Ogoya Nengo

Kenyan Traditional Dodo Singer

Ever since her childhood Ogoya Nengo, baptized Anastasia Oluoch, in about 1940, would excite listeners around her village with her singing abilities. Very soon she had received her stage name „Ogoya Nengo“ which in Dholuo (language) means: the most precious and expensive singer in the region of Siaya County, which is located in western Kenya near Lake Victoria. In her community Ogoya perfrorms her music predominantely during ceremonies such as weddings, funerals or wrestling competitions. Dodo is a popular traditional female singing style amongst Luo communities. Men are welcome to support the singers on drums, stringed instruments or flutes and to comment the lyrics through heckling. Most of Ogoya’s songs are appraisal songs to honor family members, people of the community, like the best electrician, the most popular wrestler, etc. For instance the song Elias Owino“, a famous chief of the region, tells about his far sighted politics. „Oyano Ojwang“ praises the power of a magic potion which brings back a lost lover. Dodo is being played to „give people a good moral“ as Ogoya once put it.