Below is a link to highlights from last nights media listening
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/radio/blogdetails.php?eblogId=7731
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Newcomer Mumbi dazzles on the mic
Mumbi had a album listening for the Press yesterday evening and it was a great success. Check out this amazing article from Capital FM on her performance
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/3/92/5791-.html
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/3/92/5791-.html
Tuesday 15 March 2011
ZUQKA out and about
ZUQKA meets Mumbi.Rarely do I get to venture into the city during the day, but when Yvonne Wettstein, calls me for a Pivot Point graduation at City Hall Annex, I find it hard to say no. A fashion show impresses me, but it’s Yvonne’s performance that makes it absolutely memorable.
Now, Yvonne is a poet, and she is venturing into reggae music. Mix poetry and reggae performed by a lovely and stylish girl, and you get a star.During the show, I mingle with political activist Mary Wambui, Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Njoroge Ndirangu and the ever-so-motherly Nancy Wettstein, who is also the Pivot Point Director.
Monday 14 March 2011
Song Messages
1.Change
This song is a call to action, a wake-up call for each and everyone of us to start making the necessary changes because time as we know it is running out. Change can only come from within each of us. If we each alter our thoughts, attitudes and habits; if even half of us aspired towards happiness instead of fear, passion instead of security, hope instead of despair, the world would change - instantly.
2.Warriors
This is a warning from the oppressed to their oppressors, that though they may appear defeated they are not; nor are they helpless, blind, ignorant or afraid. It's a warning from the grandchildren of Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti and all the greats who've shown us that there is a different way. And we are not part of the army of destruction and madness; we belong to family of light and consciousness and our weapons are love and education, not guns, germs and propaganda
3. Merry-go-Round
Each and every one of us is currently trapped in some meaningless cycle be it physical, emotional or psychological. There are patterns in our lives; physical habits, thought patterns or emotional cycles, that have entrapped us in a life of perpetual return where we keep going back to the exact same experience over and over again. This songs calls for all of us to get off our own individual merry-go-round and expand our minds beyond our limited life and limited understanding of what life is really about because of always recycling the same thoughts, ideas, and emotions.
4. Keep Moving On
This song tells the story of the unfortunate yet typical experience of a black person's struggle to exist in a white man's world. Many black people around the world have tried very hard to assimilate themselves into the white man's society but the majority are never truly accepted. The song encourages black people to 'keep moving on' no matter how tough life is because there is something beautiful awaiting each of us on the other side of this mountain. The only thing standing in our way is this mountain of racism, segregation, hatred, fear, animosity, antagonism, despair and desperation.
5. I'm In Love
The only love song on the album, this lullaby is for our soul mates who may not be with us at this time either because of work, or war or other commitments that have taken them far away. It lets them know that regardless of where in the world they are, we love them and miss them with the same passion as the day they left us.
6. Kazi ya Mungu (God's Work)
No matter what path you decide to take in your life be it in your choice of religion, career choice and social choices, its always important to make an informed decision having examined from a neutral perspective, all the options available to you. This is a story of my personal journey back to the God of Zion after studying the various scriptures of the world and consulting with the elders of my tribe, my grand ma, my mother, and my peers.
7. Jerusalem
For the last thousand Years the Black Nation has been trying to liberate itself from the claws of Darkness. And all this times we've tried, our efforts have been thwarted. But now the Golden Age has come and nothing can stop the idea of freedom. No Force, No Army - Be Strong!! And like the migrating birds we're gonna spread our wings and fly; out of the darkness of misunderstanding, and into the light of truth about who we are and where we really came from.
8. Zion is my Destiny
This song is an international anthem for all the children of zion scattered around the world. The great return has begun. In the last decade millions of Africans have returned to the motherland and the numbers are increasing every year. In fact, everyday there are Africans across the continent, returning home for good. The time to return is now, Africa is not the Africa we left behind, the African mind has expanded, transformed and this change of attitude and expectation will completely transform us and our homeland.
