Wozaa World: A Watendawili Showcase.

On 21/3/24 I was so elated to attend the first edition of Wozaa world, a Watendawili showcase by Nawiri Entertainment at the Alchemist,Westlands. The event was many things, but for you to comprehend my sentiments, I first have to explain to you my reader exactly who Watendawili are.

Watendawili Show

Dear readers, dust your glasses, in this moment and time class is in session and i will be your proffesor for tonight.

Many a times I hear people ask : Kaskazini walienda wapi? Na hawa Watendawili walitoka wapi? So Kitendawili? Tega, sikio…

In the summer of a covid ridden 2020, Sauti Sol shook the Kenyan pandemic airwaves with a banger project named “Extravaganza”. This song featured what was supposed to be the new world order in the Kenyan Afro fusion scene. The featured artists were “SOL GENERATION” a group of artists which encompassed Bensoul, Nviiri the Storyteller,Crystal Asige and a trio known as Kaskazini. All individually insanely talented, they were a breath of fresh air for the entertainment scene and were were meant to cement the legacy of Sauti Sol after their vast and eventful musical journey. However as time has taught us, this was really not meant to be since as of today, only one artist remains as part of Sol generation, Bensoul. Crystal Asige is now a parliamentarian while Nviiri has left to pursue greener pastures.

Sauti Sol

Sauti Sol had conquered African music and we're on cause to give us two generations of artistic mastery seen nowhere else before in the 254.Truth is, maybe if Sauti Sol were not chasing the bag concurrently with their signees they’d have made an amazing force. I am not downplaying Bensoul and Nviiri’ s achievements, just noting that the fairytale never really took shape.

As their big artistic follow up, Sol generation was featured in “Rhumba Japani” arguably the best song off their Album “Midnight Train”. I know you wonder the correlation between Kaskazini ,Wetandawili and this pointless yards I am spinning. Signed in 2019 under Sol Generation, Kaskazini was a afrosoul trio made up Eugene Ywaya ,Israel Onyancha and Chris Claire .Ladies and gentlemen, this was a three piece Yin & Yan, I guess it’d be Yin, Yen & Yan, a group of artists that complimented each other’s musical abilities to create an impression that they were in the game to conquer and then stay, together. If you listened to “Extravaganza” you probably remember the line “wakaenda kusini,wakatupata tuko kaskazini” That was kaskazini the trio.

However,the group left Sol Generation under mutual consent owing their departure to too much expectations from many aspects of their lives and the constant pressure of being a household name.As a young person in the entertainment industry, you cease to being an unprecedented teenager allowed to make life mistakes and assume the role of a societal fails and successes checkpoint. People don’t just look up to you, they also look down on you, away from you and most importantly, over. In short, the public exists for just looking and once you cross that celebrity threshold, your personal life tends to shrink further and further into oblivion. Think of Czars who in the mid 2000’s made nationwide hits while still a teenager, “Amka Ukatike” is still a banger, one day he just allegedly disappeared, never to be seen again, allegedly.

Kaskazini said that in the midst of all the flashing lights they almost lost sight of their goal, which was make music they loved not please the people that signed. Sometimes in life, you lose by winning, not necessarily tactically but it’s just the way life goes. The good thing happening to you maybe be too good hence overwhelming, this was the case with Kaskazani.

Watendawili. Photo courtesy of slovellstudio

In 2020, Eugene and Israel left the group amicably to pursue other ventures, hence birthing the group “Watendawili” after which they released their first song “Bei si Nafuu” a catchy and lyrical composition criticizing an incompetent government.

Watendawili is A Neo Soul and Afro Fusion duo that incorporates vernacular benga in some of their songs, an example is Cham Thum (Atoti) a song that contains some Luo lingo lyrics that can send shivers down a man in Alaska.

