Kahendi: Hi guys. The world wants to know, who are Maono Parkas?
Maria: Maono Parkas is a group of artists based in Dandora, Nairobi, Kenya. We consist of 12 members: Mic Witness, Mob Josef, Kim Zahki, Mushtakiwa, Blak Disciple, T.M.C, myself and many others. We work hand in hand to educate, comfort and unite society through our music, art work and dance.
Kahendi: That’s a commendable goal. Please tell us something small about each one of you.
Mob Josef: All of Maono Parkas members come from humble backgrounds; they hustle hard to make ends meet. Some are in college, some in high school and others work in different fields.
Kahendi: How did you get together as a group?
Mic Wit: Most of us such as Giringo, Mob Josef, Mushtakiwa, Blak D, Maria and Kim Zahki met in high school, while the others joined us later.
Kahendi: Maono Parkas is an unusual name. What does it mean?
Mob Josef: Maono stands for Miradi Anzisha Onyesha Njia Okoa (which is Swahili for “initiate projects to show the way and save”) while Parkas stands for Pure African Real Kenyan Aimed Soldiers. Maono is also a word which means “Vision” in Swahili. We use it to portray our mission of educating, comforting and uniting the society, not only in Kenya but also in Afrika and the whole world.
Kahendi: That’s interesting. I had not realized that it was an acronym. How do you fulfill your mission as a group, i.e. what kind of music do you perform?
Kim Zahki: We mainly perform Hip Hop, Reggae and Afro Fusion. We are conscious about issues affecting society like poverty, injustice, violence, prostitution, drugs and daily life in the ghetto. In addition, we aim to give people hope and to suggest solutions to issues and problems facing society.
Kahendi: From where do you get the inspiration to do all of this?
Blak D: We get our inspiration from legends like 2pac Shakur, Bob Marley, Immortal Techniques, Black Moses, Martin Luther King, Malcom X. Locally, we are inspired by Hip Hop and Reggae artists like Ukoo Flani Mau Mau, Bamboo, Abbas, Mwafrika, Nazizi, Bafu Chafu n Mzizi Mbaya etc.
Mob Josef: Our lyrics are conscious about issues affecting society politically, physically, mentally and socially like poverty, injustice, violence, drugs and daily life in the ghetto. In addition we do spread a message of hope and give solutions to the problems.
Kahendi: I have actually listened to one of your songs, “Maswali” (Swahili for “Questions”). I remember being pleasantly surprised that it was addressing social issues rather than glorifying irresponsible sex (which is what we often get from contemporary artistes). I’m curious about why you chose to focus on these issues rather than on the kawaida (usual).
Mic Wit: Okay: because of the sources from which we draw our inspiration and because of the need for mental growth in our society, we have performed songs about love and sex. These are not aimed at destruction or confusion, but at warning and educating the younger ones since these are some of social issues that affect them when they make decisions on their way to adulthood (dual lifetime).
Kahendi: Thank you for the clarification. Let's talk about one of these songs. It has been brought to my attention that you have released a song about about HIV/AIDS. What was your inspiration for that song?
Mob Josef: The song’s title is UKIMWI (Swahili for “AIDS”). Our intention in singing it is to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, to comfort the affected and to educate people on how to live, whether they are positive or negative. We sang it in the Kenyan Slang known as Sheng’, in Swahili and also some English
Blak D: We saw that the experiences of those infected globally affected us in some ways. There are many burial ceremonies, the number of homeless children (orphans) is going up… that’s how the idea of the song came to us.
Kahendi: Would you mind sharing a verse of the song with us?
Mic Wit: Mlidhani ni all fun/ Mtaani tumejawa na ma-orphan/ Ni pain tuna-endure/ In vain, no cure/ Memories remain for sure/ Ni poa mumejua/ AIDS inaua/ Familia inabomoa/ Vumilia jina ndoa/ If infected/ You’re selected/ To warn and tell the tale/ Don’t turn pale/ Msione mume-fail.
English Translation: You thought it was all fun/ Now our streets are full of orphans/ It’s the pain we endure/ In vain, no cure/ Memories remain for sure/ It’s good that you’ve come to know/ That AIDS kills/ It breaks families/ Be faithful to (your) marriages/ If infected/ You’re selected/ To warn and tell the tale/ Don’t turn pale/ Don’t feel like you’ve failed.
Kahendi: Those are wise words. Have you noticed any changes in the period after the release of the song? Perhaps people are more receptive to the message when it is addressed by youth on the mic?
Mushtakiwa: After releasing the song we have achieved respect since the community has come to know that we were real. We have also noticed that the rates of sexual abuse and infections have declined over time.
Kahendi: Hopefully, this is an indication that the efforts that your group and many others are making to increase awareness and to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS are bearing fruit in the community. Speaking of other groups, have you ever collaborated with other people or groups in addressing social issues?
T.M.C: We've worked with some NGOs like NOPE NPI (Shap) and AFYA 2, which hold outreaches to mobilize people and create awareness about HIV and AIDS.
Kahendi: NGOs do play a critical role in addressing social issues in our continent. I am glad to see that they are actively working with youth from the community in their campaigns to address social issues. How do you relate to other segments of society? Have the music industry, the media and the public been supportive?
Mob Josef: It isn’t easy to get your music played by the media. But the music industry and the public have been quite supportive by listening to what we have to say and giving us positive feedback.
Kahendi: That’s a familiar critique. I have read several interviews in which Kenyan musicians have spoken about how difficult it is to get their music played on various FM radio stations and to get other forms of exposure through the media. I take it this is one of several challenges you face as young musicians?
T.M.C: We face financial challenges. These affect our music in terms of recording, marketing, travelling and, finally, during performances.
Kahendi: Could you tell us about the positive experiences associated with performing? What opportunities do your performances open to you?
Ras P: When performing music we get open doors to meet with promoters, producers, show organisers and big musicians, not forgetting chances to perform at different concerts.
Kahendi: How do you market your music?
Blak D: We sell and market our music through local distributors (hawkers). We also do so by ourselves.
Kahendi: I’m sure many of our readers will want to learn more about you guys and sample some of your music. Do you have a Facebook page?
Maria: We have a Facebook page, MAONO PARKAS, where we get to interact with our fans and where they can watch and listen to our music. We also invite feedback, including their comments, questions and views. They can upload pictures and videos to our page. Anybody can join and can invite others to join too.
Kahendi: That’s great! And finally, do you have any advice for younger musicians who might want to follow the course you’ve charted?
Rose Lou: Be ready to earn every step that you take; that will make you feel that you deserve what you have.
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