Kazi Kwa Washamba – Hip Hop & Hustling In East Africa
Kevin Teryek Kusini/Kevlexicon, edited by Monaja 28 November, 2012 Lecture notes Kazi Kwa Washamba Hip Hop and Hustling in East Africa First of all, I’d like to dedicate this lecture to all the East African hip hop heads I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. With this project particularly I’d like to thank Mwongela Kamencu, aka Monaja for editing and for his translation and analysis of “Angalia Saa.” Brief outline of Kenyan History I’d like to provide a context for understanding East African hip hop. To this end, I’d like to give a brief outline of Kenyan history. • The two official languages in Kenya are KiSwahili and English. There are over 42 other local languages, referred to as “mother tongues.” Swahili is a mixture of coastal Bantu and Arabic. Studies have established that Swahili was actually a Bantu language with heavy Arabic influences. The Swahili people existed before the coming of the Arabs. The Swahili language spread inland with the Arab slave trade. English spread with missionary activity, then colonialism, since the 1880s and 1890s. • In 1920, Kenya became an official colony of the British. White settlers profited from African forced labor on coffee and tea plantations forRead More →
