Ideas originate in individuals, not in abstracts. For this reason we cannot credit concepts such as culture or social structure, or community, or tribe, or nation, with generating a work of art. Spanish culture did not generate Pablo Picasso’s paintings. If that were so, there would have been thousands of Picassos. But the one Picasso picked ideas from here and there, in Spain, in France and elsewhere, processing them. Nor was it Ngoni culture, let alone “Malawian” culture which produced Daniel Kachamba’s work, although he had a wonderful song about the Angoni in South African harmonic style: “ Angoni ajia ngoma”. It is on the CD accompanying Vol.II of Theory of African Music (Kubik 2010:II: item 29).

Dialogues on Contemporary Dance:
Interview with Kepha Oiro / Contemporary Dancer and Choreographer from Nairobi (Kenya)
Kepha Oiro is a professional afro contemporary dancer informally trained in traditional dance, Afrofusion and contemporary dance techniques, between 2001-2009, through residencies and workshops occasionally held in Kenya and South Africa. He also mentored into social work for the “Njia Yetu project” (a street children rehabilitation organization) between periods of 2003-2004, followed by active involvement into social justice activities regarding rights and welfare for children in the society, in 2005-2006. He co-founded three contemporary dance groups in Nairobi: Kunja Dance Theatre, Alama Dance Group and Tuchangamke group, between the periods of 2005-2008. Kepha Oiro has collaborated in and co-choreographed contemporary pieces such as Loud Silence with Alama Dance Company and Urbanite with Kunja Dance Theatre, and participated in the African choreographic encounters in Paris and Tunisia in 2006 and 2008. He performed and conducted workshops in several festivals in Africa, Europe and South-American countries. Currently, he is artistic director of a new contemporary performing group known as Tuchangamke group, that conducts research into movement fusion in ethnic African communities, based at the Kenya National Theatre, Nairobi, and is the artistic director of the Dance Marathon initiative.