mufasa – Hondred Percent

March 17, 2017

Mufasa The Poet

Mufasa is a spoken word artist, actor and singer born and raised in Kenya. He popped into the spoken word scene after winning a spoken word slam competition. Since then Mufasa has been performing in all major poetry events in Kenya. Raised by a single mother, Mufasa is a passionate performer on stage and hides no emotions when he speaks about his life and disturbing issues in the society. –Mufasa Biography – Badilisha Poetry
Just so we are clear, this is not another Lion King Story. Its funny but people actually play with him like that. I guess sometimes its due to the popularity of the Disney flick. The best one I heard was
“So when you were born did Rafiki hold you in the air and cry, Nants ingonyama bagithi baba! (the cry from the Circle of Life at the beginning of the Lion King)?”
Well though that never happened to the poet, it might as well have. For when Mufasa is in town its as though a graceful king is amongst his people.
Walking down the streets of Nairobi with Mufasa it is clear he is poet loved by many. This poet has a thing about him that makes people just call him out to show love. Always dressed with a beret and a smile that makes you wonder why a toothpaste brand hasn’t made him a brand ambassador, it is easy to see why people gravitate towards this poetry sensation.
I have had the privilege of living with Mufasa for the past few days and I must say that I have never met an individual like him before. He calls himself the son of the sun for a reason for it is hard to see him without a smile.

Unlike me also he doesn’t talk too much. He seems reserved but always greets me in the morning with such excitement that you look forward to the day. Kindess is his brother and as often as possible he chats with him.
Unfortunately I will miss his show Blame My Roots, which is set for 1st April, 2017. I have however had the chance to listen to his poetry via the internet.
His poetry is emotional but not soppy. It has a way of creeping into you like a girl strategically trying to get close to cuddle. It is warm, true and straight from the heart.
So today as my stay in Kenya draws to an end I want to put the spot light on one of my hosts, who is now my Kenyan brother.
For more of Mufasa check him out on Facebook @mufasapoet
Here is a video of the poet doing what he does best.

Keep it One HONDRED!

March 17, 2017

Mufasa The Poet

March 14, 2017

My First Days in Kenya

I was not sure of what to expect when I landed in Kenya. The immigration officer seemed excited when she read my invitation letter stating that I was a guest poet.
“Are you a good poet?” she asked.
For a moment there I thought I was going to give her a performance after my confirmation and though that didn’t happen, I was prepared to talk about her eyes looking like diamonds for a while.
Stepping outside the airport exposed my traveling error of not finding out about the weather before packing my clothes. It was chilly and reminded me.of harmattan in Ghana. I prayed the temperature was not like this in the day.
My hosts Ian and Mufasa looked like long lost brothers from a distance and we immediately got acquainted and quite frankly have been talking non stop about poetry, music and everything in between since we met. The zebras chilling by the airport though beautiful did little to sway our conversation.
Our conversation from 2AM that Saturday, took us to see the morning sun and I slept enough to put energy into my legs. The time difference in Kenya is about 3 hours behind that of Ghana so I was a bit disoriented. I woke up to a Kenyan breakfast of jipati which I took with golden syrup and tea. I loved it.
On Sunday Mufasa and I went into town to see a show at The Alchemist. We boarded a number of graffiti mini buses called ‘matatus’ to get there.
I was treated to art, fashion and beautiful Kenyan women. East African women are blessed with beauty and confidence. I am not talking about a particular frame of woman, for all the women there had something interesting and eastern about them.
The venue itself had a carnival concept with a bar, a stage with a big bus for a back drop and a number of food caravans for people to grab something to eat.
The Movement, a Kenyan band came through and killed it! I loved their music and it reminded me a bit of Ghana with their tunes.
I met a wonderful lady at The Alchemist who became my Swahili teacher. I will talk about that later. For now I am having a good time. Today Ian gives me a lesson in creating an Electronic Press Kit (EPK).
Keep it One HONDRED!