Untethered Magic | Sauti Msituni
This work is part of the performingborders 2021 commission Recipes for Autonomy by Syowia Kyambi.
The show aims to address how the collective ‘Untethered Magic’ was formed and the start of Sauti Msituni as an alternative radio. Chemi_Ali the Kushite and Diberu Live invite you to a discussion addressing sustainability and autonomy.
Transcription below, music including tracks. Translation from Sheng in italics:
[Music: Intro by Sauti Sol]
[Music: Set Me Free by Sauti Sol]
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Wagwan, Wagwan!!
Diberu Live: Greetings, Greetings!!
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Manze, this is Chemic_Ali_theKushite.
Oh Man, this is Chemic_Ali_theKushite
Diberu Live: And I am Diberu Live.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Manze, on today’s very sunny and cold day, I don’t know how to describe the day
Oh man,on today’s very sunny and cold day, I don’t know how to describe the day
Diberu Live: Sunny?! Where do you live?
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Manze kukona jua, ama ata si jua. Kuna joto lakini kuna mawingu.
Oh Man, we have the sun and not just the sun. It’s blazing hot with a cloudy overcast.
Diberu Live: And then there’s an overcast. It doesn’t make sense.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Inakaa ile time nilikuwa pale U.K, apo Uthiru, Kinoo. It’s very UKish, kwanza pale leads. Sijang’oa watu najua mnafikiri nimeng’oa.
Reminds me of my time in the U.K, that is Uthiru, Kinoo. It’s very UKish, especially around Leads. I’m not wrong. I know you think I’m wrong but I am not.
Diberu Live: Speaking about leads, we want to welcome you to Sauti Msituni, www.sautimsituni.com, Your home for alternative music.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: This is the Rundomo Show na imekua a minute since nimekua na hawa wazito conversing here and there but, tuko na show moto lined up. Yaani show Moto! Before ata show ianze, niko na swali kwa Diberu, Sauti sol wanna sema ‘Set Me Free’ freedom kwako ni nini?
This is the Rundomo Show and it’s been a minute since I’ve been with the crew conversing here and there but, we have a hot show lined up. Like A HOT show! Before we start the show, I have a question for Diberu, Sauti Sol is saying ‘Set Me Free’, what can you define as freedom to you?
Diberu Live: Freedom kwangu ni not paying taxes and them not being stolen.
Freedom is not having to pay taxes and them being stolen
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Eh! Sasa ukifika apo unajua tutakujiwa apo pa taxes.
Eh! Now you can’t talk about taxes like that someone will come for us.
Diberu Live: Story for another day. But, but, (pauses) Good drink. Freedom to me is being able to do the things I’m setting out to do in terms of my dreams. In terms of my ideas and ideologies without feeling pressured without feeling that I’m straining. Or I’m going through a strenuous period. Nafeel. Unaona vile campus students are suffering and eating rats.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Wanakula panya! Yeah, they are eating rats.
They are eating rats! Yeah!, they are eating rats.
Diberu Live: You see the way they are suffering, to me that is not freedom, they’re chained and bound to the suffering that comes with having to be an institutionalized student. And I think this covid, kind of helped most of them, because people went back towards…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Helped what? Helped them eat rats? They ate rat fam.
Diberu Live: That was… that was before It was seen fit to that these guys were suffering in all honesty, they were really, really, really suffering so you know the lockdown really favored them. Yeah.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Unless they went home and got feed, but kaa mzazi pia alikua amesota? Juu enyewe last year was a bad year. Yaani mimi naiona kama ilikuwa one month of shit, happening day after day. So unapata sazingine mzazi pia anakimbisha panya. (chuckles)
Unless they went home and got fed, but what if their parents are also in a financial crisis? In all honesty, last year was a bad year. I literally feel like it was a stretched out month of shit happening day after day. (chuckles)
Diberu Live: Anyway, we digress. Today, we have a really great show lined up for you. Hot topic, Heavy might bring some questions to your mind and you know it borders along the… Well let me just say let me just set it up. The topic is autonomy. What is autonomy to you?
