Kenyan Music Heals the Mind

Description:
Akombo in this article describes how music therapy was used in Kenya to help aid citizens with many sorts of problems. There have always been a wide variety of problems throughout the nation spanning way back since its independence. Recently people have turned to music to help them through streesul times. It was discovered that playing the drums has dramatically helped patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This can be explained by the way drumming alters the brain waves in a human. Another way people coped with stress and trauma was through singing themselves. Doris Chepchumba Tanui influenced many people after discovering that singing relieved her of her stress. Many Kenyans followed suit. Another thing that was discovered was that adding humor in lyrics will disrupt the transferrence of negativity and create an antidepressant effect on the brain.
Evaluation:
During rough times, Kenyans will turn to music as a means of medication; a way to release stress and prevent depression. This article is a good source, as it teaches a lot of ways Kenyan citizens use musical therapy for their problems. The author shows a general understanding of the topic and provides great insight on what type of therapy such people had partaken in.

Kenyan Hip Hop

Description:
Hip hop is a very popular, and still on the rise, genre of music in Kenya. It his been on the rise ever since the early 90's and within the last decade, it has been dominating the top ten charts. Kenyans have been able to fuse hip hop beats with Swahili and another prevalent genre of music, raggae. Hip hop in Kenya is becoming so popular that it is widely recongnized throughout Africa as one of the hottest hip hop scenes in the whole continent. At first, Kenyans thought there was no chance of making money in the hip hop industry; however, bold rebels, such as Jimmi Gathu, Hardstone Ngunjiri, and Poxi Pressure, paved the way for several artists to join the hip hop revolution.
Evaluation:
Before reading this article, I was not sure if Kenya had any sort of the same music that perhaps Americans would listen to, such as hip hop. It surprises me, but makes me happy, to see a country such as Kenya, is making the transition to the musical flavor that is hip hop. It is widely recognized in America and I hope that its popularity increases as more artists in Kenya continue to release good music. This site gives a good overview on the hip hop industry in Kenya and provides many names of artists that anyone should check out.
Click here to view website