9. Sing Praise
Every night before we go to sleep we should get on bended Knee and pray, thanking God for delivering us through another day. So sing praise to God and remember what he has done for us. Know his light shines on all of us and his guidance protect us
10. Love Vibration
Floetry at its best, the mix of song and poetry. This song is a fictitious narration of a typical working girl after a busy day at work.
11. Take me Away
Every other woman you meet has been physically, emotionally or sexually abused at some point in their lives. Worse still, every 30 minutes a woman in Kenya is a victim of some form of gender violence. Such statistics are the reason I share this story of my own struggle to escape from an abusive man's hands. This was the hardest song for me to sing and once I finished it I cried all the way home... home being 3 hours away from where I was recording.
I hope in sharing my story a woman out there will be touched and make that extremely difficult but important and life-saving decision to walk away. Keep telling yourself what you know. YOU DESERVE BETTER!
12. Free
The last song on the album, this song is really a reflection of where I am right now and how arrived at this point because it really was not easy. It speaks of my struggle with emotions such as fear, misery and discouragement.
But the one thing I have realized on this journey is that the positive things we do today will make bear fruit and make tomorrow a better day.
BIOGRAPHY
Mumbi, the singer with a difference
Mumbi was born in Nairobi, Kenya on February 2nd 1980. She started singing at an early age, performing in school choirs, plays and musicals as a soloist in St Andrews Turi, Banda Preparatory School, Hillcrest High School and later Rosslyn Academy. She won her first award in music at St. Andrews Turi when she was 7 years old. 9 years later, at the age of 16, Mumbi was inaugurated into the International Poetry Hall of Fame and nominated to the prestigious International Poet of the Year award that is held annually in Washington DC, USA, for her poem entitle we are no longer slaves. In 1998, she moved to Chicago where she double majored in International Business Administration and Organizational Development at Loyola University of Chicago, a Jesuit University. The windy city, known for its legendary blues, jazz and house music, exposed her to some of the great jazz and soul musicians that Chicago has to offer such as Herby Hancock and George Clinton as well as renowned contemporary artists such as R Kelly. Attending jazz concerts, raves, reggae concerts, house clubes and blues lounges, formed the basis of her musical foundation and Mumbi was reignited with the passion to sing and perform the world over.
In 2002, having graduated from Loyola University with a double major, Mumbi was selected to be part of a group of 20 youth experts from around the world to organize the first ever Youth Forum at the Civil Society Forum in Geneva Switzerland. This meeting brought together public, civil and private sectors stakeholders to discuss issues related to public policy, health and the environment. When the conference ended, Mumbi was offered an internship at the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with the United Nations (CONGO) for three months. This experience gave Mumbi tremendous insight into the issues and concerns of NGOs and the crucial roles they play in their communities across the world but especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
While working for CONGO, Mumbi was invited to appear as a Guest Expert (Youth Representative) at the Sub-Commission for Human Rights Round-tables and the World Bank Meeting on PRSPS 7/2002 in Geneva. But Mumbi had not forgotten her passion for music and during this period she spent a lot of time writing songs about her experiences and taking voice lessons part time.
Geneva, headquarter to over 100 United Nations agencies including the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Properties Organization, etc proved to be a melting pot of ideas for Mumbi exposing her to professionals from around the world. Upon completing her internship, Mumbi enrolled into a Masters Program at Webster University where she studied Human Resource Planning. During her Masters program, Mumbi worked for various UN agencies.
In 2005, Mumbi graduated with her Masters Degree from Webster University and returned to Kenya for a short period. During this time she recorded her first song, Ni We a Kikuyu love song that addresses the challenges of bringing a love interest from a different religion, tribe or nationality home to meet the parents . Upon returning to Geneva, Mumbi worked at the Economic Development Bureau for Africa in the World Intellectual Properties Organization for one year, where she was responsible for organizing IP meetings in different countries across Africa including Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda. Her experience at WIPO at the time was a sad one, however, as only 1 out of 50 African countries had an Intellectual Property Strategy that protected their intellectual talent and traditional knowledge from exploitation.
