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Below The Radar 47

Track 15

Lulenga. Photo by Fahari Yetu

"Singendonge Ndilusele"

From Digital Indigenous 08: Aliyuyo Uyoo

Bonnie Lulenga, born in 1977, is a musician and instrument maker from Kising'a village in Kilolo District, Iringa Region, Tanzania. He belongs to the Lulenga clan, a Hehe clan primarily located in the South Eastern part of Iringa Region. Kising'a village lies on the slopes of the Udzungwa Mountains.

Bonnie, who works primarily as a farmer in Kising'a, joined the Fahari Yetu artisan business development programme in 2015 and began performing regularly at Iringa Boma – Regional Museum and Cultural Centre in 2016. Bonnie's musical repertoire includes traditional Hehe songs, which he performs using self-manufactured instruments made from local materials. These instruments include drums, whistles, cowbells, bass strings and mortars. Traditionally, Hehe music consists of singing and dancing accompanied by drums, whistles and ankle bells. Bonnie has developed a repertoire based on six different styles, which he plays on his various handmade instruments.

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