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Nyatiti player steps into UK limelight
Friday May 28 2021
By BILL ODIDI
Summary
While plucking the strings of his nyatiti instrument to the rhythm of traditional folk songs, Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno is cut out to be the musical heir to Ayub Ogada.
Rapasa spent some time perfecting his skills under the tutelage of the late Ayub and still meets the influence of the Kenyan musician in the UK where he is now based.
While plucking the strings of his nyatiti instrument to the rhythm of traditional folk songs, Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno is cut out to be the musical heir to Ayub Ogada, the acclaimed Kenyan musician whose mastery of the eight-stringed instrument made him an international icon.
That Nile water that God has given you,
Don’t fight among you just for it,
But it might help you all and you might all protect it.”
-“Uruzi Nil” (Burundi)
People have gathered and settled near rivers, lakes and coasts for millennia. As much as these water sources have the power to unite and build communities, they can also divide and create conflict when resources become sparse. In the East African Nile River Basin, the underdeveloped countries in the region often struggle to cooperate and overcome environmental hurdles. The ramifications of colonialism left the area around the world’s longest river paralyzed by complex and politicized water conflicts.
Meklit nourishes us through her music in Meany Center performance and lecture
Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero’s joy is infectious. Listeners are enveloped in her warmth, even with the barrier of an electronic screen, and can’t help but feel a sense of peace while she talks and sings. Meklit invites us into her culture, and we never feel like an outsider. She is a natural storyteller who shared intimate cultural traditions in her Meany on Screen performance and lecture: “How Music Connects Us: Belonging, Wellbeing, and Sonic Lineage.”
Meklit’s art synthesizes jazz, folk, and East African inspirations. She is the co-founder of the Nile Project, which is described as an “initiative bringing together musicians from all 11 Nile Basin countries to create music together, to tour the river and source lakes, and tour the world.” “When the People Move, The Music Moves Too,” her most recent album, was at the top of the iTunes World Music Chart.