 You know, nisha semiwa mani nozangu, tu na kubali, tu mi kubali yo performance, but tu mi pata mabawas, indi ya? Let's see. Yes, alright, so spontaneous, tell us a bit about yourself, you know, iwa hi ala long time ago. Yooo! And our fans have changed, things have changed. Yooo! Um, Isakit for me has been home. Oh, I know. This is why I launched my first show, gaining grip experience. This is why I did this, The If I Die Tomorrow, on Anakatela without anything. But first time. There was a guitarist. Oh no, no, no, no, really. That was the first time. It was the first time. It was the 2016 apple. Yooo, but here I am not here. I was not here. In 2016, and it's been really beautiful to like, you guys to like, walk the journey with me because even today we're actually talking about a video that I had launched in nisha. Yeah. It's beautiful. Yeah. Okay, so tell them a bit about yourself. So yeah, I had mentioned alia. I am, I am a spoken word artist to use arts for social change. Um, I have been in this space since drama festival 1998, my people. Don't be shocked, I was just in class people. Where were you in 1998? I was just in class too, yo. I'm sure half of our fans think in our families that you are 1998. We're doing a lot of drama in two years. Two years. Oh no, yo, yo. I am old, ni naiba. Ziko tuata. So yeah, um, that's how I started my journey. Um, I remember the first time I actually wrote something, I was going through a lot of bullying back then. And so ill frustration too. And you don't even know you're actually putting down a suicide note and you're like, God me, I'm tired me. You just take me and take me back. You know, we are tired of all this being pulled and all that. But I think the most beautiful thing that came out of that was, uh, her. I can actually write. And that was the beginning of my art as a form of healing. And over time I used to think I was going to be, I always say this, the next maraya kali. Dreams are valid. Not too late. They're very valid. Not too late. Yeah, but um, so I, I got to high school. Um, no, no, no, no. Way before high school, um, I got a chance to go and represent the school in Nakuru. By that time I was, I was, I was, we got Nassomai Odorets come to our primary. And it was so beautiful. It was dope. Like I was very passionate. And I thought to myself, cause I love traveling. Even as a child. I already knew I loved traveling. It was like if my art can make me live the school compound, why not? So that's how I delved deeper into poetry. Of course, uh, motivated by my teacher Mrs. Onyango. I wonder if she's still around. And then I get to come to high school and I actually wrote my first piece, which I actually now presented at the drama festival. And that was like a win. That was a major win. Cause I really, really wanted to get out of school. Everybody wants to get out of school. Fanky. Fanky. Except macho. Pipe ga kendoa kuantaka kutoka shugle. The rest of us. You know us. You know, we people. Then I got to come, I got to come past, um, that was in 20 watts. Then we ended up come past 20. 20 times. I didn't let you turn that into 14. To turn 11, 12, 13. No. To turn 11, because we finished in 2014. And I met a guy called Ordinary Mind. And I remember telling him I love poetry. And I was like, you should try spoken word. That was the first time I heard the name spoken word. So I was wondering what is spoken word. And he said he would teach me. But I used to do, I was the backup singer for a friend called Enigma Creative. I still feared like put your hands. You were a backup? I was a backup singer. No, I was going to be the next Mariah Harry, you guy. What? So. That's new. I know. That's new for you. Very new for him. So I backup sang for Enigma Creative. He's a dope writer. And I was so intimidated. It was like I can put my poetry out there. And so I lived come past and then I came to Nairobi. And the one thing that stands out is I like writing. So I met a guy called Rixpoit who links me up with Fatumas. And I started writing. So this time I'm writing with Papas because they used to do themed shows. So I went down and we were going to write about financial, for instance now the finance bill would be something to write about. Or human rights violations or human trafficking, you know. So that's how I actually started now researching on my pieces and actually writing pieces that are geared towards say policy reforms and speaking out for people. It started out with speaking out for myself because I used to tell my own stories and then it became a whole conversation of now let's speak for the world. Someone once asked me why do you think your voice mattered? I was like you know what? Because it mattered when I really needed it back then. So definitely it would matter for other people. And there's no beautiful thing as building from within to without. So that's why I do what I do. Over the years I have tried