By Stefano
During our recent concluded and published research on Benga and Kikuyu popular music we noted the remarkable influence of the accordion on East African Music of the 60’s and the 70’s. Accordionists shaped the successive development of music genres such as Benga and Mwomboko during the ‘accordion golden age’ in East Africa.
The veteran master players of the accordion comprised of World War 2 returnees and Christian missionaries. The returnees passed down the culture to the second generation artists (sons and friends) who at the same time were caught up with the popularity of new acoustic sounds such as the keyboard and synthetic sounds made in modern studios.
The use of the accordion has since declined with minimal traces of its use in East Africa. Although it is used extensively in Taarab music in Zanzibar, very few musicians still incorporate it in their repertoire in Kenya and Uganda.
Ketebul Music has identified this gap and has organized a comparative master class in African music that will endeavor to revive the use of the accordion in East African music. The five-day residential master class will comprise of a creative workshop for East African artistes drawn from Kenya, Zanzibar and Uganda and facilitated by Viviane Arnoux, an expert accordionists from France.
Our research has shown that accordion playing is popular in France (Mussette) and the African participants will highly benefit from the European discourse (origin of folk accordion music). Mombasa based Kenyan singer Nyota Ndogo, will also take part in the creative workshop.
Other invited participants in the workshop are:
Godfrey Lubuulwa of Baxmba Waves from Kampala Uganda - Accordionist
Tatu Amour & Tawadudi Khalid of Tausi Womens Taarab Group from Zanzibar - Accordion
Emmanuel Maina resident musician at the Bo