Freedom, Poetry and Colour. That’s what greeted me when I arrived at Alliance Francaise on Saturday, the 9th of December 2023. Little did I know that this evening would unfold into one of the most spectacular Kenyan poetry shows of the year – none other than Gufy’s Black Boy Love.  

I had only been to one other Gufy show before, which is how I got introduced to him in the first place. Held in May 2022 at the Kenya National Theatre was the Black Boy Joy show – a prequel (if we can call it that) to Black Boy Love. I remember walking in with my best friend, and being amazed at how the hall was full to the brim. I didn’t know a poetry show could sell out, but there it was – every seat at KNT was taken. 

So, when I walked in this time to the Black Boy Love poetry showcase, with nothing but excitement in my bones, I thought I knew what to expect. Not only because I had attended one of his shows before, but also because I had attended the Black Boy Love album listening party at the Santuri Salon on 24th November 2023.

This was one of the three listening sessions he held that weekend in Nairobi, the others at Coster Ojwang’s studio on Ngong Road and Lava Latte near State House.

This listening party, whose sole purpose was to get the audience’s reaction to his 3rd album before it made its way to the world and the stage, was a beautiful combination of humour, poetry and music. We listened to the album, discovered how the sausage was made from the man himself, and also voiced our personal opinions on it – mostly positive reviews. 

It was this same Kenyan album which had been released a day before on Friday 8th December 2023 on all digital platforms, that Gufy was planning to perform that Saturday night. The album contains eight tracks, including the intro and the outro. I had listened to all of them over and over again, internalised each track, and marvelled at the artistic fusion of music and poetry that Gufy had achieved.  

This is Black Boy Love

The intro “Love”, is a wonderful welcome into Gufy’s fairytale world of love. “WCIF” featuring Kenyan R&B crooner Kinoti, is a sentimental poem to fall in love to. And when you are finally in love, comes “Wangu” featuring Coster Ojwang’,  a sweet lyrical dedication to your lover crafted by two Luo men. 

I mean, does it get any more romantic than that?

The answer is yes, because the next track is “Unedited Poetry”, an unedited raw version of how love is supposed to make you feel. The fifth track, “Easy Loving You” featuring Mutoriah, who also produced the entire project, is easy to love. And so is the next track, “Freedom, Poetry and Colour”, a lyrical narration of how we should see love.

“Black Boy Joy”, featuring Maureen Kunga of legendary Kenyan music trio Elani comes in next. As the lead single of the 2023 Kenyan album, Black Boy Joy is majestic in its narration as it is in its message of self love. 

Sadly the album comes to an end with the outro “This is Not A Love Poem”, leaving you in a state of romantic bliss that makes you hit the repeat button. 

To quote Gufy from the listening party: “The album, the entire project, is simply about love. I want when people listen to this, they have that sweet feeling that makes them think of their crush or their ex. I do not want the audience, at any moment, to lose that love feeling.” 

And I have to say, he achieved what he was aiming for.

Stepping into the Show 

Armed with all this information about the album, about Gufy, and about the backstories behind the project, I walked in the Alliance Francaise open air garden at 7.00PM feeling like I had a cheat sheet. As I said before, I thought I knew what to expect.

(Black) Boy, was I wrong!

The first thing that caught my eye, which made me realise I was in for a spectacular night, was the stage setup. I’ve attended a couple of Kenyan poetry shows before, but I can confidently say no stage setup made me marvel such as the one in Black Boy Love. It was a stage that screamed “look at me, I am poetry itself”. And you had to look at it.

What made it different wasn’t the instruments set up in the background, or the glimmering stage lights, or even the fact that it was set up in an open-air auditorium. All that is normal. The thing that stole the stage was the centrepiece of it – an arrangement of tiny umbrellas adorned with twinkling fairy lights which, from both afar and close, looked ethereal. 

And that was just the beginning. After I took my seat, my eyes darting back and forth to the centrepiece, the MC of the event, stepped on stage. As far as MCs go, she was as lively as she was humorous. She welcomed us, we had a little “breaking the ice” exercise, and finally introduced the first act – Dorphanage.

A Kenyan writer and performer of revolutionary poems, I was surprised that Dorphan was an act in the Black Boy Love, and the first act at that. How his poetry would fuse with such a romantic setting? For the second time that night, I was in for a surprise. 

Accompanied by the upcoming band – The Babaz featuring Ras Amor, Mathai and Baraza,  Dorphanage performed three pieces. He showed us a tiny bit of his soft side with a sweet poem dedicated to his grandmother honouring the matriarchs in our lives. 

