Ta! Ta! Ta! Tata! Tatatata! Praaaaaakaaadum!
With every tap of the beat on the drum, it is an invitation, to a marvelous journey. The sounds of the drum encapsulate a joyful invitation to a musical expedition to a world full of rhythm.
Kasiva Mutua aka kasingoma or percussiva has harnessed this majestic instrument — enabling many of us to be in and hear stories expressed through this enchanting rhythmical space.
“Shelly, hey it’s been a minute, come for tea tomorrow at 4pm. I have something exciting I am working on”. Kasiva messages me. I was fortunate to experience this; it was among the few sessions where she was preparing to embark on a journey as a recording artist — a new fond chapter that would lead to the new project.
At the meet up, we are joined by guitarist Tugi Mlamba and vocalist Shitaqua. I take a moment to admire her wonderful abode, filled with an eclectic mix of colors and patterns. Every corner of the various rooms had pieces of little artefacts she has picked over her tour life.
What I adored was the dedicated bedroom for all her percussive instruments. At the time of the interview, Kasiva has over 25 drums and 70 shakers in the room — a devoted percussionist I would say.
The beginnings — tales from her grandmother
We are offered tea and mandazi and she narrates her musical background.
“I grew up a curious child. I enjoyed listening to my grandmother’s stories, my grandmother, whom I am named after, would tell me to go outside and listen to nature. ‘Listen, do you hear that?’ Listen to what the birds chirping outside are saying, the cows, the wind, listen.”
“As tradition, most evenings my sister and I would recline by the fire and listen to stories narrated by our grandmother. She would sit with a drum between her legs and narrate tales of our culture and tradition. A slow introduction to the language of the drums. Grandma introduced me to drums and shakers, celebrating our Kamba community’s spirit and also imparting moral guidance”.
These were Kasiva’s formative stages of appreciating nature, and how to interpret that into a musical language. She replicated the sounds on her thighs, chests, whistles, home crockery like spoons, plates, cups. She studied in BuruBuru Girls’ Secondary, Nairobi, where she got good exposure to the drums.
The making of percussive: a roaring percussionist
In her later years, Kasiva has grown to be an internationally touring drummer and percussionist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her exuberant performances reflect a panoply of influences.
Kasiva sips her masala tea as she explains what has now embodied as a percussionist. “A percussionist is any person who plays a percussion. A percussion is any instrument that you beat, shake, or rattle to produce a sound — drums shakers jingles rattles, or anything that recreates a certain percussive sound”.
“When I play music, I imagine myself as an artist with a plain canvas, these instruments are my paints and the stories are the color that add up to curate a beautiful artistic muse. How I create music is affected by different energies and moods. How I am feeling…I will express that how I am playing.”
The percussionist transitions into the recording space
The opportunity to express and veer herself to be a recording artist was mainly pushed by good musicians and comrades such as Mackinlay Mutsembi, Tetu Shani and Fadhilee Itulya. It is beautiful to be surrounded by musicians who see a potential and want to see you blossom and grow.
It was a daunting decision to make, she admits she is the happiest she has been. The results are beautiful and the music is excellent.
Moreover, she felt the need to touch base with the traditional sounds, as the popular culture had slowly made the sounds fade away. Through her life experiences as being a percussionist, she has also seen a rise in more women wanting to own and play the drums.
NGEWA — the EP process
It is her debut project, a roaring masterpiece of beautiful stories she has picked through her life experiences. “There is always doubt. It is like giving a part of yourself away. You are scared about the people’s response to it”.
NGEWA, the EP, starts with track Bantu with the Kayambas, shakers, birds chirping and heavy syncopated beats on the drums — we commence on a 15-minute journey with tracks like Hakukole, which reflects the Hawaiian art form of poetry and song that was used to ridicule a person in a sarcastic way, and fascinating tales of women and their role in society with tracks like Bam Chikicha.
“Women can be custodians of culture too, we are inherently nurturers”, I am bold, I use my drum to tell my story and my people’s stories, my roots shaped me and my culture is here to stay with me.
She acknowledges the scene has blossomed to be more accepting of women playing particular drums that were unconventional for them. She formed MOTRA, a space/collective where she imparts her knowledge on percussion to other aspiring musicians to also appreciate playing the drums.
Time is rhythm… Drumming is not what I do, it is who I am.
This article first appeared on Afreative Blog, Friday, 22nd April 2022.