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: The inner selves, the outer self like what is autonomy? but coming up before to introduce the topic…
Diberu Live: We are also going to talk about the Untethered Magic space in terms of sustainability and autonomy.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yes, it’s so it’s a model in Kenya, one of the models, like, we know locally. So we’ll be delving into that. A bit deeper a bit later on. But for now coming up…
Diberu Live: …is Femi Kuti with ‘Set Your Minds and Souls Free’ . I’m telling you, this is a banger, kill’em with the banger.
[Music: Set Your Minds & Souls Free by Femi Kuti]
[Music: Be Yourself [Manoo Main Remix] by Blaze & UDAUFL feat. Joi Cardwell]
Diberu Live: That right there was Blaze & UDAUFL with ‘Be Yourself’ featuring Joi Cardwell the Manoo Main remix and I have to say before that we had…. Who did we have before this song by the way?
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: this song, we had Femi Kuti set me free, inaitwa set me free. Unajua mimi kizungu ilikua ngumu…
this song, we had Femi Kuti set me free, it’s called set me free. You know English isn’t my strong suit…
Diberu Live: Set your minds and souls free!
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Siunona mimi nilisomea kwa dirisha. I tell you these things people. (Laughter from theKushite and Diberu)
You see what I told you I studied at the class window. I tell you these things people. (Laughter from theKushite and Diberu)
Diberu Live: You guy, so with that we get into the topic of Untethered Magic as a space and what it means to us and also what it means to the two goons and a computer.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yeah. So inaitwa in hindsight ama in retrospect? In retrospect Untethered Magic is a space where Sauti Msituni came from, it was born at Untethered Magic, it’s a place we hold dear. It’s home for us before it’s anything else and it’s also a collective and a creative space. Yeah. Autonomy and sustainability are at the core of the model of Untethered Magic as a home and as a space. So that’s why on today’s topic of autonomy we are thinking, what is freedom? Nini freedom pale mtaani? Nini kina kufanya kua wewe? Ni hako kaploti unadai? Ni kutolipa Kenya Power? Ni kutolipa rent? Ni kwenda kazi yenye unadai atakaa hulipwi pesa unadai but kuna pesa inaingia somewhere else cause you have the freedom. So Untethered imerethink the idea of home.
Yeah. So in hindsight or in retrospect? In retrospect Untethered Magic is a space where Sauti Msituni came from, it was born at Untethered Magic, it’s a place we hold dear. It’s home for us before it’s anything else and it’s also a collective and a creative space. Yeah. Autonomy and sustainability are at the core of the model of Untethered Magic as a home and as a space. So that’s why on today’s topic of autonomy we are thinking, what is freedom? What is freedom for you within your home and local area? What drives you to be who you are? Is it that peace of land you want to buy? Is it not paying Kenya Power? Is it not having to pay rent? Is it going to that job that doesn’t pay your desired salary but still have income somewhere else cause you have the freedom. So Untethered Magic is rethinking the idea of home.
Diberu Live: Well that’s true, it has repurposed mostly for me the idea of home because I grew up as an individual and you are tending to yourself. You’re basically your own adult and you’re going through life without guidance because you find that even as you’re growing up, your parents are also going through a hard time trying to find the zeros, sustainable ways to live because of ways to provide for you as a young person. So you’re growing up in this environment where there’s a lot of societal pressure to be great. And the only way that people know how to be great, you know, in the hood is you need to go, you need to get yourself into school, you need to have the paper. Yeah. And that’s, , like the gospel of autonomy in the hood, as I grew up in that’s what I knew. So, you come to grow, you come to new environments, you come to new places, meet new people, you get to talk and realize that there’s so much, there’s so much to autonomy and so you know, you come to find out these things and you kind of questioning yourself to rethink everything, you’ve known as a way of life.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yeah, there’s so much to life past what you were taught or past what you saw growing up or even me in my own experiences in my own gichagi. There’s more to the world than we think and when you break the barriers, the expectations go lower If I can say that. Yeah, like you find, you are not expected to please people, you’re not expected to do ABCD so that ABCD can happen but things start flowing once you start going outside your normal circles. Saa zingine watu hufind freedom in religion, sometimes they find freedom away from religion. Kuna watu wanakua makafiri na hapo ndio wanakua wamepata freedom yao, kuna mtu anaweza kua anaingia kanisa ama anaingia msikitini na hapo ndipo wanapata freedom yao.
