Carola Kinasha and her 30+ years in the music industry

On Friday March 25, I had the pleasure of attending Carola Kinasha’s 60th birthday bash at Upepo Garden in Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam. Born into a Maasai tribe in Longido near the Kenyan border with Tanzania , Carola stems from a healthy musical upbringing; with her father having played the accordion, her brothers playing organ, guitar and piano; and her mother who is currently 95+ years of age still singing in the village choir.

Such a formidable upbringing in one’s childhood conceivably explains Carola’s flair and flamboyance to date. She was born to perform. She is recognised as one of the pioneers of traditional fusion music in Tanzania.

Since the late 1980s, Carola has entranced audiences with her then band Shada. Since then, she has gone from stride-to-strength, establishing her own legacy, aiding new talent and contributing to the mixture of Tanzanian music.

Apart from her music, Carola is well known as an activist, a feminist, a Pan-Africanist, a global citizen with a global mind-set who always uses music as a channel to promote active citizenry and activism.

“It was never easy. When I separated with my partner in music and in life, it took me a while to get back to my musical self. For the ten years that I wasn’t on stage, I focused on my children,” says Carola

Last Friday, she celebrated her 60th birthday the only way she knew how that’s by sharing her latent gifts.

One could only dream of sustaining such power, vigour and generosity of spirit whilst gracing the stage in one’s prime. To do so, in such a spectacular manner, at the age of 60 suggests that perhaps Carola is in an ‘eternal-prime’ state, showing no signs of slowing down or letting up.

The crowd had been waiting with patience for the show to commence and when it did, it did not disappoint. Making her way to the stage amidst a chorus of cheers and acclaim, Carola floated on stage and began to work her magic.

The vibe and energy was sustained for the duration of the show, with Carola interacting flawlessly with her band and back-up singers. The crowd ate everything up and then some. In between costume changes and breaks in the headline attraction, the event featured outstanding solo performances, particularly from Tina Muziki Mzuri, elegance on stage mixed with electric vocals. 

All-in-all, the celebrations were joyful and jubilant. The intimacy of the venue by the beach, with the stage at centre stage, made for a unique and pleasant experience.

I couldn’t help but notice the high regard in which Carola was held by those in attendance. There were multitudes of individuals with varying characteristics, all brought together through the power of music. The event itself, at least to me, signified a pinnacle moment of lifetime achievement, one which most could only dare dream.

Carola Kinasha’s long career, coupled with her activism paint a picture of a passionate personality that is able to captivate an audience and retain their attention.

She shares, “There are plenty of artistes out there with immense talent. If they could get together and realize their potential, they could shock Africa and the world as a whole. My best advice is, be yourself. Do what you really love to do,”

This is evident in her efforts to manage and mentor young talents through her affiliation with Music Mayday, a non-profit organisation that supports young individuals in their creative and artistic development. She is a project manager in Music Mayday, helping numerous creative types express themselves through music, dance, theatre, video and new media.

During our exchange, Carola illuminated to us her journey and musical hustles. She has plied her trade in the UK and Africa alike, detailing the various hardships that young, ambitious Africans face overseas.

“I believe that, if you do something because you love it especially when it is music and it is coming from within, then you stand a better chance of making something pure and impactful,” she adds

Throughout the one-hour-long chat, Carola maintained a positive outlook at her life and experiences. She brought with her some light anecdotes about her fortunes and misfortunes, as well as some important life lessons – especially aimed and the youthful ambitious talents of our world.

With her story, comes a story of determination, power, passion and longevity in a mastered craft. Dating back to her National Service and University days, Carola describes herself as the one who always had a guitar strapped and ready to go. Wherever she went, the music followed. One of the aforementioned anecdotes told on the podcast detailed her experience in the Tanzanian national service. Carola nostalgically recalled her first day, as she arrived for her one year service, guitar in hand, how dramatic the attending officers were

“BABA, BABA, BABA! Mlokole amekuja!  Kuna mlokole amekuja na guitar! Anafkiri jeshini tunapiga guitar!” Swahili for ‘The evangelist has arrived. She thinks we play the guitar in the army’.

All this was in good humour, and with positivity as a mind-set. Carola Kinasha has let her music define her for many fruitful years and now, she celebrates in style. For all aspirational performers and musicians, Carola stands as a shining example of willpower and force of character to stand the myriad tests of time. As an aspirational musician myself, I cannot help but appreciate her contribution to the music scene and the leadership she has presented.

She noted that young and talented individuals are everywhere. “Much as they do very well commercially, musically, we still have a lot to do to make our music stronger. We have so much musical potential in this country. There are a lot of avenues that are untapped and untouched,”

Speaking with Josephine Marealle, one of Carola’s closest friends, shares “I met Carola in 1981 when we both joined Zanaki High School Form Five. We were both in the same class - languages (KLF) that is Kiswahili, English language/literature and French. We immediately clicked. We were both leaders, I was the head girl, she was the deputy head girl. Carola used to entertain us with her guitar and singing at Zanaki Hotel”.

She and Carola go way back and have had their fair share of adventures together. In describing Carola, Josephine had nothing but the utmost praise and admiration for he friend.

She says, “CK is a woman of substance. A woman of positive influence; a principled individual who will not compromise her ethics to please authority. She lives a purposeful life which brings meaning to others,”

Adding that despite being more than 33 years in the music industry, Carola has not changes at all, “she is the same then and now. Her coming back on her 60th Birthday is a testimony to someone who is persevere.  What young artistes can learn from her is perseverance, and determination. The last six years were tough for her, but she didn’t give up,” adds Ms Marealle

Ms Marealle says Carola songs are reality checks for her, a well informed by reality on the ground and context, and she can relate to her songs, be it love story, cautionary or revolutionary songs.

What better way could there be but to celebrate one’s sweet 60th birthday with a congregation of your closest friends and allies, while doing what you love most? Happy Birthday, Carola Kinasha.