Zaire Ngoma II

Artistbio: Msaga Pore
Started in the 90s by Mzee Saruni and his immediate extended family, the Msaga Pore
Zaire Ngoma band are a Giriama family band of musicians from Kilifi, specialising in the
“ngoma za Mambumbumbu” - the powerful bass drums of the midzikenda. The
knowledge of the instruments is passed on from father to son over the years, adding
music tradition to this family of fisher-folk. Their main percussive instruments are a set of mbumbumbu drums - the ‘male, female and children’. They also include the Ndonga (shakers), the Kivoti (flute) and Debe (a type of box marimba which also doubles as a cajon-type percussion).
Characterized by very syncopative grooves and dynamic drum phrases, their songs havea repetitive call and answer structure common in African music. Mzee Saruni composesand sings in most of the songs, sometimes helped by his son and his wife. They cover awide range of topics, from social teachings to songs of praise to dirges. Being mostly afamily band, they hardly perform anywhere else apart from their own private parties or at events organised by neighbouring clansmen. However, in the past, they would attendmany different events and cultural festivals, and Mzee Saruni even reminisces on a time when they went to perform for the then seating president of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi, and how they were showered with gifts and accolades for expressing so powerfully on the ngoma za mambumbumbu.