Tcheka brought more than just music to Nairobi 

With no backing band, elaborate visuals or high production value, Tcheka's stage set-up consisted of nothing but a white plastic chair with metal legs, two small monitors and two microphones; one for his vocals and the other for his nylon and steel string acoustic guitars. The singer alternates playing the two guitars in his set to create different dynamics so that the audience does not get tired of listening to the same tone.

The crowd started arriving at around 6 pm, one and a half hours before the show began. So the concertgoers were forced to socialise and grab a few drinks and bitings. Others, perhaps too anxious for the concert, went into the auditorium where they either glared at the stage whose black backdrop was lit by three red lights or browsed through their phones.

Meanwhile, the sound engineer played a fresh playlist of Portuguese speaking artists such as Miroca Paris and Tito Paris from Cape Verde, Sara Tavares (Portugal) and Bonga (Angola), perhaps to get the crowd warmed up for the one hour concert.

Then at 7:35 pm Kenyan music curator and promoter Rashid Jibril walked on stage and introduced Tcheka as an artist who "references multiple genres from Cape Verde in his music such funaná, coladeira, batuque, tabanka, finason, while also taking in influences from Brazil and the wider continent of Africa, pop, rock and blues.

The tall 45-year-old musician showed up on stage at 7:40 pm in a fitting dark blue shirt, washed-out black tight jeans and black sneakers. He waved at the crowd, sat down, took his nylon stringed guitar and greeted the audience in English before kicking off with 'Antuneku'.

This number set the tone for the rest of the performance: mellow and peaceful. Tcheka went on into a sequence of 12 fascinating pieces with a variety of moods but a continuously vigorous spirit. The setlist also included hits like 'Madalena', which was released in 2011, 'Strada', which is off his 2017 album 'Boka Kafé' and 'Nu Monda' from his 2002 album Nu Monda.

From the beginning, Tcheka created a strong relationship with the crowd. His first interaction with the crowd was with two young boys who were seated on the front seats. He looked at them and smiled each time they raised their hands to clap.

This performance was Tcheka's debut in Nairobi, Kenya. He first played in East Africa at the Sauti za Busara festival in 2015. Since then, he has returned and staged concerts two more concerts. It was also the first time that many Nairobian were getting to experience Tcheka Music; a style he created out of fusing Cape Verdean folk music with other sounds.

His constant eye contact with the audience made his performance inclusive and welcoming. The audience participation was not a big part of the show; it was not necessary. The laid back and intimate mood provided an excellent medium for Tcheka to highlight his warm tone and fulsome musicality, creating an ambiance for the audience to absolve his music.

Although his songs were in Portuguese (a foreign language to most of the audience), the emotion in his face as he sang was enough communication for the audience to connect with him.

Not many artists can sing for over an hour in an intimate acoustic set and not miss a note – but Tcheka did it spectacularly and unconventionally. This concert showed that he is a true master of Tcheka music and can captivate an audience with just his voice and a guitars.