TWENDE LELE- An Event Review of the Jahazi Concert

Last Friday (28th Feb 2014) it was raining events! There was Sarabi, there was Lele Ngoma, and then there was Sarakasi all performing at different venues on the same day! Where to go?! Event’s organizers should have conventions where they meet and decide to spread out awesomeness over several days so we can go to all the events! For real!

Anyhow, I settled for LELE- I have seen Sarabi in action thrice already, and Sarakasi more times than that. Lele however I had seen in action at the BOGOF 2012 and I remember liking their music. So I was pretty sure it was going to be nice recap- even though the event was being held at Michael Joseph Center (MJC).

I have an Eish attitude when I hear an event is at MJC and I have good reasons too! (Don’t judge me just yet) More than once, as a dance and poetry group, my friends and I have performed to an MJC crowd that was more interested in talking to each other rather than listen to poetry or some performer talking on stage. And they did it again this time!

I arrived when a guy called Fadhilee was performing- which was a nice surprise since I had never listened to him and also cuz I had thought LELE would be the only dish.

Fadhilee sings pretty well but, I couldn’t hear much of what he kept saying in-between explaining what his song was about and him singing because well, the lovely talkative crowd was yapping away! (Told ya!) The drummer guy TETU did it for me though! His drumming was simply AMAZING and at least made up for the words that I couldn’t hear.

Fadhilee and his team finished their act and then it was time for a little break before LELE NGOMA came on stage. You see, the event was also about sensitizing people about sickle cell anemia and so a woman from UNDP came on stage to do just that. And guess what the lovely crowd did? They kept talking! LOUDLY!

This woman was on stage talking about how people with sickle cell anemia often suffer constant pain due to their condition, and most people are carrying on like she’s wasting their time! 80% of me wanted to get up and shout “SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO THE WOMAN!!!”

However, the other 20% of me that wanted to remain invisible for the rest of the evening was very convincing about what little good my actions would do. So I sat tight and held myself. The woman had to wait a while for the noise to calm down before she explained the rest of the information. I felt really bad for her so please find more info about the campaign here.

Anyhow, she was done in ten minutes and then it was time for the main course! With the very first song Lele sung, they took my bad mood away! I am not being feminist but the chic they sung with made the night for me! Joan has a lovely LOVELY voice that had most people shut up (at last!) and actually listen! I think that’s the MJC crowd’s antidote- great music to shut them up and get them off their seats to dance and actually appreciate artistic talent. Because trust me, LELE had them- us all- at their beck and call. They only needed to say, “Get up, dance like this…” And we did!

Towards the end they did Bob Marley’s Is This Love and oh man! The mellow tunes they churned are the kind to have you close your eyes and just sway to the music! Now I understand why they took the name the name LELE NGOMA- they really are the KILELE* of fabulous music.

*Get to know Lele Ngoma

• Lele Ngoma is an eclectic Urban Afro Soul band blending a variety of styles from Benga to Reggae, Rock to Afro Jazz.
• The band’s name comes from the Swahili word KILELE* which means the highest point; their case being the height of music.
• They have a regular picnic-style event called Twendelele in which they feature other acts as well.

To know where they will be performing next, like their page here.

More photos from the event are also here

By Hellen Masido

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