This experience triggered a period of intense research and study on the plight of Africans and the cause of current injustices across the continent. She poured through the works of people like Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Martin Luther King, Malcom X, as well as African greats such Kwame Nkurumah, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Ken Saro Wiwa to name a few.
Mumbi was amazed at what she read and decided to start writing songs with a message, the message being Africa's tremendous heritage and bright future that would come after almost 2000 years of exploitation, mayhem and destruction. In the same year, 2008, she also enrolled in a Doctoral program at the Geneva School of Diplomacy where her theses examined the great return migration of Africans back to Africa, something that Mumbi believes is just on the horizon. It was at this time that Mumbi also recorded her debut album with Jamaica's renowned reggae producer Dameon Gayle in Bern, Switzerland. She also completed her first book entitled All Thoughts Come True which explores the power of positive thinking on our lives. During this time Mumbi was also singing with swiss reggae group Jah Man Gang and performed at various concerts and several festivals including the Swiss Reggae Festival where she opened for Anthony B and the European Reggae Festival also held in Switzerland.
At the end of 2009, Mumbi was sent by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, in her capacity as the Technical Officer for Data Quality, to Kenya to audit the quality of data being gathered for HIV, TB and malaria patients. Visiting different hospitals and clinics across the country and seeing the plight of her people and the government's dependence on foreign aid rather than on nurturing local talent and potential that would liberate the country once and for all, Mumbi decided to resign from her job and return to Kenya to pursue her music ambitions and join the ongoing struggle for Africa's true emancipation.
A Poet at heart, Mumbi's debut album is a call to action for all Africans across the world to start taking their destiny into their own hands. The self-titled album reminds young Africans about their heritage while calling for them to 'change their ways before the end of days', as the time of oppression and despair must come to an end. Mumbi blends Rhyme and Rhythm to create what she likes to call 'Message Music' with songs such as Change, In Zion is Jerusalem, Zion is my Destiny, and time to get off the merry-go-round.
The album will be launched in May, 2010 and will coincide with the launch of Mumbi's book All Thoughts Come True as well as a self-titled book of poems and prose all of which explore the process of taking responsibility for your life, your thought and your actions. As Ghandi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”
"In African culture” says Mumbi, “music is a powerful medium to communicate amongst ourselves. Music has always been an instrument of evolution and advancement. Through music Africans have educated their children, passed history and customs from one generation to the next, and communed with God. In this age our generation has the opportunity to use music as an instrument of change, as it connects people the world over." An activist of positive social change, Mumbi believes that national change starts with changing an individual's habits and attitudes by altering the way they think and taking full responsibility for their actions by taking their thoughts seriously.
Mumbi was born in Nairobi, Kenya on February 2nd 1980. She started singing at an early age, performing in school choirs, plays and musicals as a soloist in St Andrews Turi, Banda Preparatory School, Hillcrest High School and later Rosslyn Academy. She won her first award in music at St. Andrews Turi when she was 7 years old. 9 years later, at the age of 16, Mumbi was inaugurated into the International Poetry Hall of Fame and nominated to the prestigious International Poet of the Year award that is held annually in Washington DC, USA, for her poem entitle we are no longer slaves. In 1998, she moved to Chicago where she double majored in International Business Administration and Organizational Development at Loyola University of Chicago, a Jesuit University. The windy city, known for its legendary blues, jazz and house music, exposed her to some of the great jazz and soul musicians that Chicago has to offer such as Herby Hancock and George Clinton as well as renowned contemporary artists such as R Kelly. Attending jazz concerts, raves, reggae concerts, house clubes and blues lounges, formed the basis of her musical foundation and Mumbi was reignited with the passion to sing and perform the world over.