Yeah, there’s so much to life past what you were taught or past what you saw growing up or even me in my own experiences in my own gichagi. There’s more to the world than we think and when you break the barriers, the expectations go lower If I can say that. Yeah, like you find, you are not expected to please people, you’re not expected to do ABCD so that ABCD can happen but things start flowing once you start going outside your normal circles. Sometimes people find freedom in religion. There are people who become or are pagans and that’s where they find their freedom, there could be a person who enters a church or a mosque and that is where they find their freedom.
Diberu Live: What he means by ‘msikiti’ is a mosque and I think that’s also one analogy I like because there’s nothing as interesting as seeking sanctuary in a place of worship because the dynamics change the because you know, they give you a chance to like reflect and kind of seek resolution not even through them but through yourself, through your eyes. This is what you see, what about if you saw it this way. You know. It’s like it’s a different perspective
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: It’s a different perspective. Wanakupa a different angle to look from. Inakua sasa you have the old you, the new you and the you you’d want to be in future…
It’s a different perspective. They are giving you a different angle to look from. You find that you have the old you, the new you and the you you’d want to be in future..
Diberu Live: Thee aspired you. I hear some people say these days, thee god you…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Eh? What? Whaa?
Diberu Live: Yeah! You should get on social media man, it’s been a minute.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Hee! Na zeeka, am growing too old for social media. Watu niko na nywele za brown hadi ina bidi naenda kupakwa dye.
Hee! Am old, am growing too old for social media. People I have brown hair to a point I have to apply dark dye.
Diberu Live: You are not old! We have grandmothers on snapchat and Tiktok what are you saying!? Look at this young man! Shame on you…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Coming up though…
Diberu Live: We have… am spoilt for choice as a DJ. We are going to give you a softer one then a hard type track. We have a rapper by the name Octopizzo with a song called Karatsi (Karata$i) and…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Karatasi, Karatasi is paper… yaani sheng ni noma Karatasi inamaanisha a noraml writing paper na pia inamaanisha doh, pesa….
Karatasi, karatasi is paper… Like Slang is amazing, paper can mean a normal writing paper and also means cash, money….
Diberu Live: Karatasi can be the degree, the paper, the certificate, the paper you use to punch in and out of work could be a lot of things. We’ll delve into this much much later right now let’s get Octopizzo’s two cents.
[Music: Karata$i by Octopizzo]
[Music: Extra Pressure by Wakadinali]
[Music: Greener by Nyanshinski]
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Greener by Nyashinski and before that ilikua wazito wanaitwa Wakadinali
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Greener by Nyashinski and before that was a crew by the name Wakadinali.
Diberu Live: Now speaking of Wakadinali, they are one of the Hip-hop/Drill groups or? I don’t know what to call it, but they’re one crew that I love because they speak the truth of what’s going on in Kenya and what’s going on with the struggles that the youth are facing. What can I call them? the hood? But the hood, it’s a bit…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Let’s go with that, the hood…
Diberu Live: Yeah. Where things have been difficult, where they are struggling or striving to gain autonomy and they’re doing it by any means possible.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: People are living… What do you call it? From table to mouth? Whatever income they are earning daily is what they are living on so you find there’s no savings and no investments. Nikidhani iyo ni ktu imeletea wasee wengi shida cause you can’t do anything. Juu lazima uko kwa loan, uko kwa something ndio uweze kuwa sustainable ndio uweze kulipa rent. Saa unapata ile doh yote umeearn inaenda kulipa ile loan ulichukua last month. Now you are in a cycle that is beating you day in day out, day in day out and I think Wakadinali are trying to give the youth more options in terms of music. Music can help you. Creativity can help you, it can help toa you from that one status of life to another. Tumeona msee kaa Ray G a street kid that got to change his whole life by pursuing music.