lots to like put out my own personal experiences into the work that I do. So that it's also, it's genuine. It comes from the heart. Exactly. Vulnerability is the hardest to, but my friend has taught me vulnerability. Especially being vulnerable to others. You know I can be vulnerable to you, but to the world. Yes. That's different. Yes. So it's been, and now just meeting amazing, incredible people in the industry who've been like helping me out to like build the content and also just to push it out there. And to be able to have like organizations like Forum Sivu now champion for democracy and governance, Power 2.5, and to also just be capacity built on matters safe migration through Heart Kenya, Pistina Trakina. So basically it's just been spontaneous has been a result of the support of different people within different spaces. And that brings me to now what the project I am on. Hold it. Hold it there. Hold it right there. We'll come to that. Let's hear from Komora a little bit and then maybe tell the people. You had told us that you are a singer, some writer. You have a school. So tell us a bit about that and how you met spontaneous. Okay. Okay, hi guys. My name again is Komora and I am a singer, some writer. I do the style of rock music. I am in three rock bands. Three. One of them is an Afrima winning band. It's called Rash. I have my own band now which I'm the lead singer called a new one. Okay. Just dropped our first single about two weeks ago. It's called Fire. It's online. Really? Yeah, just go check it out. It's called Fire. So play another band called Hot Sun Frequency. We're about to drop our first album. And I play another lady called Li Boy. I play with a bunch of artists. I play with... I have listed them. I have 15 artists who I play with. It's hard to believe with three people in one band. But now three bands. Different people. How do you manage commitment, conflict? How do you deal with all of that? There's no conflict really. I love playing guitar and I love sharing what I have. I have no problem with sharing whatsoever. Yes, I find joy. Actually, I find joy and purpose playing guitar with whoever is in that space who loves heart as well. So I find joy doing it. So it doesn't really affect me in it. Actually, I find it very, very, very empowerment. Yeah. I also teach guitar by day. I have... Hey, Nae is tough. Nae is very, very tough in the road. It's tifotaf. Tifotaf. We're going to have a while. We need to do tax for content creation. Why? Why? No ma sayana. Grace. I have a start-up school in Kodlela. It's here at FWCA. I teach guitar there. If you want to learn guitar, you can ask me. Just guitar or other instruments? Yeah, there's other instruments as well. Yes. So basically, I met this lovely lady here years back. Was it gaining grip? Yo. When do you meet? Can we share this? Yeah. Oh yeah, please do. Please do. We do it. No, no, go ahead. Share it. Cool. So I'm organising gaining grip experience. The first one? The second one now. The one that's in the Munde sky came from. It's there, right? Yes. The South African lady. The South African lady. Okay. That's the first time I met you. Yeah, by the time that was the first time. So now you know how the pressure, what you've said about teamwork and all that. And somehow, unfortunately, because of personal reasons, my guitarist wasn't able to come on time. Oh yeah. And we needed to do a rehearsal set before we get on stage. Yeah. Then Komora comes in and says, Yo, hi, spontaneous. So what do you need done? Like, my personal, I have one hour and a one hour show and I do not have a guitarist and I'm a chilewa, so what do we do? Then Komora tells me, I will play. I'm like, yo, we've been doing rehearsals for three months. How are you going to play today? And he's like, I got you. Give me the codes. I'm like, I'm not a musician. I do not know what codes are. I feel like, okay, how are we helping you? Okay, sing each piece for me as we go. So that's what we did for an hour. And it flowed to you. Yes. Even that's how I met Komora. That's how, that was my first direct interaction. We were seeing each other high-high, but that was the first time. I was like, this is one person I can depend on. And the proof that he loves playing guitar and that's why he's playing with 15 artists. And he came on this. We just met in one hour. People have been rehearsing for three months. No make yet, one hour. No may flow. You were such a saviour that day. You had no idea he was... I'm glad that happened. Thank you. And he's always been like, just checking in and asking. So what are you doing? What are the next projects you have in mind? I'm hoping to support him. Okay, that's nice. You know it's important to support each other in this Nairobi. Yeah, also life is very, very short. People think we have a lot of time. We don't have a lot of time. You don't have to go on your own. You're like, this is like... I