Blog July 31, 2020
Trace Kenya’s Benga Rhythm in a Documentary This Weekend
One of the great golden-age genres of the continent, Kenya’s benga music is a jubilant melding of influences from Congo, Cuba, South Africa and Kenyan folk.
How did it come together? Who were the major players? This weekend, John Sibi-Okumu, the Kenyan actor and journalist probably best known for his role in The Constant Gardener, narrates a part one of a four-part documentary, delving into the 1950s and ‘60s roots of the famous benga rhythm.
The documentary goes live on YouTube at 11 a.m. East Africa Time, so 4 a.m. local New York time, which is to say, something fun to watch when you wake up:
