“cr azy white men” 243In a 2010 interview on Kenyan tv’s Patricia Show, the host introduces
Mzungu Kichaa as an “internationally acclaimed musician who seems to
be immersed in everything African,” and they chat about how he grew up
in Zambia, how he danced with the Maasai when his parents moved to
Tanzania, and so on.^11 He even proves right there in the studio his ability
to dance and jump like a Maasai (“I was a very good dancer”). At a cer-
tain point, he relates how he came back to Denmark as an “African kid”
after spending three years in rural Zambia: “I didn’t like to wear shoes, I
didn’t know how to eat with knife and fork... .” The Kenyan show master
replies: “Oh, was it that bad?” And Mzungu Kichaa answers: “No, it was
that great.” In some of his songs and also in the liner notes of his debut
album, Tu k o Pa m o j a (the title of which translates as “we are together,”
which is also significant in the context discussed here), he refers equally
to his many experiences in Africa. In a bid to construct an African origin
for himself, he even goes as far as insinuating that he might be an albino
born of African parents. Oya Oya, an early music video, which consists of
still images and has a self-made touch, begins with a picture of an elderly
African couple with an albino child. This image fades into a portrait of
Mzungu Kichaa, as if to suggest the child in the first picture represents
the musician’s younger self.^12
VOICES OF FANS AND CRITICSIn the absence of street-corner interviews, user comments on YouTube
clips are a rich source of getting an idea of people’s opinions about the
three performers. Needless to say, this source has certain limitations in
terms of representativeness and reliability. Only rarely do commentators
introduce themselves and explain where they come from and where they
are while writing the commentary. Often, however, clues can be found
between the lines. The majority of commentators seem to be diasporic
Africans writing from abroad, where the streaming of YouTube videos,
because of broadband internet access, is much easier and cheaper than
in most African countries. A lso, unlike the numerous but rather short
fan postings on the three musicians’ Facebook pages, which are always
positive, comments on YouTube videos appear to be more critical. And