Hey music junkie,

For the past few days I've been operating on 60% of the recommended sleep. How do you do it? Is it through green tea, black coffee, or jaba juice?

Thursday was a unique day as I had to wake up at 7:00am. And at 10am, I was at Unseen Nairobi for the Africa Digital Heritage public history event. It was kinda private that's why I didn't mention it before, hehe.

What an insightful day it was full of panel discussions on community, audiovisual and living archives. We also watched an incredible short documentary about how ADH visited Akamba Cultural Museum in Emali and MADCA in Malindi. And while ADH ladies taught them digital skills, they learnt the power of preserving nature, culture and community. You can watch the Usanii ni Ufundi trailer here.

But why was I here you ask? I was invited to be a panelist (first time ever!) alongside Mutuku of Akamba Museum and Kiraga of MADCA. Seated in between these two cultural giants, I felt like an ant. I spoke a bit about our Hadithi Hangout project and artefact restitution. People later commended my speaking so I think it went well.

Some key takeaways I got from Histories We Tell event were:

• Archives are living memories - what we choose to remember

• It's better to cocreate an archive with a community than to curate it for them

• You can source historical information from music, old footage, even gossip

• Archive your own work for the future - save posters, publish scripts etc.

• Modern tools help us to digitize content, the real work is in preserving

After plenty of free snacks, drinks (non-alcoholic) and deep conversations, I left for Westlands. And even though I arrived at Alloy Bar & Lounge at 9pm, the show hadn't started. But when it did, we were all ears and hearts.

The last time I watched Cheif and The Marshalls live was in 2023, and mahn they just keep getting better. Conscious music that’s soothing, grounded and healing. Cheif made us sing along, laugh out loud and lift our fists in the air ✊🏾

Friday was TCHNO Takeover time. I missed the panel discussion because I was busy talking with Qwani about their popular Drunken Lectures and their Maandamano book 03 which they may never release. But if they do, you should definitely read it.

I was right on time for Ng’at Maler’s live techno set, and it was worth every second. With familiar percussions and folk vocals infused, it felt like African techno. And later Hasira Hasara, Merab and DJ KRETA from Austria took over with hard fast techno that you just had to dance to.

On Saturday, I was back on the streets - but on the greener side. AfroGoodness Cafe started with an animal movement class led by Fela aka dancing partner. Which involved both children and their not-so-flexible parents.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a picnic, listened to Liboi play her kalimba, and Komora accompany her on his guitar. In the children's painting area, I drew a grass hut inspired by one I saw in the ADH film. Then we danced the evening away to Insight Sound’s world music selections before the rain chased us away..

I'm still recovering from not-enough-sleep syndrome so keep me in your dreams. In the meantime, here's what to look forward to this new moon.

OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK

KRA & You in June

June is that dreaded month again where we have to file our taxes AGAIN. I don't know about you, but that's one of the least enjoyable and most stressful bits of being a Kenyan citizen

Thankfully this year there's hope, as that's the theme for the Our Money Year online course which I've been doing since January. In 4 weeks, we'll learn everything about taxes - from how to file your returns to how to reduce your tax liability. Join me and my new financially-literate friends as we empower ourselves this June 💪🏾

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Hadithi Hangout Chapter 8 at Santuri Salon

Hadithi Hangout is back, and this Friday we're going back to the 1940s! That's when the African Entertainment Unit went to World War 2 in India, and came back with important instruments that shaped Kenyan music as we know it.

Join our intimate book club as we continue reading the legendary Shades of Benga. And discover the pioneering Kenyan artists who toured Asia and East Africa even before we achieved our first independence. We'll also listen to some rumba and highlife classics just for fun 🎶

Nairobi Dub Club at The Mall Westlands

If you love reggae music, then this is your jam. Nairobi Dub Club Session 15 is a special one as it will double as the album release party of Zikki. Yes, that's the talented Kenyan reggae artist who's famous for the track “Welcome to Kenya”.

Supporting him will be Grammy nominated producer and saxophonist Mattiue Bost. And on the vinyl decks Jahm, Professor Joosty and Selekta Jay will be serving faya dub tunes all night long 🔥

Cinema in Nature at Karura Forest

How are you spending your Madaraka weekend? One of the best ways is through this cinema in nature experience where we reimagine what it was like to be a Mau Mau freedom fighter.

In this Sounds of Freedom audio film, we'll listen to an episode where Mau Mau GenZs go on their first mission to raid a colonizer’s house. After the immersive audio trek past trees, caves and waterfalls, we'll sit down and paint our reflections. And have a picnic afterwards because this is Karura.

Yup, this weekend is going to be hot - and I'm not talking about the weather. Prepare yourself for the glorious heat - and tax season in advance. See you soon!

Until next time
Stay high on music
Furaha