| dc.description.abstract | Ohangla music can be traced to the Luo community of Kenya. Over the years, it has changed
in form and texture with the rise of new generations and new demands on the artists. The
initial intentions, which were basically socio-cultural, have been overwhelmed by emerging
economic trends and needs. In the process, even both instrumental form and manner of
performance have been affected by generation changes and the new economic trends. The
older and renowned Ohangla artists (Jack Nyadundo, Tony Nyadundo, OsogoWinyo and
Onyi Papa Jey) established themselves in the Ohangla industry with numerous musical
compositions and styles which formed the benchmark for this genre of music. Earlier and
much older artists performed mainly in social places for entertainment with little or no
tangible monetary profits to count. However, many new artists driven by the need to meet the
emerging needs of contemporary listenership and monetary motivationshave since risen to
popularity gaining a competitive edge with the older ones, establishing their styles, content
and approaches which though borrow largely from the older tradition, have a unique twist
that makes them stand out in their class. This paper examined some of the dynamics involved
in balancing between indigenous styles and practice and the modern market-driven trends.
The shift in generations has brought into picture interesting questions about content
development, language use, instrumentation, and reliance on media for publicity by the
artists. Relying on the Theory of Recontextualization in music by Hanninen (2003), the study
examined the performances of two selected Ohangla artists in Nairobi (Emma Jalamo and
Lady Maureen) to highlight how their musical performances reflect a transformation from the
indigenous to modern Ohangla music. Observation method was used in this investigation. It
is hoped that this paper will enlighten the scholarship on the dynamism of Ohangla music. | en_US |