People are living… What do you call it? From table to mouth? Whatever income they are earning daily is what they are living on so you find there’s no savings and no investments. I think that is one of the reasons bringing problems to a lot of people is because you find you can’t do anything. You must apply for loans, or borrow in order to be sustainable so that you can clear out your rent. Now you find that at the end of the month the income you’ve made goes to paying all the loans you took out last month. Now you are in a cycle that is beating you day in day out, day in day out and I think Wakadinali are trying to give the youth more options in terms of music. Music can help you. Creativity can help you, it can help alleviate you from that one status of life to another. We’ve seen the street child Ray G that got to change his whole life by pursuing music.
Diberu Live: Ray G did a song with the artist Nviiri the Storyteller. It’s called ‘Lesotho’ , quite a nice piece. Might even play it. Might. Yeah.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: If the time allows though, producer anasema noma.
if the time allows though, the producer is saying that’s gonna be a little tricky.
Diberu Live: Now speaking of Untethered Magic, what Untethered Magic is and what it does now, give me your excerpt. Nipe dondoo yako.
Now speaking of Untethered Magic, what Untethered Magic is and what it does now, give me your excerpt. Give me your excerpt.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Muktadha wa hii dondoo.
The context of this excerpt
Diberu Live: (coughs) Excuse me.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Corona in the studio, corona in the studio!! Producer huyu ako na vaccine?
Corona in the studio, corona in the studio!! Producer, does he have the vaccine shot?
Diberu Live: Yes, I am vaccinated. Really?!
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Untethered Magic as a collective, as an art space ni mtaa si lazima ukuje hapa ati mimi ni msee wa kuchora lazima ni chore, pia unaweza take time ufikirie kwa nini na chora.
Untethered Magic as a collective, as an art space, its a home and it’s not compulsory that if your a painter to immediately come and start producing pieces, you can also take time and think about what you are painting as well as the process.
Diberu Live: To me that sounds like support or supporting the process…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Support. One thing I think ni kitu Untethered Magic inasaidia kusukuma, kusaidia msani is at the core of who you are. Like have dialogue with yourself kujiuliza na chora kwa nini? Have dialogue with yourself, nimeheal, nimefanya nini? Ni safe space yaani.
One thing I think Untethered Magic helps push is process, also helping people is at the core of who we are. Like having a dialogue with yourself, asking yourself why am I drawing? Have a dialogue with yourself, have I healed, what am I doing? It’s literally a safe space.
Diberu Live: Yeah, that’s also another thing, I think that’s the one thing I’m kind of keen on is, are you willing to heal from past traumas? Are you willing to look over, you know, starting grudges that you have? Let’s say, within your own personal certainly really own family within yourself, to let go and just like, you know, start fresh. And then try to channel whatever that process is through work. And I think that’s one thing that’s adamantly done here at Untethered Magic. Yeah, I’m thinking about how we came up with, you know, Sauti Msituni, how we are today and it all would have been possible if you know I myself hadn’t overlooked some things. I know if I choose to continue working with my previous station I would probably be suffering and end up hating radio. So it comes up to a point where you’re trying to associate what you love with trying to make a living out of it and, you know, it becomes rather difficult. But then you know, there’s more to it with the process that’s here at Untethered Magic…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Because it’s supposed to be as the process is happening everything is still going on. Like you’re working on yourself, you’re doing the thing you love. And when you settle yourself well enough, other things also follow, let’s say income because honestly, najua hip ndio kitu mavijana wengi inawasumbua. Like how do I have a steady income as I still want to be a creative, nataka kuingia kaa Uni mzazi hanadoh nadai kufanya nini? How can I go to Uni and still support myself nisikuwe nimejistretch too thin kaa zile chapo za… Manze! Zile chapo za Uni zile zili kua…Because it’s supposed to be as the process is happening everything is still going on. Like you’re working on yourself, you’re doing the thing you love. And when you settle yourself well enough, other things also follow, let’s say income because honestly, I know that’s what is disturbing a lot of youths . Like how do I have a steady income and I still want to be creative? I want to enroll in a University and my parents don’t have the money. What do I do? How can I go to University and still support myself so as not to stretch myself too thin like the thin naan bread from campus. Oh man! Those naans were…
Diberu Live: You can’t hate on naan bread this guy is trying to hate on naan bread, it was a way of living. That’s how you choose…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Hio chapati ilikua clear!! If you looked through it you’d see the other side!
