She was only six years old when she started hitting any surface she could find. She would sit with her grandmother, listen to stories and play games which helped her develop a keen ear for sounds. Those events marked Kasiva Mutua’s foray into playing a percussion instrument.
It is interesting to note that Kasiva is now pioneering a revolution in her Kenyan community where it is a taboo for women to play drums. As an internationally touring drummer and percussionist she is showing women all over the world that the only thing that stops us are the boundaries we allow. Her performance style fuses western styles like jazz and reggae with African traditional music.
In her own words, “Although I have encountered some hurdles as a female percussionist because it’s taboo for women to play drums in my community and African society in general, I am still here pushing. I am drunk with happiness! Every time I am on stage, I get to share a piece of the real actual person that I am. To me, this connection is one of the most important things in true living and coexistence.”
Her advice to young women trying to make a career out of music is this, “Constant practice is like eating your vegetables everyday…You will see the results. Be ready to learn. You never stop learning music. Never.”