Watendawili didn’t just stop there, they have worked with various artists in their genre, you might have heard “Drill Rhumba” a song they’ve featured the mighty Okello Max as of late as last week, Watendawili and Matata released “Inakubalika“

Enter Watendawili and Wozaa world;

Wozaa world by Watendawili X Nawiri Entertainment was an event curated to appreciate Watendawili and their music friends at large. On the line up was Nkatha, My favorite,Njerae, Okello Max, Wangechi ,Coaster Ojwang Ethan ,Big Nik and other featured artists.

As a Storyteller,I am going to take you through the event in my eyes,for the serious students, unclench, it’s jokes from this point. I would like to reiteriate that the following statements don’t intend to disparage the efforts of Nawiri Entertainment, Watendawili or ANYONE involved in the making of this amazing night,

For starters, I bought the ticket late, or so they told me, but I was pissed regardless. The advance ticket for the event was 1500 shillings, at the Alchemist. This boujiee locations are expensive, I thought to myself. I left the crib without having bought the ticket yet, as I was in the Jav( matatu for my readers in Qatar) , I decided to make the purchase. Imagine the surprise on my fuckin face when I found the 1500 tickets were now up 500 to 2,000 Bob. I was so pissed, but I was already on my way so, I just bought it anyway.

If you’re an event goer you know a deficit of 500 Bob in the nights budget means readjusting the fiscal department, exactly what I did. There was no way in hell I was going to buy beer at the Alchemist when Molly’s was literally around the corner. I had made an acquaintance who shared the same sentiments with me and off we went, had our drinks and came back. Here is where the event formally started for us.

To be seen is to be heard.

Wozaa World.

First off was the photo booth (or room idk), plastered with articles and sticky notes about Watendawili, it was pretty cool. We met a couple of celebrities in there and my acquaintance being a chatterbox, spent minutes fraternizing with Mordecai from Hart the Band and Chris Kaiga. The thing I love about NBO events is artists really come through for each other, but it’s mostly artists from the westside,again, a story for another day.

We joined the rest of the audience and enjoyed live performances from the amazing Nkatha. This girl has the voice of an angel, her set was splendid I would say, amazing band coordination and with the vibes to accompany her on stage.

I understand this was a Watendawili night but I fell in love with Njerae’s music on her performance this day. As she performed “Penzi wa Kasi” I was thinking to myself, the love of my life is going to love this song! When I find one, ofcourse. To be honest, I was familiar with neither her pen game nor her live performance. Njerae is Her and I can’t wait to experience more of her music. Her album “Unintentional“ is helping me deal with a very bad heartbreak ,but tha’s a story for my other set of readers, nyinyi mjue niko poa tu.

When Watendawili got on stage, the girls in there were screaming like Boko Haram hostages in West Nigeria, it was a frenzy. Dressed like “Sauti Sol at home”, the two maestros graced the stage with their vocals and left their all on stage. The amazing thing is even with a mixed audience of local and foreign revellers, some patrons of Alchemist who knew nothing about Wozaa world, everyone was having the night of their lives. We danced, we shouted, lovebirds kissed, but most of all, a night was Had.

The cherry on top of the cake was the guest performances, H_art the Band, Ethan,Matata, Okello Max and the grand master Coaster Ojwang. Coaster Ojwang dresses like a poet who dropped out of Engineering school, I know because I know a thing or two about that path.

Commendable is the level of preparation put in the set, the artists had Rehearsed, uyou could tell that Nawiri Entertainment prepared. It’s one of the lacks in Kenyan events where artists just show up, lip sync and leave. Wozaa World was a well prepared for show, both by the organizers and the artists.

My take away for the night was the MC for the NIGHT, Abigael Dyana of Ongeza Volume, that girl has got IT. She really held her own and commandered the show through the night.

For this one I have been brief, this event happened a month ago, you probably knew eveything you have read ,but i just had to,

To Wozaa World and Nawiri Entertainment, you curated an an event that no non Kenyan song was played, a 100% Kenyan music show, Respect.