Destination Safarilogue Goes to Disco Matangas

Culture is supposed to be dynamic, but some are stubborn as a mule and are not ready to evolve. A classic case is disco matangas (loosely translated as disco at funerals). at funerals). This culture has been around since time immemorial especially in Western Kenya and Coast region of Kenya.

It has recently permeated the society so much both in urban and rural areas to the extent that even its critics and the authorities seem to have given up fighting it and are now hoping against hope that it will die a natural death. The Covid-19 pandemic suspended it for two years, but it seems to be back with a bang.

It is common in Western Kenya and parts of Coast region among the Luhyas, Luos and the Mijikenda communities and is mostly promoted during overnight vigils where it is a free for all blaring music from powerful public address systems and stereos as men, women, children take to the floor or open ground to dance the night away as they bid farewell to the loved departed soul of a relative, neighbor or colleague.

Attempts have been made in the past by religious leaders, civil society and especially the anti Gender Based Violence lobby to stop the practice and ban it outright, but in vain as organizers lias with politicians to thwart their efforts. Out of the seven counties I travelled to in the run up to the 2017 General Election under the anti violence against women and girls with the support of Kenya Police service (KPS) funded by the United

Kingdom’s Department of Foreign Development (DFID), only three, Wajir, Mandera and Nakuru counties, was the disco matangas a foreign and unheard of culture. With due respect to the controversial culture, a number of couples can look back fondly as they reminisce on their first date and encounter at a disco matanga.

Love brewed in a matanga

But for the remaining four counties; namely Kisumu, Bungoma, Kwale, Kilifi, disco matangas was a big issue and was blamed for the rise in immorality; teenage pregnancies and school drop out. In Bungoma County in western Kenya, officials of Nyumba Kumi Initiative, a grassroots neighbourhood watch team composed of thearea chief, area police chief and civilians supported by the Ministry of Interior, the controversial culture had been entrenched in such a way that they felt helpless to stop it.

Cases were reported of drugs and substance abuse traffickers are reportedly using the vulnerability of the bereaved families to sell their wares to the mourners aners,- most of who are the youth and even children.

In neighbouring Luanda in Vihiga County I once attended a funeral of a friend’s mother who was a deaconess in her church whose children were overruled by the lovers of disco matangas who demanded that the Disc Jockey (DJ) switches from gospel solemn music to up beat secular local and foreign music so that they could dance the night away.

A similar incident was witnessed in Funyula, in Busia County, a day after the burial of a friend’s son, when more youth turned up in the night and demanded to be allowed to dance the night away under the pretext that :"We are still mourning our brother!” The father of the deceased had to telephone the area police boss and his chief to come to his rescue as the irate youth threatened to cause mayhem unless the DJ was allowed to play the music form them to dance the night away on the eve of opening of a new school term.

Belief in spirits of the dead

But their threats were ignored and the police came and ordered them to disperse as the DJ and his equipments were temporarily confiscated. The youths fled shouting insults at the bereaved family as some even had the audacity to hurl stones at the building and cars of the mourners in protest.

In Kwale and Kilifi counties in Coast province, officials of the Nyumba Kumi also revealed how they were having it rough stopping the controversial culture which was being practiced by their neighbours who are from upcountry (meaning Nyanza and Western regions) of the country.

A case was reported in Ganze in Kilifi County where an area Member of the County Assembly (MCA) and member of Parliament (MP) ganged up to frustrate a ban by the area police chief of disco matangas. Asked why they were supporting disco matangas despite the high cases of teenage pregnancies and school drop outs linked to it, the politicians tried to justify it saying: ”please keep off our culture!”

Thanks to the recent pandemic, Covid-19, which came with the curfews, lockdowns, social distancing and restricted movement, cases of disco matangas were reduced to a bare minimum. Even in urban areas like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru, the controversial practice went on, especially in informal settlements.

