Although each exists as a distinct genre, there are numerous striking similarities between the two. Kenyan Benga is a close relative of Congolese rumba, based on their shared ancestry and the striking similarities in the structural formation of the songs, especially in terms of instrumental arrangements.
Both are modernized traditional music styles, performed with contemporary instrumentation and recorded in modern studios. Over time, as globalization became a reality, the music embraced foreign influences to evolve into what it is today. Many other genres have emerged in the last century under similar circumstances. A rumba musician, in the Congolese sense, can easily fit into a Benga band, and a Benga guitarist only needs to make slight adjustments in style to play with rumba musicians.
This also means that, unlike genres such as hip-hop, Genge, Bongo, or any of the contemporary genres preferred by the urban youth—where one can leave home in the morning and become a superstar by evening after recording just one hit, in Benga (and rumba), it often takes a long time to learn under an established musician before creating a band or becoming a star. Benga and rumba musicians are made, not born, possibly due to the complexity of the genre. It is one of the few genres where the solo guitarist must roam the fretboard to craft melodies that match the lead vocals. This quality is unique to both rumba and Benga, though it is even more pronounced in the latter.
Apart from Ochieng Kabaselle of Lunna Kidi and Grand Maitre Franco of OK Jazz, most big names in rumba/Benga have a history with other bands that groomed them. Kabaselle formed his Lunna Kidi in 1968 when he was only 18, while Franco created his OK Jazz in 1956, at the same age of 18.
As such, rumba and Benga bands are rarely formed from scratch. Their most common mode of reproduction over the years has been "cell division," akin to mitosis in biology. An existing band splits to form one or two new bands, which in turn spawn other bands. OK Jazz of Franco evolved from the Loningisa ensemble and later gave birth to Bantous, Veve, Revolution, Bana OK, Kamikaze, and many others.
African Jazz evolved at Opika, and from it emerged African Fiesta, African Fiesta Sukisa, African Fiesta National, Vox Africa, and more. The Kenyan band Mavalo Kings came from Les Wanyika, itself a splinter of Simba Wanyika. Simba Wanyika was a rebranded Arusha Jazz, which originated from Tanzania’s Jamhuri Jazz. Also in Congo, the split of Wenge in the 1990s led to the rise of several vibrant bands.
In Benga, the epicenter of this division was the Victoria bands of the 1970s. Over time, these reproduced into Victoria A, B, C, and D. The Victoria bands represent the peak of Benga's development, though the genre’s roots can be traced back to the 1940s and 1950s. While many theories exist about the etymology of the word "Benga," there’s consensus that the evolution began at the tie dero (by the granary), where a solo instrumentalist sang to entertain the village.
From the era of John Ogara, Were Carey, Aketch Oyosi, Owiti Origo, and Odira Jombo came the second generation: Collela Mazee, Okatch Biggy, Ouma Omore, Awino Lawi, Prince Jully, Jim Likembe, and others. The genre's development wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging several non-musical players, chief among them Oluoch Kanindo, who later became a Member of Parliament.
He was the Verckys of Benga: a creator, manager, and financier of bands. He also established several influential record labels that helped market the songs. Many other figures played crucial roles in amplifying Benga's reach, eventually popularizing the genre even in the Caribbean Islands. It was from one of these bands, Awino Lawi’s Nairobi-based band, that Osito Kalle emerged.
The Benga superstars of today, Johny Junior, Robert Jaligega, Prezda Bandason, and others, are all products of the bands that existed in the 1990s, much like Fally Ipupa, Ferre Gola, et cetera, are also products of the Wenge generation of the late 1990s.
Perhaps it is for reasons of shared ancestry and evolutionary region that these two siblings grew up in different environments but still matured to exhibit such a litany of glaring resemblances.
By Jerome Ogola
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