We tiptoed into the dark auditorium at 5:30pm. The early birds were already seated on the cushioned stairs, and we hurried to join them. All eyes were on Maulid Owino. He occupied the upper right corner, moving through a contemporary dance. This was the Whispers of Power.
A few days ago, Kenyan publicist Khavalaji on behalf of Kipepeo Agency had sent me an invite to this show. Which he called an immersive multidisciplinary performance. Humongous words, I know.
In his words “Whispers of Power is a 2-hour multi-disciplinary performance that aims to connect with many different kinds of people. It’s for those who want to grow personally, feel stronger, understand life better, reflect on their lives and find their inner strength. Think of it as a musical mixed with guided meditation through curated visuals.”
The fact that it was curated by Liboi and the theme touched on healing was enough for me to say yes. I’ve known Liboi since 2022 as a Kenyan musician who stands for mental wellness, African culture and social justice. And her multidisciplinary show promised to combine the three to create a safe space for introspection and reflection. And in a sea of Nairobi events which are all about enjoyment, don’t we need some reflection of our own power?
Inside Whispers of Power
After Maulid’s silent dance, the spotlight shifted from him to the platform below. Because Sarakasi Dome has levels. A voice instructed us to walk down the spiral stairs where Liboi and her band performed their first number, all decked in white.
But this was no ordinary Kenyan concert. We watched the multidisciplinary theme come to life as the spotlight again shifted to Kenyan actor Wakio Mzenge. As the storyteller of the show, she introduced us to the main characters. Maulid Owino aka Mchiriza was a tormented artist whose dance moves echoed his anguish. Meanwhile, the band’s guitarist Henry Ngugi aka Odundo was the broke artist burdened by endless debts.
No wonder he arrived late for the first performance, pushing against us as he rushed to stage.
While playing another song with the band, a woman and man in black jumped onto the stage and arrested Odundo for defaulting on his debts. Where are they taking him, hurry hurry come and see! With the guidance of the alarming voice and the spotlight, we walked out of the auditorium together and found him caged outside like a rabid animal. His only companion was his guitar whose electric vibrations broke the cage door open.
You could say music was his saviour.
After he escaped, we followed him once again through the narrow aisle in a file. While walking through the light drops of rain outside. Up a flight of strange stairs, we found ourselves on the main stage.
Once we had scurried back to the lower platform, Wakio laughed at us for following blindly. And then she gave us a dose of bitter truth. The hardest thing for Kenyan creatives to say is NO. Especially to a fun project that does not pay well, or at all. That’s the reason Odundo was in that dire situation in the first place.
Sometimes it’s okay to say no. Because saying no is saying yes to yourself.
As for the dance aspect, the show added Anne Silks and Michael Munga of Sarakasi Trust to the mix. The aerial dancers occupied the stage and climbed the long silks dangling from the high ceiling. We watched them in awe as they did body-bending stretches and splits in the air, Liboi’s music in the background as the soothing soundtrack.
Maulid had his own solo performance as well. First on the ground then he grabbed one silk and began to circle the stage. He was flying! A powerful representation of the Freedom you finally feel after overcoming the Voices in Your Head. Which are both titles of Liboi’s conscious tracks.
After Mchiriza found his voice and Odundo broke free from his financial prison, we celebrated together on the music stage. Liboi and her band led a wild African celebration with songs like Nengua, a call to let loose and dance. And Salama, nitafika salama also from her sophomore EP Safari.
African Child the Afrohouse track produced by South African producer Silvva, sounded just as great live. Liboi encouraged the ecstatic crowd to sing along with her. Not only did we sing along but also chant and ululate like the sons and daughters of the soil. You could feel the awakened African spirit in the air. Our ancestors must have been proud of us.
Where it all began
This was the second show of the Whispers of Power tour. But the third event ever. Let me explain.
On 29th October 2023, Liboi hosted her first ever conceptual event in Nairobi. According to her, “It started off as an idea to heal myself.” The theme was safety and security – How safe and secure are we in ourselves before expecting the same from the world.
She played with Jam Sessions Band who were part of her Safari EP. She also collaborated with storyteller Wakio Mzenge, dancers Maulid Owino, Jared Oluoch and Collins Abonyo to fuse music, poetry, dance and storytelling. The ticketed Nairobi event happened at Ardhi Gallery, an unusual concert venue which brought Kenyan visual art to the forefront.
Whispers of Power also partnered with Mental 360 Kenya who offered free therapy sessions to Kenyan creatives. The unique multidisciplinary show took the intimate audience through an emotional journey of self discovery, self compassion and self acceptance. And reconnected them to their own inner safety and power.
“The more I understand the mind and the human experience, the more I realize that power is at the root of the human experience, from within us.” And from what we’ve seen from the revolutionary protests in Kenya the past 2 weeks, this couldn’t ring truer. People Power!
The Kisumu Edition
Inspired by the profound impact of the show, Liboi applied for the Hii Stage performance grant by HEVA Fund and Alliance Francaise. And she won it! This allowed her to take Whispers of Power on a Kenyan tour from West to East, between May and September 2024.
