Kasiva Mutua

Kasiva Mutua
OriginKenya
InstrumentDrums
Years active2013 - present

Kasiva Mutua is a Kenyan percussionist. According to Daily News Egypt, she is one of the top drummers in Kenya.[1] Mutua is currently based in Nairobi.[2]

Biography

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Mutua learned to play traditional drums from her grandmother at the age of six.[3][4] In her community in a village in Kenya, it was not permitted for women to play drums, although her grandmother had a small drum that she used when telling stories.[5] In her journey to become a drummer, she faced many problems, including harassment and the destruction of her equipment, due to the taboo against women playing drums.[6][7] However, she continued to play and began to try out for music festivals when she was in secondary school.[5] Mutua earned a degree in journalism from Busoga University.[8]

She was part of the One Beat program in 2013.[9] Mutua joined the Nile Project in 2014.[10] The project supports artists in countries surrounding and affected by the Nile River and has an activist component.[10] Mutua is a co-founder of an all-women percussion group called MOTRA (for MOdern and TRAditional Rhythms).[6] The group was started in 2015 and includes eight members.[7] She was named a Global TED Fellow in 2017.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "The Nile Project: Resolving Conflict into Harmony". Daily News Egypt. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  2. ^ a b Nyaga, Boniface (2018-07-04). "Kasiva Mutua: I think I cried at US percussion fest". Music In Africa. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  3. ^ "Kasiva Mutua | Speaker". TED. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  4. ^ Jaiyesimi, Adedoyin (2017-10-09). "Kasiva Mutua is an international percussionist and we are loving her". Leading Ladies Africa. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  5. ^ a b Coss, Ian (19 June 2015). "'Every time I hold a drum...I feel like happiness is going to kill me'". Public Radio International. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  6. ^ a b "Kasiva Mutua". Okay Africa's 100 Women. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  7. ^ a b D'Arcy, Patrick (2017-12-04). "This Kenyan drummer is fighting to make more space for women in percussion". TED Fellows. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  8. ^ Kahongeh, James (15 December 2016). "My hands are my tool of trade". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  9. ^ Eyre, Banning; Coss, Ian (14 April 2016). "Artists of the Nile Project Speak". Afropop Worldwide. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  10. ^ a b Gnaoré, Auzouhat (2017-07-18). "Kasiva Mutua, une percussionniste engagée - Amina". Amina (in French). Retrieved 2018-07-14.
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