Those naans were clear!! If you looked through it you’d see the other side!
Diberu Live: It was great and sweet, take it or leave it!
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: But that’s the way unajistretch too thin, freedom na autonomy ukiwa na a proper support structure inakupee enough wiggle room ya kukosea na hio makosa haikucost. Your makosas become lessons instead of costly mistakes, costly either financially or with your friends with your family, you know with your circles. Cause sometimes we also think loss ni financially but loss saa zingine loss ni kupoteza huyo mtu wa duka anakupeanga discount ama your bike guy.
But that’s essentially how one streches themselves too thin. Freedom and autonomy with a proper support structure gives you enough wiggle room to make mistakes that don’t necessarily have to cost you. Your mistakes become lessons instead of costly mistakes, either financially or with your friends, with your family, you know with your circles. We sometimes think loss is financial but loss could be losing your favourite shop keeper that gives you a discount or even your bike guy.
Diberu Live: And I think now also moving forward. I think we should also kind of discuss sustainability like how we’re holding up to make the space sustainable.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Kitu moja kila mtu anajua Kenya power is not the way to go in terms of reliable energy in terms of electricity…
The one thing am sure everyone knows is Kenya Power is not the way to go in terms of reliable energy in terms of electricity.
Diberu Live: Can’t you just be soft and cushion a bit, cause it’s like a brown out.A slightly long black out here and there. It’s really better than how it was in 2015 like we knew every Thursday we knew there’s not gonna be lights. Be elsewhere and not around Rongai.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: But are they making that any better?
Diberu Live: They’re trying!
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Imagine if you are running a hospital?
Diberu Live: They better have generators cause somebody’s gonna die!
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Exactly, so the first thing is moving to green power to save on the carbon emissions that we are outputting with everything. It’s a way of trying to mitigate carbon negative energy, carbon emissions in and around the place we are located at. So solar, collection of water, na pia reusing of black water. Watu hawajui black water ni maji inatoka kwa sink kwa bafu inaitwanga black water… Si mkojo na…
Exactly, so the first thing is moving to green power to save on the carbon emissions that we are outputting with everything. It’s a way of trying to mitigate carbon negative energy, carbon emissions in and around the place we are located at. So solar, collection of water and reusing of black water . To those who don’t know what black water is, black water is the water from sinks and showers… Not to mistake it with urine or….
Diberu Live: Reminds me of the time people called cholera the black what? I forget you took me there…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yeah, yeah tuachane na hio…Sustainability is in a lot of things. Unapata vile unaweza farm, vile unaweza source sustainably made products, kaa ni viatu kaa ni nguo like unafikiria the process that has brought this thing to the market. Imefinya mtu yeyote, imefinya consumer au mkulima you know. If you trust in the product in that sustainable way unasonga mbele. Same way na mtaa recycle vitu kaa kunavitu unaweza recycle vitu do it.
Yeah, yeah let’s just leave that horrid description for now… Sustainability is in a lot of things. Finding sustainable ways to farm, sourcing sustainably made products like shoes, clothes etc. Thinking about the process that has brought these things to the market, that is, has anyone been manipulated or swindled be it the consumer or the farmer you know. If you trust in the product in that sustainable way you are actively moving forward in terms of sustainability. Even at home you should actively get into recycling.
