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.