Kasiva Mutua ~ Africa's Drummer Queen

Kasiva Mutua is the real African Drummer Queen. She didn't get her crown on a silver platter, nor was she born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her artistry is the result of hard work and a penchant for hearing things and playing them; playing hidden sounds -- and breaking invisible barriers and fantastical glass ceilings. 

Many viewers perhaps first saw glimpses of her doings -- her drumming, spiced with all that passion and all those poses -- at the 2017 Coke Studio Africa, backstopping performers like Bruce Melodie, Khaligraph Jones and DJ Maphorisa in their Don't Know rap(ture). But the 'crowd' didn't know just who that accomplished and so cheerful a drummer, a female one, might be:

Here, watch that video again

It wasn't until CNN did a feature on her in January 2018 that she was at last named and comprehensively unveiled before a large and intrigued public.

Watch: Kasiva, a Life Story (CNN)

But she's been around for a while, before that unveiling. Real talent isn't just suddenly born -- fully formed. Much gestation goes on under the radar long before, as Kasiva's life story illustrates.Watch, for example, a video of Kasiva tuning her drums in 2013

We will surely be seeing and hearing more of her and her art in the years ahead.

ENCORE: Let's watch this 2013 Jam