There are 5 golden rules to follow once you find yourself traversing downtown Nairobi. Live by these, and you might just make it back home with your phone intact.
Rule One: Trust Nobody, Suspect Everybody
The first, and arguably, the only one you need to know, is: Do not be distracted by the side shows.
Or as popularly put by Rono, “Trust Nobody, Suspect Everybody.”
Located in downtown Nairobi, Ronald Ngala Street, where the hustle and bustle of the shamba la mawe grind is thickest, is an unlikely cultural oasis. Its name, Melodica Music Stores, whose specialty is vinyl records. I knew better than to get easily lured, but the music overruled my senses.
Rule Two: Do Not Talk to Strangers
What took me back was how warm and inviting they were. More so because I was not planning to make any purchase, a fact I made abundantly clear as soon as I stepped foot inside. I was a strange sojourner who’d found her way to their premise, loaded not with cash, rather, with questions and curiosity.
Yet, here there they were—ever so polite, ever so welcoming.
Maajabu ya Musa!
Rule Three: Though You May Be, Do Not Appear Lost
I’d like to think of myself as a self-ordained music connoisseur.
True though this may be, I have a few blind spots. Never in my life have I felt so lacking in music depth, especially the oldies, as the day I walked into Melodica Music Store. Mocking my seemingly limited repertoire was a universe of melodies waiting to be explored. Still, recognizable Zilizopendwa and Rhumba numbers afforded me points of reference, enabling me to put up with the façade.
Rule Four: If Lost-lost; Ask a Soldier for Directions
There comes a time that admitting ignorance is the wisest thing to do. Mama raised no fool, so I bit the bullet and asked for help.
I came to learn that Melodica is the oldest music shop within East Africa. Not only is it a shop, but also a record label, vinyl producer and publisher of African music. If walls could talk, the ones at Melodica Music would have stories about encounters with musical greats like Daudi Kabaka.
Rule Five: If the Goal is to Fill Your Stomach, Go to The Not So Nice-Looking Restaurant. Utalipia Ambience Wewe! Chunga.
Prior to paying Melodica Music Store a visit (because that was the only thing I was willing and able to pay), I always thought vinyl records, let alone record players, were luxury goods. It took immense courage to even decide to be a walk-in window shopper. However, as I browsed through their diverse offerings, I was pleasantly shocked at how catering the prices were.
Vinyl is not their only trade. They stock a comprehensive music collection, including CDs, cassettes, and instruments like the violin.
Glossary
Shamba la Mawe – A Kenyan slang phrase directly translated to “a farm of stones” to symbolize hardship in the big city.
Maajabu ya Musa! – A Swahili exclamatory remark to show astonishment.
Soldier – A Kenyan slang word to describe watchmen
Utalipia Ambience Wewe! Chunga – “You will pay for the ambience! Be Cautious!”
Photo Courtesy @ Maingi Kabera
