Maandamano Songs: The Thin Line Between Artistry and Activism

June 20, 2025 27

“Maandamano, maandamano, wamepandisha bei ya Ovacado”. You have probably heard of that song. It’s from one of Kenya’s biggest music stars right now, Bien. The song came out at the height of protests in Nairobi and as we gear up for the one year anniversary, Bloga Flani disects what it means to be an artist during these political time.

There is a Swahili saying that is normally thrown around explaining the role of the artist in the community. “Msanii ni Kioo cha jamii”. This saying mirrors what an artist is and their responsibility to society. In the past year we have had multiple Kenyan artists dropping songs that have addressed issues in the society. This shift brought along with it artistry that turned into activism.

June 2024 brought along music from the likes of Masterpeice getting active in the activism music sector by dropping a uniquely done song in Hatutasahau. Bien of Sautisol probably had the biggest Maandamano song with ‘Maandamano’ featuring Breeder LW. The latter called out the current regime and encouraged Gen Z to follow up on accountability from the ruling class.

Lately we have had two huge Maandamano songs with rapper Octopizzo and Juliani also getting on the bandwagon. The latter has always released conscious rap music and has been at the forefront of addressing leadership issues in most of his songs. Juliani is probably the rapper with the most tracks addressing the inequalities brought about by the different regimes.

The hype might be catching on but there is a thin line between artistry and activism. Activism has always required heart and with what is happening around us, at times it might look like a risk for any artists that are not sure on how to go about it. The repurcussions are plenty and we have seen so many artists get into trouble for doing what they thought was activism.

Creativity along these lines can also end up costing artists endorsement deals as Kenyan corporate can be unforgiving at times. The views they address might hurt their brand and cost them their livelihoods just for supporting a certain cause. There is a lot to think about as an artist whenever activism is involved.