Diberu Live: Now in terms of recycling, have you been recycling any plastic, any glass?
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yeah. For people around Karen, Ongata Rongai and Kiserian you can take your good glasses to Kitengela Glass House. They do recycling from time to time.
Diberu Live: But do check their social media, otherwise they might reject your glass…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: (chuckles) Wacha nisithrow shade. There are other people who do plastic recycling in carrefour at galleria or any other places around your local area. Ukiangalia unaweza pata kuna watu wa kurecycle so you can drop things off. Drinking from sustainable things. Unapata pia mtaani spices…
(Chuckles) Let me be quiet and not throw shade. There are other people who do plastic recycling in carrefour at galleria or any other places around your local area. If you do research you’ll be able to find a place that do or deal in recycling so you can drop things off. Drinking from sustainable things. Refilling spices at home…
Diberu Live: What’s a sustainable cup?
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Paper cups zimeundwa from vitu kaa bamboo. The more tunatumia plastic cups the more zinatupwa cause they are for one time use only.
Paper cups are made from bamboo. The more we use plastic cups the more we contribute to environmental degradation cause these cups are a one time use only.
Diberu Live: And they take time to decompose…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Yeah. 500 hundred years minimum.
Diberu Live: I was actually watching a program the other day and they were talking about plastics and its recyclability. Now, if you look at some of your plastics, they’re certain numbers that are usually accompanied by a certain triangle to indicate their, you know…
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Recyclability or none recyclability na ugumu wa plastic.
Recyclability or none recyclability depending on the hardness of the plastic
Diberu Live: Yeah, and I realized that one problem is that companies are also kind of overlooking plastics that are also not recyclable
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Because they want to cut costs and that’s why we are trying to buy or support sustainable businesses. Watu wanatumia paper bags like, brown paper bags, not polythene. There’s a difference between people. Using glass bottles. Pia mtaani have spices in plastic containers so that you can refill each time you ran out and want to buy. Instead of buying spices in new plastic containers all the time. Cause we are burning and hurting the planet at a rate atasiwezi explain.
Because they want to cut costs and that’s why we are trying to buy or support sustainable businesses. People are using paper bags like brown paper bags, not polythene. There’s a difference between people. Using glass bottles. Also at home have your spices in plastic containers so that you can refill each time you run out and want to buy. Instead of buying spices in new plastic containers all the time. Because we are burning and hurting the planet at a rate I can’t explain.
Diberu Live: I also feel like talking about green power and it’s quite something that’s kind of getting into the market and also into the communities at large because people are now rethinking solar you know, investing in batteries to kind of support sustainable power. The only other thing I’m thinking about is water, cause how do you, you know, right now it’s raining. Yes, but when it’s dry, how can water become sustainable?
Chemic_ali_theKushite: So we would need to invest in the cycling of water and water collection from the rain. If you have my mabati’s, you can do iron sheets and you can do gutters, mitungi, underground tanks, ama plastic tanks, which like a lot of capacity. Then the water, the black water that I talked about before hio husaidia if you’re farming, if you need to clean with a bit of treatment you can use that water for cleaning and like a lot of household stuff. Nayo kupika you use the rainwater that has been collected.
Chemic_ali_theKushite: So we would need to invest in the cycling of water and water collection from the rain. If you have my mabati’s, you can do iron sheets and you can do gutters, mitungi, underground tanks, ama plastic tanks, which like a lot of capacity. Then the water, the black water that I talked about before hio husaidia if you’re farming, if you need to clean with a bit of treatment you can use that water for cleaning and like a lot of household stuff. Nayo kupika you use the rainwater that has been collected.
