Traditional musical instruments are slowly but surely losing their influence as young people embrace more western and urban sounds. The Orutu is no different. The single-stringed fiddle is held horizontally while being played using a bow.The Luo are known for their strong tradition of stringed instruments and are famous for their skills with harps and lyres. Traditionally, women were not allowed to play instruments like the nyatiti (a musical instrument that typically has eight strings) and orutu. But Labdi Ommes takes pride in breaking this gender barrier and becoming a professional orutu player, a rarity in the community…[more]
Meet Kenyan Orutu player Labdi Ommes