The first stop was Kisumu Dala. She returned to Dunga Hill Camp, the artsy creative space by the lake where she shot the heartwarming music video for Yule. Which happens to be one of the most romantic music videos of February 2024.
This time she took the whole team with her. And also collaborated with Kisumu artists: storyteller Mary Zaffy, dancer Pretty Lodenyi and musician Mufana Soul. The storyline followed two love birds Thuolo and Teko played by Maulid and Pretty. They took the audience (and their love) across the lush gardens, onto the lake and finally to the stage where Liboi and her band entertained the Kisumu crowd during their wedding celebration.
For Liboi, “Whispers of Power Kisumu Edition felt like a much-needed respite for the soul.” It happened on 24th May 2024 as part of the African celebration week by Kanda La Ziwa creative residency by Naam Festival, which she was a part of. While the Nairobi event focused on mental health for Kenyan creatives, the second one explored the psychological effects of climate change in Kisumu.
According to Liboi, “The performance focused on the recent flooding and displacement in the region, emphasising the conservation of Nam Lolwe as an essential culturalidentity and the importance of living harmoniously with nature.” While showcasing Kenyan music, dance, storytelling and visual arts on the shores of the legendary lake.
Back to Kanairo
On Saturday 8th June, we witnessed this unique marriage of Kenyan arts live at Sarakasi Dome. And what a wholesome experience it was. We danced, sang, and released whatever we needed to.
After the last song, Liboi and her band received a resounding applause. And a call for one more song!
In my own moment of reflection, I remembered how I first met the Afrofusion musician in this same location. It was in March 2022 during the launch of the Panga Sanaa fellowship for creatives associations. Back then she was mostly a filmmaker and hadn’t released any music yet as a solo artist. Now seeing her 2 years later at Sarakasi Dome shining in her artistry and moving Nairobians with her empowering music was nothing short of inspiring.
After the applause had died down, she introduced her gifted band: Evans Komora, her longtime guitarist and music director, Collins Obwar on percussion, Salome Waithera on background vocals. And of course Henry Ngugi as the lead guitarist and character Odundo.
She also called her collaborators on stage. Maulid Owino, the main choreographer who moved us with his fluid dances. And Wakio Mzenge whom one lady told “you’re a good storyteller.”
I liked her blonde hair cut.
Fun fact: this is not the first time they had worked together. In 2022, Wakio offered a spoken word piece to Freedom from Liboi’s State of Being EP.
The African contemporary artist also shouted out the tech team: light technicians Shatem Omar, Harun Mbugua and Michael Nyongesa, sound engineer Jose Contez and videographer Phelix Ayayo. Because without them, the show would not have been the success it was.
Liboi also introduced us to her sister – who is also her stylist. Afabri Designs is the one responsible for her exquisite African outfits both on stage and on camera. On this day, she was in an unique jumpsuit made of linen and adorned with sisal rope.
Yup, you read that right.
After the show, I met Maija Rivenburg, the American-born project manager and scriptwriter. And the brains and beauty behind the booking agency Kipepeo Agency. Not only was she the co-director and scriptwriter of the show but she was also our guide of the night telling us to look here, move there.
She shared that the most difficult part of putting the site-specific event together was convincing everyone to experiment and get out of their comfort zone. For example, Ngugi to not only play the guitar but also act. Incorporating music, theatre, dance and storytelling was no easy feat but they did it.
The daiverse audience, made up of children, adults and the young at heart, found themselves as part of the performance. There was no separate stage and audience, we were all one. And we found safety in each other’s presence.
Now that is the definition of immersive.
Before leaving Sarakasi at 8pm, I also met Nile Dawta, equally dazzling in an African attire. The Kenyan reggae artist has been winning of late from receiving the Brazil Young Talent Award in African Music 2023 to performing in Ougadougou Burkina Faso. And she shared another win, she was also a recipient of the Hii Stage grant, like Liboi. Out of 117 applicants, they were among the 11 finalists.
For Nile, her Project Black Woman was born when her aunt got incarcerated in 2021. Since then she’s been using her Nairobi concerts as a fundraiser to support Kenyan women prisoners with sanitary items like pads and soap. And with the support of the French Government’s Creation Africa-Kenya project, she’s taking this noble cause on a Kenyan tour as well: Nakuru on 29th June, Mombasa on July 27th and Kisumu on August 24th 2024.
Although the music events are free, attendees will donate a pad as they enter. What a relief they are no longer going to be overtaxed by the rejected Finance Bill 2024. And afterwards, reggae fans can join Nile Dawta and the WeN Music band to donate their contributions to the women’s prison in the area.
The Final Whisper of Power
As for Liboi, she has one final free show of Whispers of Power. Come experience an immersive multidisciplinary transformative performance you’ve never seen before with a whole new storyline in September 2024. It will be held at Swahili Pot in Mombasa, one of the CASiK locations (Creative Art Spaces in Kenya) supported by Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy in Kenya.
And in the meantime, listen to Liboi’s Safari EP which plays a major role in the show. And tune in to our Top 5 podcast interview where we discuss the background stories behind her debut EP State of Being. It will give you the power to embrace inner safety and healing especially during these revolutionary times.
Photos by Murathe Ngigi