So we would need to invest in the cycling of water and water collection from the rain. If you have iron sheets, you can do iron sheets and you can do gutters, jerrycans, underground tanks, or plastic tanks, which like a lot of capacity. Then the water, the black water that I talked about before, helps if you’re farming, if you need to clean with a bit of treatment you can use that water for cleaning and like a lot of household stuff. When cooking you use the rainwater that has been collected.
Diberu Live: But once once once you’ve cleaned because I’m thinking, you know, that sometimes there’s muck and dirt I don’t think you can recycle that water again.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: There are processes to clean that water. I mean some people recycle shit! Like actual human sludge, recycle it back to drinkable water.
Diberu Live: Fieces! Shit! Mavi??? (coughs)
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: So unaimagine… People we have corona in the studio but niko na mask… but I can also see you have yours so am good…Naambiwa time yetu inaisha but as tunacatch up, think of ways tunaweza kua free.
So you can imagine… People we have corona in the studio but not to worry I have a mask… but I can see you have yours so am good. Am being told we are running out time but as we catch up, think of ways one can be free.
Diberu Live: Think of ways you can also be sustainable. You can alleviate yourself from, you know, strenuous methods of living and, you know, moving to sustainable ways. And, you know, it’s high time that people understand that communities can be formed and it doesn’t have to be all about family. It doesn’t have to be about blood, I mean and we formed Untethered Magic as three individuals that came together out of pure luck, I can’t explain it, coincidence.
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Nothing tangible.
Diberu Live: Nothing tangible but it worked, but it works. And the only way that this place works is transparency. Find your people
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Na mmezeeka tuache kudanganyana…
We are getting old, we should stop lying…
Diberu Live: It’s not even about getting old, it’s about how you know your principles as a person. Are you willing to be transparent? Are you willing to share your processes? Are you willing to share your downsides? Are you, are you willing to be open? Are you willing to be vulnerable and are you willing to move forward?
Chemic_Ali_theKushite: Find your people. Then when you find your people, be honest, be your true self. Things only come from an honest place. Hautapata kitu mzuri from an ego, hautapata kitu mzuri from ill intentions but it’s true from the heart, vitu zitajiwork out. So, find your people, you don’t have to think of them ati ni familia, ni cuzo. The person umepatana na yeye leo na umefeel we’ve known each other for years, maybe there’s something there. So trust in the process of being autonomous to more freedom na pia tufikirie vile tunaweza live a sustainable life.
Find your people. Then when you find your people, be honest, be your true self. Things only come from an honest place. Nothing good ever comes from an ego, nothing good can be yielded from ill intentions but if it is truely and purely from the heart things will work out. So, find your people, you don’t have to think as family, or a cousin. The person you’ve met today and feel we’ve known each other for years, maybe there’s something there. So trust in the process of being autonomous to more freedom and let’s also think of how we can live a sustainable life.
Diberu Live: And with all that’s been said I’m going to leave you with a great song by Miss Karun, ‘Catch a Vibe’ from her latest EP catch a vibe. Wow, the writing. Yeah, here we go.
[Music: Catch a Vibe by Karun]
Kibe Wangunyu is a self-taught Kenyan commercial photographer, cinematographer and digital artist whose work focuses on themes of human psychology, philosophy and day to day human interaction in relationship to culture, identity, and Kenyan colonial and pre-colonial history. @simonkibbz
Dennis Kiberu is a radio presenter, PR practitioner, music producer, disc jockey and photographer originating from and based in Nairobi, Kenya. He has studied Journalism and minored in Film at the Multimedia University of Kenya, with a focus on broadcast media and photography. Kiberu is a co-founder of Untethered Magic dealing with project and administrative management, where he and Kibe Wangunyu run Sauti Msituni Radio, a diverse online radio station that seeks to explore the underground & alternative music scene within the African continent. @denniskibbz
Sauti Msituni Radio Station @sautimsituni
This commission is a part of the performingborders 2021 programme, supported by Arts Council England. The full commission by Syowia Kyambi can be seen here: Recipes for Autonomy
Featured image credits: Sauti Msitun
