Akamba Culture and Heritage
Who are the Akamba People
The Akamba people are a Bantu ethnic group who primarily reside in the Eastern and Southeastern regions of Kenya. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya, with a population of over 4 million.
The Akamba people have a rich oral tradition, with storytelling, music and proverbs playing an important role in passing down their history, customs, and values. Traditional music and dance are also integral parts of Akamba culture, with various forms of dance and music performed during festivals and social gatherings.
Overall, the Akamba people are a vibrant and culturally diverse ethnic group in Kenya, with a strong sense of identity and a rich cultural heritage.
​
Benga Music
Benga which translated as "beautiful thing" in Luo language in Kenya, It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Congolese finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban dance music that heavily influenced emergence of benga. There were also popular folk songs of Tanzania and Kenya's Luo peoples that formed the base on benga creation.
In the 1970s, inspired by this frantically emerging trend, various ethnic groups living in the densely populated regional enclaves gradually started embracing the genre, while injecting local linguistic flavors in their songs. As the genre’s appeal flourished beyond the lakeside shores, it was not uncommon to savor variants of benga songs with lyrics rendered in Kamba, Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin, Kisii, Embu or Meru dialects.
In Akamba Benga, the guitar plays a prominent role, with skilled guitarists showcasing their talent through intricate melodies and solos. The rhythm section, including various percussion instruments such as drums, shakers, and rattles, provides a lively and infectious beat that gets people dancing.
Akamba Benga music is often performed during social gatherings, weddings, cultural festivals, and other celebrations. It is not only popular among the Akamba community but also enjoyed by people from different ethnic backgrounds in Kenya and East Africa.
Over the years, Akamba Benga has evolved and incorporated various modern musical elements, including electronic instruments and influences from other genres. This has helped to keep the genre fresh and relevant, appealing to younger generations while still retaining its traditional roots. Akamba Benga has produced several influential artists who have gained recognition both within Kenya and internationally.
Photos taken at Akamba Cultural Center and Museum in Emali - Kenya
Preserving Our Culture Through Music
The preservation of indigenous cultures is of great importance as many aspects of it is quickly disappearing. For example many elements of my local Kamba culture has vanished in parent's lifetime. Our common values, beliefs, language, traditional foods, norms etc. are no longer practiced. The loss these cultural practices has led to reduced social cohesion and society-wide mental and health challenges because an individual's culture is closely linked with his/her/ sense of identity and belonging to a community.
Some of the visible ones include and not limited to:
1. Kamba Language: According to UNESCO over 3000 languages are at risk of disappearing before the end of the Century at a rate of one every two weeks. Although Kamba language is spoken by over 4 Million people in the Eastern African region there are early signs extinction as younger people opt to speak widely spoken languages like English and Swahili. Due to economic reasons there has been a large movement our population to bigger and cosmopolitan Cities. This has led to many forgetting their indigenous language. Some parents no longer see the benefit of teaching their children the Akamba language. This worrying trend has resulted in a major decline in the population speaking our native language.
​
​
2. Oral traditions and storytelling: The passing down of oral traditions, folktales, and historical accounts through storytelling is declining. This is due to the increasing reliance on written forms of communication and the influence of mass media. Most of these traditions and stories have not yet been documented and are at a risk of disappearing in our lifetime.
3. Traditional music and dance: With the rise of modern music genres, traditional Kamba music and dance forms are being overshadowed and are at risk of being forgotten. Some of the Kamba traditional music like Kilumi was a ritual for healing and used as an intervention for wide societal problems like drought, diseases e.tc. For example among the Akamba people, lack of rain is considered an event requiring ritual intervention.
​
4. Traditional Foods: Local African grains, fruits, vegetables, tubers, trees, and many aspects of its’ natural ecosystem has fed and sustained humanity. Many Africans, prior to the 20th Century, consumed culturally and traditionally appropriate foods, such as baobab, wild fruits, millet, Sweet potatoes, and yams. Many communities in the African continent remained largely dependent on traditional food plants.
However, in recent times, indigenous grains, fruits, and vegetables have been superseded, scorned, and relegated as poor people’s food. While exportable cash crops such as Tea, Coffee, sugar, and etc have been cultured, harvested, graded, and protected against insects, and pests with exceptional investment and research.
As a consequence, native foods have been shunned in preference to foreign and imported foods, negative stereotypes classified traditional African foods as undesirable.
In summary, preserving our culture is crucial for maintaining our community’s rich heritage, promoting cultural diversity, and fostering a sense of identity and pride among many communities. Music is deeply tied to cultural identity. The melodies, rhythms, instruments, and lyrics of a particular culture's music can reflect the unique aspects of that culture, helping to preserve and promote its distinctiveness. I intent to use my talent to document and showcase our culture to all my fans all around the World. I would also like to encourage the Youth to embrace our culture and be good ambassadors.