WaPi; Music, Words, And Pictures By The Lake
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- March 25, 2023
Octopizzo (Namba Nane) and Khaligraph Jones (The OG) are two names that straddle the Kenyan Hip Hop scene like a colossus. Their flows and styles seem ever-fresh and catchy. The two have been beefing for a minute but were once buddies. Once upon a time, Octo and OG did rap battles on stage through a platform called WaPI (Words and Pictures). That’s where their stellar journeys to fame and fortune started.
WaPI was a monthly Nairobi event that gave budding rappers, poets, and artists a place to showcase their crafts. It was a beautiful concept and evidently achieved its goals. It stopped happening some years back but left a lasting legacy. A concert worth replicating.
What if Kisumu would curate its own WaPI kind of event? With space for upcoming singers and rappers, photographers, brush and spray paint artists, poets, and dancers set by the lake in one of the beautiful beach points in Dunga? Imagine the color, the unbridled, hungry-to-make-it energy from the artists, the glorious photo shots of our county, and the upbeat audience? Magnificent, powerful, and uplifting.
Kisumu has the talent and infrastructure to sustain this event for months. We have scores of talented yet-to-be-discovered youngsters in music, poetry, and dance. We have super good photographers beaming bright lights to our city and ample indoor and outdoor spaces to exhibit all these. The upcoming Fish Fiesta by the county government has a competition for photographers. It will showcase modeling contests and music, but it’s a one-off event. Good, but it may prevent several prospects from getting a stage to make their mark. The creative industry here needs a more sustained, regular outlet to nurture and market all it offers, and a monthly WaPi gig sounds like a natural fit.
Kisumu is a city known for producing top-tier entertainment and art acts. Economically, this is an industry on its own and should be viewed through the prism of empowering the youth through talent, something akin to CS Ababu Namwamba’s Talanta Hela initiative that works with athletes and creatives.
The initiative can quickly be undertaken by many stakeholders. It can be adopted by the county government in collaboration with the national government or private sector (sponsors). It can be organized by players in the entertainment industry or supported by non-profit organizations whose areas of operations touch on youth affairs. The Nairobi WaPi was organized and supported by the British Council as the mission’s way of supporting the art culture in Kenya.
It may happen one day or be just a dream, but it’s a beautiful dream nevertheless. One the creatives and creative at heart in Kisumu should often have.
