culture in which it is born and bred. The use of ‘vocal cords’ to produce ‘song’ and the body movements in space and time to produce ‘dance’ are the core original activities of music. Although research has revealed that their no society in the world without phenomenon, most if not all, have never agreed on what is or is not music. At the same time, most of the world societies do not have the equivalent of the word ‘music’ in their vocabularies. This has prompted editors of music dictionaries and encyclopedias and music scholars in general to avoid defining the word in their pubilation, unless the work refers to a specific music culture.

Music Region
In our discussion, we shall define music religion in terms of socio-cultural instead of socio-political one. But such discussions are bound to be problematic. This is because the overbidding socio-political conditions that led to the creations of the regions by the colonist did not take into consideration the existing culture boundaries. We find, for example, that the boundaries of Kenya, Uganda and Uganda and Tanzania (then Tanganyika) were drawn without considering the culture boundaries of the communities of the region. This resulted into cultural communities residing in more than one country. At the same time, the so formed, have so many cultural religions that is becomes almost impossible to think cultural regions but instead, cultural regions as the basis of discussion. In our discussion was to be based on East Africa Religion, then, we would discuss music culture of all the communities living in the region; If we decided to consider the lake region then, we would be talking about all the cultural grouping living around the lake, but if we were to consider Kenya as a cultural region, then, we would be talking about forty two cultural groupings in the country; we could as well be talking about Western Kenya Region as occasion suggest, then, we would be talking about the music cultures of the communities found in the region.

In whatever culture, the inhabitants have always created and used music for various purposes. Different genres have been composed and performed under labels such as traditional contemporary and others. Originally, the rituals genres were participatory and functional with the purpose per see. Of late, some of them are performed out of context hence they lost the purpose for which they were created.
Change of Song-dance Scenery.
Since the coming of foreigners into this region, the song-dance scenery has greatly changed. The change was hastened by the invention, development and acquisition of new technologies. Song–dance styles and instruments of foreign were adopted and adapted by the talented natives resulting into new genres. These formed the contemporary song –dance traditions of the region. In Kenya, for example, the adaptation resulted into genres such as the Kikuyu Mwomboka, the Luo Kinanda, orutu, gita, the Luhya omotibo and the costal Taarab. Bands such as Lake Victoria band, Kindu Band and others came into being. Solo guitarists such as Olima Anditi, Otina Mariwa, Oyugi Tobi and George Mukabi displayed their talents. The invention and development of radios, television sets, gramophones, records, cassettes, and video player to name a few helped promote the new genres and musicians. Educational Institutions and musical festivals took the lead the curricula and musical activities respectively encouraged little of the song-dances of the community in the region. The former President (Daniel Arap Moi) instituted a Music Commission (PPMC), which has so far been headed by three chairmen. It is unfortunate that the commission has yet realized its goals as it has so far failed to address the objectives for which it was created. Despite PPMC’s noble objectives, its second Chairman concentrated his efforts in vetting and marshalling choirs and dance troupes to perform for the then the head of state. The third chairman on the other hand, continued with what his predecessor did, but went further to invite choir leaders to practice hyms and other Christians songs and to some extents, a few patriotic songs to the head of state. He was more of a choir leader than a chairman of the PPMC. He resign to contest for a parliamentary seat. On the same note, the PPMC has yet to realize the objectives for which it was formed. It would note be too harsh to say that the three commissions chairman have not performed as well they should have. This means that some of the qualifications required for future appointments to the head of the Commission should include dedicated personalities; preferably music researcher scholars will love an d foresight for music of this region. This is because there is more to music than what meets the ears and the eyes.

History of Music
Music, Mathematics and astronomy were the fist three core subjects any learned person was expected to have studied among the Greeks. This role, although not taken seriously at the surface level, is quite alive and strong in major activities of the societies residing in this region. In Kenya, for example, the best performing schools in National Examinations have music in their curricula. Blacking (1976: vii-vii) in his book ‘’How Musical is Man?’ wondered how it was that at has preparatory school most of the scholarship were won by choristers, who represented only a third of the school and missed more than a third of the classes
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Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:44:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Obat Masira
Subject:Obat Masira ensembles