A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF STYLO-THEMATIC AND PERFORMANCE OF KAMBA TRADITIONAL AND MODERN SECULAR SONGS

Damaris Temea Ngungi, Dr. Margaret Njoki Mwihia

Abstract


This study explored the aspects of stylistic features of style, thematic concerns and per formative aspect in Kamba traditional and modern secular songs. The researcher unfolded roles, teachings, messages addressed by selected artists reflect the diversity of meanings rendered artistically to the Kamba society. The study hinged on the following objectives: To examine features of style employed by selected performing artists of Kamba traditional and modern secular songs. The second objective was to analyze the thematic concerns and emergent roles relayed through selected performing artists of Kamba traditional and modern secular songs. The third objective was to examine aspects of performance and highlight how diversified meanings are manifested by selected performing artists through traditional Kamba and modern secular songs. The focus of this study was based in Nguu Division, Makueni County in Kenya. This study used interviews and questionnaires as instruments for collecting data. The researcher used purposive sampling technique, to select 22 individuals from the target population. The population estimated consisted of youths, old people and Kamba musicians. Questionnaires were administered to youths who are the main audience of modern secular songs. The two selected Kamba artists, that is, Kennedy Wambua and Ben Mbatha were interviewed. The researcher used content analysis approach, as a method of interpreting the data collected from the participants. The researcher found out that both Kamba traditional political and modern secular songs have a role to perform in the contemporary Kamba society. They were said to play different roles like educating people on different issues in the community,passing message from one person to another and promoting the virtue of love in Kamba society. It was recommended that songs of other upcoming modern secular kamba musicians should be studied to see if they apply the mnemonics and also to investigate their role in kamba society. It was also recommended that other genres of Kamba traditional music should be analysed to compare their aspects of performance, linguistic strategies and role with the ones for traditional kamba political songs.

Keywords: Features of Style, Thematic Concerns, Emergent Roles, Kamba Traditional, Modern Secular Songs


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