Kasiva Mutua

Hakukole

18 February 2022

“Hakukole” are Hawaiian chants, songs and sayings of ridicule that are a form of expression cutting through most age groups of the society.

They are precomposed or spontaneous and most importantly delivered in a public setting. The person hired to compose the Hakukole is seen as a “verbal assassin” and addresses issues such as mannerisms and behaviors, characteristics of a person such as laziness, shallowness, promiscuity, personal hygiene, etc. He/She uses figurative language to induce humor and sarcasm while speaking their mind and entertaining as well.  

The composers of “Hakukole” are similar to the Azmari of Ethiopia who Kasiva encountered while touring in Addis Ababa. Armed with a single-stringed lute called the “masenqo”, the Azmari walks around from group to group throughout the audience, inventing creative lyrics to poke fun at their listeners.

 Kasiva celebrates this overlooked form of expression in a playful blend of rhythm and sharp vocals.  She works with a traditional sound that gradiently makes your head bop with the curiosity of a new age feel, to address a person who leaves home to go abroad for school and upon return, seems to have lost their culture completely and acts “westernized”.

DETAILS

Album Release Date: 18 February 2021

Record Label: Delicious Tunes

Publishing: Delicious Tunes Publishing - Stephanie Schumann

Genre: Percussion, Afro, Instrumental

UPC: 196626270160

Written: Kasiva Mutua