wish I could have done this to this person. Do it. Just do it. Now. Do it now. And it's been five years. Five years. It's been five years. Five years? Yeah, it's been five years. In 2019. Goddamn, it's five years. It's a long time. Wao. So let's talk about the project that you are pushing right now. African woman. Her vulnerability galore. So I'm doing... First off, during Mother's Day, again, kataseo drum rolls. We released a piece called African Woman. And it's a very personal piece to me because it seeks to transform the single parenthood narrative through the lenses of the lanchild. It coined that, guys. Lanchild. Okay. Let me get water. It's down because it's a concept I really like. Thank you. Thank you for the support. It's about what a lanchild means. It's being raised by a single parent. So the child is being raised by a single parent. I told you, you know, you're speaking for so many people. You're speaking for so many people. Thank you so much for understanding this. And you know, when I started out, when I wrote the piece the first time it was after my mum asked me, you write things for other people. You've never written something for me. For me? Yo. I was like, you're sure you want me to write stuff? So eventually I had the ability. Like now I knew exactly what I wanted to write about her. And I did the piece. And my mum passed on in, or rather she chose heaven, kulekoa'at in 2016. And the last day when we were together she was bedridden. And that's the day I read the piece out for her. And I don't know, you know, sometimes those are very tough space. But it was so funny because I woke up in the morning to look at two up hospitalini and the pastor came through and prayed for her. And then I was like, mum, I'm going to do a show for you today. Even if you can't communicate, do a show for you. So I do a show for her. I read to her this piece I have written and I tell her, when you're healed now you'll sit on stage. So you better get healed very fast. And then I did a worship song for her and all that, but she left us eventually. And that was in 2016. I never had strength to put this piece out there. So seven years, because it's now 2023. They say seven years is a year of completion man. So I think my grieving phase with the piece kujakumplizion sayi where I finally now launched the video and the video just talks about pause myself out to my late mum and the discourse around that. And so the whole idea was to spar discussions with this video. And when I was putting on the project I realized that statistically they talk about the single mum. Yeah, single mum, single dad. And the single dad. But what about the single child? The assumption is the problem we have is poverty, lack of education. But a single child, do you really know what poverty is at that time? Do you know? That's not all. The challenges we have here are very different because now for us it's more on the mental health basis. It's on the separation anxiety when I'm going to see my mum next when I'm going to see my dad next to the point where... If I ever see them, there are some who never see them. They come to see them much later. Much later in life. So the whole separation anxiety and how it plays out when you grow older into your own relationships. Some people choose to stick in these relationships even if it's toxic because oh, I don't want to also bring in a child from a single space. And then there's also us who run away. You see the slightest of problems and you're like, I'm out. No, I'm not doing this. But I think the whole idea of the project is to just bring out the voice of the child. And considering yesterday was African child day. I mean, what a beautiful... It's a very, very time. It's a beautiful way to now focus on the child because we also have mental health issues right now. To be honest, I feel like mental health issues don't start when you're older. They start when you're younger. Thank you. Because speaking for myself now, who call you older but every time I'm always looking back. I'm like, what did I miss then that is affecting me now? And so for me as a single, as a lone child for me the key things is the emotional anxiety and the mental health aspect and also the pressure to be perfect. Because you think about if you came from a broken home all you really want to do is have a unified home. You're always trying to prove that you are deserving. You are better. And you also feel like you want to give back to the people who helped you. You feel indebted for the lack of a better word. You feel indebted. It's taken me so many years to realize how much I choose lesser things in life because I fear if I allow people to give me better things then I'm indebted to them and I can't give it back. Because as a child I have a point to prove like if your fees is paid for someone else and not your parents I need to do better. I owe them. I have to perform visually. I