 S.P.M.Buzz What's up guys, a very warm welcome to S.P.M.Buzz. My good name is Miski Fingi. And today I have a star. Guys, this is Dr. Ezekel Mutoamunamjua. Mimuona kumtandao. I've bumped into him. Nikasema lazima tuongena, Dr. Tari. How are you doing? Very well. This is an appushma. What a lovely afternoon. Good to see you. Good to see you too, Dr. Tari. It's an ambush but you will always have something to tell us so it's okay. Oh yes, I'm always, I always have a story. Yes. So now you know the election period is technically over. How do you feel on how we have conducted ourselves as a country and even the electoral process, how do you feel about it? I think we have come of age as a democracy. That we can do elections even though there is contestation but we do elections, results are announced and the following day we open our shops, we go back to business. It's amazing. We have actually embarrassed the world, ashamed of them who are skeptical and looking forward to some skamishis and it is the extent, they knew they would be, they were always sure. But I think we have behaved in the most mature manner. This election should be not a matter of life and death. We go do our civic duties as civilians, as citizens cast our votes, let IBC count if there is contestation people go to court and seek justice but we shouldn't be drawn into fights, tribal or political and this is what we approved. In fact, I think our behavior in this election will go into record and will be a model, a reference point for the other African continent and even other countries in the world. So I think for me the heroes are the citizens. The heroes are you who is conducting your interviews and you are not afraid that you will be attacked. The heroes are the real Kenyans who have gone back to work who have said if there is any grievances, take them to court but we will not go to the streets, we will not demonstrate. Let those who feel aggrieved seek justice and recompense in court but for us as citizens we did our job, we are not the empire and we are not going to be drawn in fights and they are saying never again that message is so emphatic from Kibra to Endorette to Mombasa it is amazing. I watch TV and see those clips from Mondinari Kenyans saying we did our job. In fact, I saw someone who was addressing Baba and saying Baba dupu piki ya kura Baba dupu na kupenda Lakinia 20 yukubara-bara you know I was like say that about everybody that we do our job, finish the elections go back to business. That was very impressive niliwa no aksema piya to see bleed in diowalid. Absolutely. In fact, I really ran that somebody did that and I saw it using my photo and I ran it actually on all my social media and I think the message is emphatic that the people are looking for a job other politicians you and I need to also and survive no you are lucky if a politician pays your rent unless that is a relative chances are that even if they do it they are doing it for our pappas and they are using you ultimately you need to go back to work and do your aso do your interviews do whatever business you do and then continue with your life there is a rent to pay there are school fees to pay for your children for parents they want life to go back to normal it has never happened by the way for a very long time that we do elections say 19 2002 I didn't think 2002 the kibaki euphoria when it was warning but we were also there was still some symbolic tension because we were not sure and those who are with the president they felt really crushed because it was treated badly it was not like the normal competition that has happened this time round people have competed gone into elections cast their votes results were announced of course there was a bit of unfortunate chaos at the bombers but once that was contained here we are and that was done by politicians this time round it is not the citizens all through a chair or through a stone it is politicians the players who are fighting it will kill each other if you want you have used us long enough I think it has never happened before in history so we are the trade blazers as it was in terms of setting the tone for Africa and never again shall we go back to the unfortunate post-election violence of 2007-2008 this was what Kligla and predicted that the next election post-election violence if you are not careful will make 2007-2008 look like a child play you remember they were now saying wazungo wala kwa na sema ni hi wala kwa na sema za sa hi pelikeni cameras cameras wala kwa kila mali all the international media and I remember tweeting and saying let us disappoint them let them send us congratulations which they are doing now the international media is now congratulating the president-elect the international community presidents of other world in the global community and I think what the message that is being sent is that we are moving on we need all beat elections are over and we want to set this to be the example that will be emulated across Africa and across the world and even for us to say 2022 defined who we are now the others were mistakes the others were reactions that were just out of impasse but this time round the true character of Kenyans showing love and rising to the occasion to prove the world wrong resilience and love and compassion and the spirit of peace love and unity has been displayed and I think we are grateful to God we owe it to God that we have the peace that we are enjoying today that we can go on with our business days after the elections Kenyans you are the real heroes every Kenyan was not cast say that last word because of political differences heart their neighbor you are the real hero of this election salute indeed a salute to you now doctori we have ambushed you I know but what is going on here today is it a workshop? music corporation site of Kenya was