By Ochieng' Ogodo
Journalist-Kenya
[NAIROBI] When Ferre Gola and his troupe
set their feet in Nairobi to perform at the Bomas of Kenya on November 27, 2015,
expectations of a riveting artistic delivery was high amongst lovers of
Congolese musical genre.
Rising out of the shadows of
great Ngiama Makanda a.k.a Werrason and his Wenga Musica Maison Mere band and
Koffi Olomide’s Quartier Latin International as an understudy, no doubt the
medium height, fairly stocky built crooner with a charismatic mellow voice has
cut a niche for himself with some dazzling productions.
Like his equally versatile
contemporaries, Fally Ipupa and Soleil Wanga, with whom he was in the frontline
of Koffi’s mercurial singers in the 2000s, Gola is today in the class of the
new Congolese generation of rhumba musicians who have successfully woven a
musical cord with fans across ages.
He is worth listening to as
well as putting your best foot forward — for those who love dancing — to in
intricate stylistic and captivating dance styles championed by musical artists
from the Democratic Republic of Congo; something they do as if ordained by some
deific being to offer.
The anticipation among his
fans, some coming out of Nairobi, was for a magnetising display in which
revellers were to be conquered in bliss hardly experienced in the local musical
scene mostly suffering from gross dearth of creativity and leaving many to
complacent themselves with canned music from beyond our borders.
They were waiting to be his willing
‘prisoners’ taken to a world of melodious fantasy by Gola’s gifted serenading
solo singing, stage command or the sentimental choruses from his team of
vocalists.
Fans hoped for celebrated
guitar works; dexterous cooing rhythm guitar plucking mixing admirably
with hair-splitting lead play tempered
by the falling and rising bass takings cutting through the hall like the sounds
of a Dreamliner jet cruising across the sky, and punctuated by skilful drum
beats. With stage shows lifting high up the enthusiasm, it could have been a
spellbinding night; something to yearn for its repeat severally.
Mostly, in what they
considered their best nightly attires, his followers started trooping to Bomas of
Kenya venue from as early as 7 PM hoping for an invigorating evening rolling
right into the ‘ungodly’ hours teeming with fascination.
But, largely, it was a
disappointment that left many wondering whether it was worth the time, leave
alone the money. Entry was KSh2,000 (advance), KSh2,500 (gate). A VIP ticket
cost KSh3,000 in advance and KSh3,500 at the gate.
Time was progressing and by
10.30 PM there was still nothing on the stage with a few people fiddling with
instruments; no preceding curtain raisers to keep the suspense engaging.
The allure of star showcasing
his talents was giving room to disenchantment, and none of the organisers felt
it courteous enough to offer an explanation to attendees of what was happening.
It was 11PM and the waiting continued.
When Gola stepped out to
perform, somewhat late as it was, it was characterised with intermittent
distractions. Some turned it into photo taking session spree. To them it was
time to jump onto the stage for shots and in so doing diverting Gola from a
rigorous delivery.
Distractive tendencies
characterised the better part of the night with some of the attendees queuing
to be shoved by the bouncers onto the stage for clicks with him.
Equally nauseating were those
jumping onto the stage and taking the microphone from him for awful imitation
of his pieces. Majority went to Bomas of Kenya because of Gola and not awful pretenders.
As if these were not enough,
there were those who thought it was an occasion to demonstrate their dancing
skills in front Gola. Organisers ought to have been concerned about ensuring
enjoyment to the fullest for their guests — value for money and time — by
keeping off party-poopers from the stage.
For a live performance, an
artist’s space for delivery is extremely important. People were expecting to
see the Congolese star deliver some of his standout compositions like Seben, Zazou, Vita Imana, Maboko Pamba, Kamasutra and Lubukulukumu. Alas! The inappropriate behaviours spoilt the party
for everybody else.
When Fally Ipupa performed in
Nairobi a year earlier, stage ‘invasion’ was kept to the bare minimum giving
him a wide latitude to showcase his talent.
Koffi Olomide’s show in Nairobi years back was rocking with back-to-back
conveyance of his outstanding compositions and only the flamboyant Kenyan dancer,
Kanda Kid — these days Kanda King — was allowed a stint on the stage and he was a marvelous eye feast.
Safe and stimulating
performance space is a major contribution to the field of art, helping the best
to come out of a performer. Creating and setting an audience conducive
atmosphere is key for enjoyment and endearing. Some things went awfully bad
with Gola’s show.
Ochieng’ Ogodo is a Nairobi-based
journalist whose works have been published in various parts of the world
including Africa, the US and Europe. He is the English-speaking Africa and
Middle East region winner for the 2008 Reuters-IUCN Media Awards for Excellence
in Environmental Reporting. He is currently the patron of the Kenya Environment
and Science Journalists Association. He can be reached at ochiengogodo@yahoo.com,ochiengogodo@hotmail.com,ochiengogodo@gmail.com
linguistic virtuoso on the part of the article for sure. Bravo! But I find that title a little misleading.
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam for your comments. Much appreciated.
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