After his performance, we  wondered who will be next –  we didn’t realize the next act was already on stage. As a brand new Kenyan band, we were privileged to be the first listeners of The Babaz’s unreleased songs, all love songs which blended perfectly with the theme of the evening. My personal favourite was Ras Amor’s “Wasichana”, an ode to our love for women. 

And then in entered Maureen Kunga of award-winning Kenyan group Elani, adorned in a beautiful red ankara jumpsuit. The sultry female Kenyan musician was grinning from ear to ear, and so were we. She marvelled at how their first show as Elani was on that same stage – The Alliance Francaise – and then went ahead to wow us with her heavenly vocals in Elani’s song “Nangoja.” 

Maureen’s performance was similarly short but sweet. When she exited the stage, the MC introduced the next act, which was none other than Coster Ojwang’. At this point, I was bubbling with even more excitement. I had known Black Boy Love featured fine Kenyan artists, but I didn’t know the show itself would also feature music in the way it did. 

Coster Ojwang’ Steals the Show, Gufy Brings It Back

I sat patiently, waiting to experience Coster Ojwang’ live for the first time. I had heard great things about the Kenyan musician and was eager to see if they were true. The minute he stepped on stage and started singing his first Dholuo song, “Kionge” you could feel the shift in the air. The audience, like me, was getting more thrilled, and they did not only feel it, they showed it. As he continued singing, people got out of their seats and made their way to the dancefloor –  dancing, laughing, and basking in the glorious music of Nairobi’s only fisherman. 

I’ll admit it here, I don’t know how to dance. But that didn’t stop me. I also stood up and showed my two left feet they don’t own me. The magic in the air continued through the other songs Ojwang’ performed, which included “Manyo Pesa” (sans Watendawili), and at the excited audience’s request “Hera.” 

Coster’s performance was a sweet appetiser, for the next act was to be the lead man himself.  Before he came on stage, we took a little break because things were getting steamy now. When we were all seated again like the good audience that we were, Gufy appeared on stage. The moment he did, it was apparent that yes, this was his show. 

For one, his outfit spoke volumes even before he started speaking. Dressed and styled by SautiSol’s stylist Brian Babu, he wore a resplendent blue suit that made him look like the perfect portrayal of Black Boy Love. This dazzling outfit, combined with the ethereal centrepiece and the mic which had been tweaked moments before with pretty pink flowers, made him appear kingly on the stage. And us his loyal subjects. 

We waited with bated breath, and in his own Gufy way, the first words out of his mouth were all humorous anecdotes that had the audience reeling with laughter. But moments later, it was time for serious business. 

As I had already listened and loved the 2023 Kenyan album, I wondered what poem he would perform first.  When he began performing Unedited Poetry, I sat back and smiled. 

“I like it when you wear short dresses,” he narrated, and the audience applauded. It was a perfect piece to begin with, but so was the next one, which was Wangu. 

Once again, Coster graced us with his presence and joined Gufy on stage as they serenaded us with their Luo charm. “We ni wangu, me ni wakoooo,” Coster crooned after which Gufy chimed in with his romantic poetry: “I would love to sit on a balcony with a lover who has the strings to my heart.” 

Aaah. I have to admit, at the end of the piece, I was in love, and it wasn’t even the end of the show yet. 

Gufy in His Black Boy Joy 

Gufy’s next piece was Black Boy Joy. As the lead single whose visuals had been released prior to this featuring Kenyan filmmaker Ywaya Xavier and digital creator Kimanzi, the track was a hit even before it hit the stage. But once Gufy, assisted by Maureen Kunga on vocals and the Babaz band in the background started performing it live, it took a different shape and form. 

“Coz I am a god in God’s image, we look alike,” Gufy preached as Maureen affirmed “Pretty boy, you got that black boy joy.” My jaw dropped in awe, and a rush of emotions overwhelmed me as I witnessed this black boy radiate pure self-love.

The performance then took an interesting turn when the audience urged Gufy to remove his coat.  And when he heeded, he revealed a silky green shirt that affirmed that yes, he might just be God’s finest piece of work. He then went on to perform “Look At Me”, a piece that sounded like a continuation of Black Boy Joy.  

“And just before you call me just a man, look at me. I ain’t just a man!” he declared. We applauded, screamed, and jubilated at this man on stage that wasn’t just a man. When the piece ended, he went back to his goofy side, signalling the end of the show, much to our dismay. 

As he welcomed Dorphanage, Coster Ojwang, and Maureen Kunga back on stage, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave a resounding round of applause. Another standing ovation to Gufy, the man who ain’t just a man but a god created in God’s own image – Oozing freedom, poetry and plenty of colour. 

Listen to Black Boy Love by Gufy on your favourite streaming platform

Photos courtesy of Sozoed