But Chuka Drummers have remained a darling of many who seek to be entertained by traditional beats.
The drummers have been doing their thing since 1942.
The group founded 73 years ago by the late Ndei Mutaa who hailed from Igaa Village in Meru South, Tharaka-Nithi County has entertained local and international audiences.
It is known as Mwinjiro.
According to the current group leader, Mzee Eustace Njuki, who was among the initial 10 dancers, their sole aim was to entertain the community and spread their culture through generations.
The aging Mzee Njuki recalls how the whole village would gather for entertainment especially during the harvest period and dance till dawn.
“Whenever we began drumming and dancing, the whole village would join in jubilation and people would dance to the rhythm for hours,” Mzee Njuki says.
Mzee Njuki says that during the colonial times, the group was recognised and in 1961 invited to the current Chuka Town to entertain European tourists who visited Mount Kenya through the Chogoria gate. see the premier league top fan supporters
“The whites were overwhelmed with joy and joined us in the dance while others collapsed with laughter,” said the exhausted Mzee Njuki.
In 1962, the group took their first trip outside Kenya to entertain an international leaders’ forum in Tanzania, then known as Tanganyika.
Mzee Njuki says that this was just a start as what followed was an invitation by the first president of Kenya Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to perform at State House, Nairobi.
FOREIGN TRIPS
The performance at State House served as an opener to foreign and local trips for the group.
In 1969 the group, which then comprised of 15 dancers, flew to Nigeria to entertain leaders as their fame had gone beyond East Africa.
While in Nigeria, Mzee Njuki says, they met many Europeans whom they never knew.
Two years later, one of the people they entertained from Greece invited them to perform in Athens where they stayed for two months.
“What started as local entertainment became international and those foreigners liked how we jumped and bent as we drummed rhythmically,” says Mzee Njuki who has lived to tell history.
The old man says that from Athens followed several invitations and in 1973 they visited Canada for two weeks and in 1975 they were contracted to entertain tourists at Taita Salt Lake Hotel.
He narrated how former President Daniel arap Moi developed a close relationship with the group and invited them whenever he had visitors from outside Kenya.
ENTERTAINED MOI'S GUESTS
In 1981 when Mr Moi was being inaugurated as the Chairman of the Organisation of African Union (OAU) the Chuka Drummers entertained the 42 heads of state present, among them Julius Nyerere of Tanzanian, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
“We performed so well that Moi joined us in the dance,” says the thrilled old man as he beats his drum rhythmically.
The group normally meets for practice in Itugururu Village in Chuka.
“The costumes and songs depend on the occasion. ‘Macia’ is performed during wedding ceremonies while ‘Mugeni’ is performed to visitors,” said Mr Kenneth Ngai, he group’s secretary.
Their costumes are branded in the colours of the National flag.
Mr Ngai says this is their way of expressing their patriotisms and love for the country.
This also helps them to be easily identified as coming from Kenya whenever they perform outside the country.
“We deeply love our country and everywhere we go, we like to uplift the name of Kenya,” says Mzee Ngai.
Mr Ngai, however, complains that some people from the area and across communities have imitated their dances and songs with others even going to the extent of using their name.
He laments that those groups have ruined their reputation and they are slowly losing popularity.
“These other groups which call themselves Chuka Drummers have stolen our fame and are now going places saying they are the original Chuka Drummers,” says Mr Ngai.
He says that in the neighbouring Embu County, the Mbeere people who border them to the north have a similar dance which they call ‘Ngootha’ but they play songs similar to theirs.
The members also insist that the group at the Bomas of Kenya calling itself ‘Chuka drummers’ is not genuine.
“When you visit Bomas of Kenya you will meet another ‘Chuka Drummers’ performing there purporting to be the original group but they are an imitation,” insists Mr Ngai.
LIVING IN POVERTY
Mr Ngai says that the life they live is not worth the name and fame they have in the whole world. see also15 reasons why lazy people are the smartest
They have not even managed to record any of their songs.
He says that if they had money they could have taken the 'imitators' to the court and redeemed their fame and opportunity which has been taken by others.
Mzee Njuki says they have registered with the Ministry of Culture as a group and have been issued with a certificate but that has not helped much.
The group which has now turned from National to county entertainers has been seen several times entertaining Tharaka-Nithi Governor Samuel Ragwa and the Chuka/Igambang’ombe MP Muthomi Njuki.
They are now calling on the leaders to help them regain their title and fame.
“We are happy that we have counties which are like states of their own with the governor as the ‘president’ and we urge him to support us,” appealed the group’s secretary.
He says that most of the dancers are above 60 years and age is slowly 'stealing' their vigour.
He urges the young people, including the elites, to join the group so that they can learn the dances from them before they are exhausted.
‘We are getting old and we would not like the dance to fade with us. Let the young people learn so that they can take it to the next generation,” he urges.
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