Nani Mjinga? Eric Wainaina asks pointed question

5 Apr 2024 - 16:27

Stockholm Syndrome may seem like a distant term used to pepper dinnertime conversations around the world, but in the Kenyan elective politics landscape, the condition is real.

Eric Wainaina.

The Kenyan voter’s inability to make the right choice at the ballot is perplexing. In the past three national election cycles, the country has seen charlatans rise to powerful public positions… not by their own accord but because the electorate democratically handed them the reins.

Everywhere you look, these snake oil salesmen are in charge – right from the grassroots to the national level. Is it any wonder then that as soon as elections are over, the so-called representatives turn against them, leaving voters with nothing but a litany of bitter lamentations for five years… before they elect them again?

Well, the joke is on you. Or at least that’s what Eric Wainaina is trying to tell Kenyans on his latest single ‘Nani Mjinga?’.

Long a lone voice in the wilderness, Wainaina’s music has sought to reawaken Kenyans’ sense of political duty and the need to take it seriously as a mark of true patriotism. Yet in a country that continues to be ravaged by a thieving leadership, nobody seems to be heeding this call.

On ‘Nani Mjinga?’, meaning “who is the fool?”, Wainaina recounts the crimes continuously being committed against Kenyans by elected leaders in disturbing detail. Released on 1 April, the message in the song is no prank, but Kenyans being Kenyans, it’s highly unlikely many will be bothered to stop viewing elective politics from a tribal lens.

So no Damascene moment here, and just as the good book points out: a prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house. So we might as well enjoy the music – if not for its message, then for its delivery and overall arrangement.

A percussive- and string-driven offering, ‘Nani Mjinga?’ features many of the elements that we have come to associate with Wainaina’s motif. Delivered in lilting Swahili, the song is free from nuanced songwriting, and the message should hit home on the first listen. Or will it?

With the never-ending debate on what some critics view as an uninspiring state of Kenyan music, Wainaina should be commended for his commitment to his craft. While not a requirement that should be placed on any artist, songs like ‘Nani Mjinga?’ play a critical role not only in sensitising the public but are a welcome addition to the Kenyan classic music canon in need of regular updating.

Far from socio-political relevance, ‘Nani Mjinga?’ reaffirms Wainaina’s position in the Kenyan music space. As one of the country’s foremost musicians, he leads the charge so that next-generation artists may find their voices and use them for good, if they so wish.