have to show that their money did not go to waste. And when you you relate you. That's deep. Too early in the morning to be talking about such deep things. You know. You know. And today in the morning we were talking about kindness. Being kind to someone and not feeling like this person was kind. I don't owe them. Yes, because you were kind to me. How many times I've had to sit down with one of my favourite aunties and she. I think she's been the most instrumental person in my life because she reminds me you do not owe us even the guys who are helping which is amazing. I know you're supporting the loan children or anyone you're supporting. It's amazing to always just go back to them and tell them you don't owe me. I am doing this out of love. Thank you. And I know you've never thought about it about telling someone that but it goes along it removes a chain, a bondage chain. So she kept on telling me every time. She's like we are doing this because we are your family and this is what family ought to do. This is what he does. And the fact that she kept saying it a couple of times in no longer felt my friend in this old ages when I have realised oh yeah I don't owe her. And it's beautiful to get that release. And another thing We are running out of time. We are running out of time. So It is too clear to like just finish we are doing I'll be doing by God's grace I'll be doing the screenings in the different parts of the city in Nairobi. But the first screening that's of the African woman and the call ofization centre around transforming this perception yeah through the eyes of the loan child. And the first screening with thank God is happening in Rwanda Rwanda Rwanda And that's in the month of July and then when we come back home hopefully we get to do another screening in different cinemas and just have these conversations and who knows maybe be the first people to actually do statistical discuss around the loan child. Honestly by then I like that concept a lot and that's what I'm saying we are talking about very deep things because every other time we look at it from the parent side Anyway Just even mention do you know right now 50% of households are single women led So as much as people presume that single households are the minority they are actually at par And it's assumed that in the next few years it's going to get higher I hope it doesn't get to that Anyway very fast before we get to the performance Just mention your social media handles and where people can find your pieces as they wait for the screening and kumora as well where people can find your music and be part of your school I'm very sure there are so many artists watching us today Let's go fast In very few words Just follow me on IG e underscore kumora on Facebook on Twitter on YouTube also follow me and new one A-N-I-U-A-N official New one Alright thank you Spontaneous reports Social media platforms except Twitter but the video is also on YouTube at spontaneous the point Okay so let's listen to this inspiring piece that brought about the conversions of the loan child Let's do this Let's take the thrive from this equation because the loan is how she has always worked in this narrow path to the broad I see her lowering her pace and fasting her laces is to give us the very best because the loan is how she has always worked when he drooled over his pants and swung that tool to our direction but she picked that rule and swept them out and we began living living in pieces amidst the tiny disentangled parts she became both a mother and a father and where I let do this those days when the society smart you on the face heaps of responsibilities led to depression and null hypothesis proven 6 years down the line still stuck in the poverty lane it's again another null hypothesis proven you see too much negativity spread on our history but you taught us the beauty of positivity because the loan is how she has always worked in this narrow path she had to have wisdom because questions like this never missed at 10 questions be like I show you even how to take care of it's funny how these questions married with age at 25 to 29 questions be like make sure you're going to be submissive to your husband with the woman looking for a phase in this global place it was a bit difficult but mama reminded us that human words were just like the mist that you could even lit arrange jacket and watch it demystify or you could hibernate from it or you could either lit that bonfire and watch it all demystify because human words are just like twins shout out to you director thank you so much guys for coming we appreciate the interesting conversation it has even eaten up into our request our we are like half the time but it was definitely worth it thank you so much for the best in your individual careers as well and let's continue supporting each other up next request our send in your request Kenyan music request