Gem, in Nyanza, is a natural home of music talent. This is the very epicentre of the Benga earthquake that shook the entire country in the 1960s and 1970s. A galaxy of superstars, who made it big playing for various bands, came from the region that is in the current Siaya County, formerly Siaya District.
As much as the emergence and dominance of the neighbouring Alego in matters academic is attributed to the strictness of a colonial chief by the name Odera Kang'o, who cracked a whip on locals to take their children to school, it is difficult to pinpoint one factor that can be considered significant in the region's success in music.
It is from Kathomo in Gem that Eliakim Rogo, a new sensation in slow Luo music, was born some four decades ago. Eliakim, who draws inspiration from the late Ochieng’ Kabasele of Lunna Kidi, has recorded several albums comprising slow-tempo love ballads and sentimental recordings that mirror the works of some Congolese greats of the past decades.
His songs are in a class of their own. Some of the popular ones include "Caro Nyathii Jobondo." This is a love song dedicated to a spouse, whom he poetically refers to as "Nyar Kaocha," which means daughter of my in-laws.
"David Bondo" is a song in tribute to renowned Radio Ramogi presenter David Bondo, while "Jerome Ogola" is a song he composed in tribute to yours truly, the author of this article, whose contribution to the growth and development of music in this region he recognises and lauds in the song. The song “David Bondo” has a saxophone run from the beginning to the end, an arrangement unique to a few songs, as is the case in "Ndaya," a composition of Mayaula Mayoni, which features female singer Mpongo Love on vocals. The sax in “Ndaya” is done by Empopo Loway.
"Mapenzi Ya Pesa," yet another of his hit songs, is themed on love. The song retains his trademark tempo with exhilarating guitars by one of Kenya's most talented guitarists, Ramji Solo, who also doubles as the producer. Ramji plays his guitar like the legendary Burkina Faso of Wenge Musica. Other songs like "Osiepa" and "Safari Ya Mapenzi" are equally good and popular with listeners, if the responses by vernacular radio stations are anything to go by.
Papa Eliakim, as his stage name goes, is a late entrant in music, having chosen teaching as a career before finally being unable to resist the nagging allure to join music. Having grown up in Kisumu, a lakeside town known for its vibrant music industry and colourful nightlife with numerous joints featuring live bands, he grew up with an interest in music naturally inoculated in him.
The first-born among six siblings began his educational journey at Manyatta Primary School before joining Nyamasaria Secondary, where he sat his O-levels, before travelling to Dar es Salaam and enrolling at Aga Khan University for a bachelor's degree in Education.
Just like Dr. Nico Kasanda Wa Mikalayi, who veered off into music after beginning a career as a technical school teacher in Kintambo, and Ntesa Dalienst, who quit the classroom for the microphone, Eliakim taught Kiswahili and Geography at high school before quitting to pursue music as a full-time professional musician.
Eliakim, whose type of music has earned him a soft spot in the hearts of many music fans, holds liberal views on religion despite beginning as a gospel artist before switching to secular. In a conversation with this writer on the advantages of secular over gospel music, the musician, who lost his wife to illness last year, emphasised that the gospel industry is more saturated than the secular one.
Apart from his ability to create melodious compositions, Eliakim is also a gifted singer with a baritone that aptly captures emotions in his songs. The blending of Lingala and Swahili phrases in songs largely done in Dholuo rekindles the days of Ochieng’ Kabasele, who switched between the three languages with so much ease.
Older fans who enjoyed music by Ochieng’ Kabasele naturally find a successor in him. Eliakim performs in clubs and private functions both in Kisumu and Nairobi. With fans switching allegiance in preference for slower Luo Rumba, Eliakim is easily a force to reckon with in the current music industry.
By Jerome Ogola
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