founded in 1983 next year 2023 will be 40 years we have started the roll out of activities to celebrate music MCSK at 40 will be 40 next year part of those activities include programs to start a music circle a circle for musicians they include activities to start social security fund within SSS I spent the whole day with them here yesterday today we brought in all the different groups of artists representing musicians to start working together in that campaign to ensure that we are programs that will cushion musicians and that is we we go towards MCSK at 40 we will lift the welfare of musicians financially medical cover welfare of their relatives a circle where they can borrow money and invest and using the royalties we collect for them ensure that we cushion them when their financial difficulties we can use their royalties to guarantee them to get loans in the bank so today we end a strategic thinking committee that was meeting here and it includes celebrated musicians we have brought in Dr. Piso as a brand ambassador Mekos Gay infact I was with the daddy here and others just to ensure that celebrities the people have meant Kenya Kenya name out there the flag of Kenya shine outside in the world like Mekos Gay they become part of this and they drive that conversation so by October next year we'll be celebrating MCSK at 40 but it's not just celebrations we hope by then even gala words where musicians are working on with checks of millions out of royalties that we collect so today we are laying in strategy we even starting an app digital app where we are going to applaud all the music for our members the way there is app or music and the people buy the money will be coming directly to our members on M-Pesa we are calling MCSK music and we want to use it exclusive Kenyan music we have over 500,000 songs but our members that were just lying there people like Mdundo Boomplay Mdundo has about 20,000 and they feel they are great we have over 500,000 songs in our custody so we will applaud them so we were planning those activities to ensure that we come up with a roadmap towards MCSK at 40 this was engagement this was just brainstorming and then bringing people from different sectors out of this election this was our first meeting post election to say there is likely to be a new government how do we work with that new government how what are the committees of parliament who are the ministers who are likely to be appointed where are we likely to be placed as an industry so we are also contributing to the narrative of go back to business get the country back to business and then we were also planning and looking at how can the music become a tool and a vehicle for promoting our catch and our values and placing the godliness where it should be our kids don't have to sing Sipangwingwe it's a good song I found myself humming it but it is based on rebellion where kids are saying they don't want to be I know we have let them down but we want a song that actually they are proud of themselves that if I am giving you an advice or a parent in you you see kupanga has been used because of the way we have let them down as parents, as government, as leaders even churches we have let our kid down but we are saying never again just the same way we have always fought elections are not free and fair now we have not fought we want going forward to sing about the glory of Kenya the beauty of Kenya Sipangwingwe packaging and the stuff like that no one in music with the content you got them all fans na se ma nizuri kwa mbe nili kwa na ichukia naka pata zikumoji kwa nyumba na se ma isipangwingwe kwa isheni ya kwa isheni ya kwa isheni ya kwa isheni ya kwa kwa se ma good talent the lyrics kwa kwa ru demon is very popular wasafi nini ni kwa ru gengaliya lyrics kwa permulti macho we don't have to sexualize everything the idea is is it possible to set a tone for music that sells without sexualizing without corrupting morals and still position it to sell position it to have market that is wider than Kenya If you sing Peke Jeng, my sister, who will listen to you? Can you play that with your mum? No. Or with your dad? So you limit your market. But if you sing a song that is promoting values that is general and it has a message that cuts across, it will be listened to many people. I want a song I can play in my car. I can play in a place like this. I can play in the office. I can play in my house. That has a bigger market. Even possibly a song that can be played internationally. You saw Jerusalema challenge. Jerusalema and a lot of Zulu, I think it's Zulu. Most of the words there. But we embraced it. The beauty of music is that you don't even have to understand. Lingala, we sing songs of Kofiolomide and other musicians. We don't understand, but you know when the tune is good. So we are in a place where we want to mend our young people to know that the market is in many people listening. You can get a song that even if it is a secular song that can be played during a wedding in church. You are better off than if you sing Pekajeng and it can only be played among your age group. Watoa kiyakujia Pekajeng wa jwe maniake. Ah, naza mazoa kuchesia wimbote na. Laki na kama ni wimboe na sema tu mamboa kupendana family values, resilience, hard work, teamwork. Watoa kiyakujia kwendoa wa pendane usipigemu kewako and the FGM and the social behavior. You criticize those ones. It will be listened, it will be used. Why do you think some of these musicians cannot be invited in public events? Did you see the bands, the choirs that were singing in bombers? Ah, doctori kwanza apu wa tuwali waka dinali wange kuwa apu. Waka dinali. Uju waka dinali. Na Pekajeng, we are bombers. Urukewa na jamuri deimu kuchesia wimboe so. Na zima wimbo, nao na uumitu wa kungulukuangala. Do you know that song is very deep and nice message? It has no