In 2002, having graduated from Loyola University with a double major, Mumbi was selected to be part of a group of 20 youth experts from around the world to organize the first ever Youth Forum at the Civil Society Forum in Geneva Switzerland. This meeting brought together public, civil and private sectors stakeholders to discuss issues related to public policy, health and the environment. When the conference ended, Mumbi was offered an internship at the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with the United Nations (CONGO) for three months. This experience gave Mumbi tremendous insight into the issues and concerns of NGOs and the crucial roles they play in their communities across the world but especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
While working for CONGO, Mumbi was invited to appear as a Guest Expert (Youth Representative) at the Sub-Commission for Human Rights Round-tables and the World Bank Meeting on PRSPS 7/2002 in Geneva. But Mumbi had not forgotten her passion for music and during this period she spent a lot of time writing songs about her experiences and taking voice lessons part time.
Geneva, headquarter to over 100 United Nations agencies including the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Properties Organization, etc proved to be a melting pot of ideas for Mumbi exposing her to professionals from around the world. Upon completing her internship, Mumbi enrolled into a Masters Program at Webster University where she studied Human Resource Planning. During her Masters program, Mumbi worked for various UN agencies.
In 2005, Mumbi graduated with her Masters Degree from Webster University and returned to Kenya for a short period. During this time she recorded her first song, Ni We a Kikuyu love song that addresses the challenges of bringing a love interest from a different religion, tribe or nationality home to meet the parents . Upon returning to Geneva, Mumbi worked at the Economic Development Bureau for Africa in the World Intellectual Properties Organization for one year, where she was responsible for organizing IP meetings in different countries across Africa including Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda. Her experience at WIPO at the time was a sad one, however, as only 1 out of 50 African countries had an Intellectual Property Strategy that protected their intellectual talent and traditional knowledge from exploitation.
This experience triggered a period of intense research and study on the plight of Africans and the cause of current injustices across the continent. She poured through the works of people like Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Martin Luther King, Malcom X, as well as African greats such Kwame Nkurumah, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Ken Saro Wiwa to name a few.
Mumbi was amazed at what she read and decided to start writing songs with a message, the message being Africa's tremendous heritage and bright future that would come after almost 2000 years of exploitation, mayhem and destruction. In the same year, 2008, she also enrolled in a Doctoral program at the Geneva School of Diplomacy where her theses examined the great return migration of Africans back to Africa, something that Mumbi believes is just on the horizon. It was at this time that Mumbi also recorded her debut album with Jamaica's renowned reggae producer Dameon Gayle in Bern, Switzerland. She also completed her first book entitled All Thoughts Come True which explores the power of positive thinking on our lives. During this time Mumbi was also singing with swiss reggae group Jah Man Gang and performed at various concerts and several festivals including the Swiss Reggae Festival where she opened for Anthony B and the European Reggae Festival also held in Switzerland.
At the end of 2009, Mumbi was sent by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, in her capacity as the Technical Officer for Data Quality, to Kenya to audit the quality of data being gathered for HIV, TB and malaria patients. Visiting different hospitals and clinics across the country and seeing the plight of her people and the government's dependence on foreign aid rather than on nurturing local talent and potential that would liberate the country once and for all, Mumbi decided to resign from her job and return to Kenya to pursue her music ambitions and join the ongoing struggle for Africa's true emancipation.
A Poet at heart, Mumbi's debut album is a call to action for all Africans across the world to start taking their destiny into their own hands. The self-titled album reminds young Africans about their heritage while calling for them to 'change their ways before the end of days', as the time of oppression and despair must come to an end. Mumbi blends Rhyme and Rhythm to create what she likes to call 'Message Music' with songs such as Change, In Zion is Jerusalem, Zion is my Destiny, and time to get off the merry-go-round.
The album will be launched in May, 2010 and will coincide with the launch of Mumbi's book All Thoughts Come True as well as a self-titled book of poems and prose all of which explore the process of taking responsibility for your life, your thought and your actions. As Ghandi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”
"In African culture” says Mumbi, “music is a powerful medium to communicate amongst ourselves. Music has always been an instrument of evolution and advancement. Through music Africans have educated their children, passed history and customs from one generation to the next, and communed with God. In this age our generation has the opportunity to use music as an instrument of change, as it connects people the world over." An activist of positive social change, Mumbi believes that national change starts with changing an individual's habits and attitudes by altering the way they think and taking full responsibility for their actions by taking their thoughts seriously.
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