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Toronto Sun
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Honkytonk Kenya: Africa's home of country music
Published Jul 28, 2025 • 3 minute read "Sheriff Knight" leads the line-dance at the International Cowboy and Cowgirls Day in Nairobi Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd / AFP Nairobi (AFP) — The party is in Kenya, but the vibe is distinctly Americana: a sea of cowboy hats and boots with a soundtrack of whisky-soaked tales about heartbreak and good ol' boys. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Kenya has become the unlikely home of a growing country music scene, possibly the biggest in Africa, as testified by the thousands line-dancing in a field in the capital Nairobi this weekend for International Cowboys and Cowgirls Day. The festival crowd went wild for the king of the local country scene, 'Sir Elvis' Otieno, as his deep baritone belted out classics like 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' mixed with newer hits like 'Down to the Honkytonk'. Sir Elvis's parents named him after another musical monarch who died a few months before he was born in 1977, and then raised him on a diet of country legends like Jim Reeves and Alan Jackson. 'When I started out it was a very tiny genre' in Kenya, he told AFP at the festival. 'It's a dream come true to see a crowd like this today.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sir Elvis is the biggest star of the Kenyan country scene. (Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP) Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd / AFP There are links, he said, to local traditions, particularly the story-telling music of the Kikuyu tribe known as Mugithi. 'Kikuyu folk music has the same kind of language, they draw from each other quite a bit,' said Sir Elvis. 'It's really crazy — so many thousands of miles apart, but the messaging is the same.' – 'Life, love, hate, forgiveness' – Anne Anene, 26, still remembers the song that turned her into a country music fan: Dolly Parton's 'Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?'. 'Her songs always speak to me because they always have deep messages, and they usually tell a story of what I go through,' said Anene, a customer service representative for a health insurance firm. Kenya's country scene has grown in the last decade thanks to live gigs and the popularity of the outfits. (Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP) Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd / AFP 'I've always hoped to go to Texas or Nashville one day,' she added. 'I'd like to visit the ranches, I like horse riding, I like the ranch kind of life — the quiet, the calm.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The clothes are also a big part of the appeal. The festival was organized by Reja Manyeki, who runs a clothing and events company called Cowboys and Cowgirls. It was still pretty niche when he opened in 2018 but 'now people love country music. It touches all corners (of society). 'We do cowboy-themed events, birthdays, weddings, end-of-year parties… Now everyone comes, even schools.' Big farming and Christian communities also make Kenya fertile ground for country and gospel music. First to perform at the festival was Samson Maombe who's picked up millions of streams for his Swahili-language takes on Christian country tunes. But for 'King George' Gustavo, lead MC of the festival, it's the tales of everyday life that keep him hooked and ensures he listens to Alan Jackson 'every single day'. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Shared traditions of farming, Christianity and links to local folk music help explain country's popularity in Kenya. (Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP) Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd / AFP 'The lyrics speak to life, love, hate, forgiveness, cheating, drinking…' he said. 'You identify with that, and then obviously there's a bit of dancing.' Anene, the Dolly Parton fan, says country music is also an escape. 'In this world full of confusion, full of drama, country music is the only thing that makes sense to me. It has made me find peace.' Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Canada Editorial Cartoons Sunshine Girls Relationships Editorials
The Guardian
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kenya celebrates International Cowboy Day
It's hats off as people attend the event, which is billed the first International Cowboy Day celebration in Africa Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images Sheriff Knight (centre), the 'Dancing Cowboy', leads the line dance at Ngong racecourse and golf park in Nairobi Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images People line-dance at the event, which has been described as a cultural crossover that pays tribute to the global cowboy tradition – Kenyan style Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images Country music has a loyal fan base in Kenya and the popularity of the music is growing Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images The International Cowboy Day celebration in Nairobi was attended by hundreds of country music fans Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images Western wear is a must of course Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images Sheriff Knight leads the line-dance Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images The Kenyan country artist Pharry-K, who has been promoting the event Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images Sheriff Knight (centre), the 'Dancing Cowboy', leads an even larger line-dance Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images Eve and Sheila pose for a photo Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images A reveller poses for a photo. The event was headlined by Sir Elvis, Kenya's biggest country music star Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images The Kenyan country singer Sir Elvis and the Urban Cowboys perform Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images A crowd gathers as Sir Elvis and the Urban Cowboys perform Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Images