ukora. But kungulukuangala everybody is playing it. They don't have to know the meaning. But the guy says every time you see smoke, there is fire. And he does it, both the lyrics and the tunes, they are so nice that you want to listen to kungulukuangala. So the old thing is market your product, music as product that sells to a global market so that you don't limit yourself to only your age group in the name of rebellion. Music is not about rebellion. Of course it can pass messages to liberate but if you just focus on that without money. So what we are doing as MCSK is to say where is the money. What kind of tunes? What message will give you more market? Wider market within commesa, within East African community internationally so that a song like Jerusalema where we didn't understand some of those words but we were dancing Jerusalema challenge we can do that with Kenyan songs. It's not to say that there is no market for Sipangwengwe. I love it myself. But it's to say can we widen the market make even that song play for a longer period of time. Look at Eric Waenana's song Injiakitukidogo or the one who was singing about her money, Kenya. It was playing even at moments, 20 years later. So that's what we are focusing on. Getting mentorship so people can see messaging how do you craft it to fit societal issues and help to focus on those issues. Music should re-preak our conscience. If I'm a corrupt person, I listen to a song like Injiakitukidogo and you feel ya. It tells you, it teaches you something. If you listen to a song that is talking about resilience and the power of overcoming challenges you relate with it. Relatability. That's what we were discussing with Safara. Safara, yes. Now, Doctoria as we wind up you mentioned Diamond and Diamond came just the other day and performed to headline in a political party and it was a big deal and Kenyans reacted to it saying and our artist worth have been they branded themselves in a way that they can be called to such an event. What are your thoughts about that? It's about branding. When I was appointed to this position there was a story in the nation, the headline was I'll make Kenyan musicians billionaires. I was saying we don't have to invite Diamond. Do you know why we are inviting Diamond? Demand. Young people want Diamond. If you took a mutua there or they demand why he looks successful. He's flying all over. He's in South Africa. He has bought this. He has this. If they see you living well out of music if they see you influencing cost of things, living well, driving good cars living in a good house our kids would want to become musicians but if you are only begging and poor and when you are sick we have to raise money you have not employed anybody you don't contribute to anything you get into drugs and depression nobody wants to emulate you. Why Diamond came was out of demand. You create demand by branding and I've said that even about our sportsmen that you can't just rely on legs you got to look at activities and that's why organizations like MCSK come in to give more value addition that just the talent of singing because we have seen our people 1-1-1-1-1 to wonder kwa matatu kila maali kufa kabisa uta iski etena why? because it didn't look at that the dynamics of longevity and the market target market audience that you want to talk to so we bring that mentorship we give them networks we connect them exposure exposure with other countries with other musicians international musicians co-production there's more to MCSK than just collection and distribution of royalties and I believe maybe you should put in Eric Komondi in there because he was actually very he was actually very vocal about artists now in the Diamond issue telling them about branding there's a cloud chaser Komondi is not a musician he is a comedian he has contributed to the narrative which is good but if you want to really make a real contribution you make it with the artists themselves no one can succeed alone I am here in the sea of music co-production site of Kenya but like you've seen and called other people Kenyan Association of Music Producers Prisk they were all year we spend a whole day here planning because you can't succeed alone I can also do drama for cloud chasing to increase my viewership and whatever but did I achieve what I wanted the whole concept about playing local content is very important using our own artists so what was doing was good is only the approach and I'm saying going forward drama will not work what will work is focusing on issues working with the parliament working with the government working with the industry other stakeholders and ensuring that we have proper policy formulation and implementation that will reflect the future of music as a source of jobs and wealth Thank you so much doctori we are waiting for the execution of those plans a saintisana inshala like they say we are trying as you can see we are new this is my fourth month at MCSK but you can see we are bringing conversations we want music to be at the height of all atu taika wana muziki wana raulia utena tu ntaika wana muziki na jia ya kwaishimu wana muziki na kwa brand na kwa promote na kwa patea conducive environment wakuwe kamaandiamond wana muziki wakenya a invaitiwa pia a kachese kateka shere kuletanzania amainji zangambo na hiyondu tradyotumiaza kufikiya na itafanyeka tuhivo ekiwa wana muziki wataonekana wana ishi maisha mazuri wana ishi meka kateka njami wana mandilia na ofa na wana chiangi a kateka wakuza juwa uchumi Thank you so much doctori a saintisana a saintisana alright guys that was doctori Ezekil Mutua right here Thank you guys for watching if you're an artist I hope you're ready to get into this conversation enjoying MCSK into the plan of making artists billionaires Thank you for watching my name is Miskithinji until next time It's goodbye