When discussing musical interconnections for the popular song “Uhuru Kewli Ni Kujtegemea” by David Nzomo, one must first realize that all of the components of musical culture (such as Ideas, materials, activities, and Social networking) are threaded very closely into one another. Ties between social, ideas, activities, and material culture is interconnected between the context of the song, and certain musical traits such as: repetitive melodic lines, vocals harmonies and simplistic rhythmic structure.
One of the first interconnections I noticed while analyzing this piece was the strong bond between the activities and social components. The main activity of this song is quite unorthodox: audience etiquette by singing/clapping/playing along. Nzomo is able to achieve this participation with simplistic rhythmic patterns and repetitive melodic lines, making it easier for the crowd to jump into the tune. By creating a song that is easy to participate in, Nzomo also unconsciously ties in the social component aspect into this piece (Kavyu). Socially, the song is then geared toward a greater audience and has less of a constraint regarding status, demographics, race or sex. This politically driven song can be enjoyed by many, as all are free to join in the tune and express their individuality. There is no laws of who can enjoy music, and that is shown through this interconnection between social connections and audience activities.
The second interconnection I noticed is laced between the sounds of the material culture and the idea components. The functionality of this Nzomo’s piece is to be a motivational political song that creates a quiet protesting among the masses. This is shown through specific musical traits, such as vocal harmonies that hint at ‘unity’ among people to fight against the atrocity that is occurring in th government. By using material instruments that are not African based (such as the guitar), Nzomo suggests freedom from the government and the pressure that many of the inhabitants were experiencing. Not including the instruments, other materials effected how the song interconnected with the idea of political independence. Also, the use of recording eqipment allows such songs to be stored and transported all around the world, letting other people become aware of the political view people were taking in the land. The view may have effected how citizens reacted to future government events.
Nzomo’s song displayed strong interconnections between audience participation activities and the social component of demographics which is hilighted by simplistic melodies and rhythmic patterns. The correlation between functionality and material culture also was strong, proven true by the musical trait of vocal harmony. In conclusion, interconnections are all around the music we listen to, it does not matter if the song is U.S.A pop or Kenyan political songs. Hopefully, we can learn to analyze music more deeply to truly understand the culture in envelops.
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Kavyu, Paul N. “Music in Kenya.” The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Africa. First edition. Volume one. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc, 1998.
