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Odhiambo Tusker: A School Dropout Who Never Forgot His Teachers

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Bernard Odhiambo Okome "Odhiambo Tusker Band Leader and Benga Artist  When Bernard Odhiambo Okome finally decided to throw in the towel, accepting that an end to his education had come, he was just a form one student at Makasembo Secondary School in Siaya County, Rarieda. Poverty had finally spoken in the most usual manner it does. There was nothing (and no one) to pay his school fees just one year after joining a secondary school. There was no going forward. And Odhiambo, an average student who, until that time was in good academics and discipline record with his teachers, walked back home knowing he was starting what would be a future with no immediate future ahead. Odhiambo was to find a way where there was not. The year was 2003, December.  Today, everyone who talks (Luo) Benga Music knows him . A few people may not know him as Bernard Odhiambo Okome but no one can deny knowing the name Odhiambo Tusker. Two decades later as a recording Benga artist, the name Odhiambo Tuske...
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Girwa Ni: Why Prince Indah May Not (Now) Please the Whole World He Once Successfully Pleased

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The young Prince Indah This post is not about Prince Indah or Odongo Swagg. I hope so. But I have noticed with a lot of scholarly interest, that as the "economics" of an (Ohangla) artist changes, so does the "style". Or there is always an attempt to transform the whole thing, different from its original elements, such that it communicates the evident (socioeconomic) changes in the artist. It proceeds from the humility that is a real reflection of the life of the artist as they begin-and the people tend to love it there- to a whole different thing. I will be accused of standing in the way of change, of experiments that have birthed nwe genres. Far be it away from me.  But the reality this side of the town is that at that early stage, an artist's (and I have a strong case for Ohangla) message gets the attention of many because majority of people relate with that (poor) life. And then as the efforts begin to bear the fruits and resources at disposal become more sop...
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But Who or What is "Ogwela ma Nene"?-Odongo's Hidden Advice to Gurdian Angel on Marrying a "Nyamgondho"

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It is not by chance that this blog has written about Odongo Swagg more than anyone else. I have attempted to explain what Odongo Swagg meant my his Chwade gi Nyundo message that caused an uproar. Many people have held that it was meant to be what people took it to be but that is now beyond the artist. In some advanced literary debates and conversations, there is a common view that an artist has no control over the meaning a reader, or an audience, chooses to give to their work.  Once the last ink has dropped and it is out there for consumption, a piece of art will have as many meanings as there are people having it on their plates. Odongo's biggest 2021 hit had one meaning in the ears, hearts and minds of those who heard it, a meaning that he has officially disputed in an interview.  But it seems Odongo will have many such moments. He is the man of the moment but I fear many people may only come to understand him later, when he is gone and there are other people holding the ...
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Ogwang' Lelo's Witchdoctor and the "Mulaya" from Majengo: Achayo Ywaya by Ogwang' Lelo

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Today, I have gone back to visit the granaries of the past and next to them, I have met some of the greatest Nyatiti, Ohangla, Orutu, and Onanda instrumentalists and singers who kept life happily livable those days. Three of these people are special and I listen to their works almost each day. They include Ogwang' Lelo, Oguta Lie Bobo and Omollo Obumba. I do this in no particular order. I do this for the stories that are told in these compositions and what they imply about the life that was there, then. I don't think many of our current-day songwriters are good enough with the art of storytelling as was the norm among these Nyatiti legends. We all may have heard about Oguta Lie Bobo's Rujina Kalando and the agwata that was stepped on with boots or Omollo Obumba's painful dirge to the slain Chief of Kano,Onyango Daudi Matengo, a friend with whom they smoked cigarettes. But to be fair, Ogwang' Lelo may have taken the lead in many ways because of his unparalleled ...
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Before Lying to Odongo, Bongisa Had Done It Before: Abiro Gi Diel Achiel by Boyieta Wuod Awasi

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We've finally put a face to Bongisa! Here is a footage in Boyieta's video showing someone who looks like the mysterious Bongisa leading the way while behind him is Boyieta with his one goa t .  Bongisa and Odongo Swagg In the first post we did about Bongisa , we described him as an ideal advisor to a musician, the type that may not be professional but has a great influence on them. But he lies too much. Bongisa as popularized by Odongo Swagg is a friend, a man in whose words he trusts.  Odongo, who we learn has known Bongisa for some time now and friends, sought his counsel when he first betrothed Nyambita. But it appears Bongisa may have lied to him. Bongisa told Odongo that the only way to win over Nyambita, is to lie. To lie, was the lie here.  So in Nyambita Mama ( Nyambita Part One ) Odongo went ahead and promised Nyambita big things. He promised to pay an aeroplane for a dowry. He promised her a car. And you see, by the time Odongo was promising Nyambita all these, ...
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"Asimio La Oserati" and the Kind of Visitors a Dog Must Bite: Cynthia Nyar Jogina by Amiso Thwango

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Amiso Thwango may be unknown to many but you may have danced to one of his biggest hits. Like many (upcoming Ohangla artists), he may just be a victim of the sudden rise in the consumption of Ohangla music that has seen hundreds of names, some you are yet to listen to or may never, rush to the studio with mics in hand ready to venture into the genre.  It appears Ohangla has become the easiest way to start a music career but still, it is clearly not for everyone. A few who have the "natural gift" and just the right creative instinct have risen above the crowd and have become household names. The world now is talking about Odongo Swagg, he of the  Chwade gi Nyundo  or  Nyambita  fame. But just before Odongo stole the show, it was Amiso Thwango that was on the lips of many.  Now, it is Amiso Thwango who composed and rendered some of the most controversial lines in praise of his girlfriend, Cynthia Akoth Nyar Jogina. In  Cynthia Thwango,...
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