Covid tried to stop disco matangas

One of the most notorious regions where the controversial practice is the order of the day is Nyanza among the Luos and their neighbours the Abasubas, Abakurias and Abagusii, some of who have been roped in. The Luos revere the dead and are ready to do anything to ensure their spirits are not disturbed during the funeral rites by keeping vigil, slaughtering cattle and chicken and ‘barking’ at the evil spirits that they accuse of having taken away their loved ones.

During the ‘barking’ as others wail and mourn, a mourner is allowed to blame anyone and anybody for the ‘untimely death’ of the loved one. I still recall a scene two decades ago when an aunt came sprinting from the main gate of my parents home in Lambwe Valley, Homa Bay County, and as she ‘barked’ and uttered the following words at the top of her shrill voice before taking off without waiting for a response: “Why have you guys planted these panga uzazi trees (certain tree species), they are the ones that is causing these many deaths in your family!”

During the funeral of former Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in his Bondo home in Siaya County attended by President Daniel arap Moi in 1993, Ugenya MP, James Orengo charged the crowd, especially the University of Nairobi students ‘as he barked’ saying: “Jaramogi did not just die of old age, he was killed by former President Moi who detained him and refused to allow him to access his medicines! How and why should he die before his elder brother, Ajuma?”

In 1969, during the burial of former Kanu Secretary General and Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya, at his home- in Rusinga Island, his home was invaded by traditionalists wearing goat skins and flamingo headdress chasing bulls into the compound in rites of passage called tero buru (-chasing away evil spirits) - to ensure no more deaths befalls the bereaved family.

Bad habits exported to Uganda

A classic case of Luo funeral traditions was highlighted during the controversial burial of famous prominent criminal lawyer, S.M. Otieno, following a six-month court battle between his widow, Mary Wambui and her in laws over whether he should be buried at his Upper Matasia home in Ngong, Kajiado County, or at his ancestral home in Nyalgunga

in Siaya County, where he had not built a house. put up a building.

The clan had insisted that: “Luo tradition, according to Joluo -Luo Kitgi Gi Timbe Gi, a book authored by Paul Mboya, does not allow a man or woman to be buried anywhere, he must be buried in his home (village) not in his house (where he pays rent or bought land in an urban area).” The courts ruled in favour of his – Wambui’s brother in law and the

Umira Kager clan who went ahead to buru -bury him in Nyalgunga despite protest and boycott by his widow and children.

At a recent funeral in Nyakia in Gwassi, Homa Bay County, the DJ had a rough time balancing between the wishes and instructions of the bereaved to play somber and gospel music and the irate youth who demanded for secular and local hits by Ohangla and benga musicians. I had no option to attend, as the venue was far flung and one had to access it through a national park using very poorly maintained earth roads.

Indeed, the DJ reigns supreme as he doubles as the one who chooses the kind and genre of music to be played, who can charge their cell phones and where the security light would be placed. What shocked me this time around was the huge crowd of youth who joined the mourners close to midnight and stay along till dawn as they danced alone, made merry and sang along to their favourite beats.

Some of the lyrics, for lack of a better word, bordered on immorality and sang in vulgar language., irresponsibility and out right vulgar language.- One of the songs even praised presidential candidate Prof. George Wajakoya, as the crowds smoked bhang, which he is promoting, and shouted at the top of their voices saying he was their presidential candidate in the coming man in the- August 9, 2022 race to State House.

The disco matangas culture has also been exported to neighbouring Uganda, where I came face to face with it at an uncle’s funeral. The DJ started off playing gospel music in Kiganda, English and Dholuo until 9pm. when he was put under pressure to switch to secular music of popular Ugandan musicians and Bongo flava or - by Tanzanians.

My late uncle was an Abasuba, who have been assimilated to the Luos, and was born in Kenya but opted to relocate to Kampala to join his relatives who did not flee to settle in the Kenyan islands of Rusinga, Mfangano, Ringiti and parts of the mainland in Homa Bay County and right into Tanzania.

As the Kiswahili saying goes, mkosa mila ni mtumwa (he who has no culture, is a slave), but - this disco matangas culture seems will be with us for a while whether we like it or not.