SUzanna Owiyo and Naomi Wachira live at the Elephant
My love for Naomi Wachira is like a sneeze, I couldn’t hold it in when I first heard ‘African Girl’. Right then, I fell in lover with her music and looked for information everywhere on the internet. I found her profile on Sound Cloud where she has shared most her other equally good songs and needless to say, I am now subscribed to her channel.
It is from my discovery of her music and that of various other African Musicians who are fusing African music and Soul sounds that I came up with a list of 15 African artists who are defining this new AfroSoul sound.
You can imagine the excitement I felt when I was told that she will be performing alongside Suzanna Owiyo this Friday (27th March) at the Elephant from 8pm.
Naomi Wachira comes across like an African goddess when on stage. Her infectious smile radiates and warms your heart, and her voice captivates. She is known for thought provoking melodies, and lyrics that bring into sharp focus things that one would miss unless probed to muse on. Naomi uses her instrument, and her gift to make the world question and rethink hard stances. Her music is her temple, through which wisdom is disbursed and imparted, and truth celebrated.
She sings about what it means to be an African woman juxtaposed between her home and the diaspora where she resides. She interrogates everything, and invites you as the listener to question as opposed to accepting half-baked truths.
Naomi will be joined on stage by Suzanna Owiyo , known for her mellifluous voice, enthralling melodies and prolific playing of the guitar and Nyatiti, Suzanna has thrilled audiences globally. Some of the her acclaimed performances include the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, the 46664 Concert celebrating Nelson Mandela’s 90th and 91st Birthday at Hyde Park in London (2008), and Radio City Hall in New York (2009).
Suzanna received recognition as a the 46664 Ambassador in Nelson Mandela’s Global Campaign that promotes human rights and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Accolades include Kisima Award, and the prestigious Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya Award (OGW) by the President.
Personally, she is involved in a Girls Empowerment Campaign project titled “Because I am a girl” initiated by Plan International. This set the stage for her own campaigns and empowerment projects, which led to the formation of her Suzanna Owiyo Trust.
Tickets are going for Ksh. 800 at Ticket Sasa and Ksh, 1,200 at the gate.