Muthoni Ndonga is the organiser of Blankets and Wine
Born Muthoni Ndonga, she is known in the Kenyan entertainment scene as Muthoni the Drummer Queen, or MDQ for short. She is a legendary rapper and entrepreneur, as well as the pioneer of the popular urban festival Blankets and Wine (B&W), which has been running for 16 years.
"I have been good," she says, "If you can put aside everything that has been happening in our country. If you minimise that tab, we are doing quite well. I am happy and thriving. Motherhood is wonderful. Our business is growing and expanding. With B&W, we are now building an institution — things that I thought could never happen are actually happening.
Muthoni Ndonga Drummer Queen.
I have also been making music and touring. Life is so good right now!
These days in Kenya, it's as if 79 hours have passed between sleeping and waking up. So much happens that you are left feeling confused. What's not happening? Where are we heading?
We are being led by people who do not support society. Our leaders are hateful and stand for nothing.
But what I love about all that is happening is the resistance. It's as if the old system is dying and a new one is taking shape. It's as if we are continuing the work that was started in the '60s, but which was somehow hijacked.
The debate about whether I am one of the richest Kenyan artists (thanks to B&W's success) is what I call counting coins. You might look at someone's car or house and assume they have a lot of money, but that isn't always the case.
The fact that we are still here all these years later shows that the money we make from B&W goes back into the business.
Muthoni Ndonga.
That is not to say that I am not doing well. I have built multiple income streams to ensure I can sustain myself.
What I am doing with B&W is building a legacy. It's something that will outlive me. I have always been an employee of B&W, not the other way around.
Whenever I think of Pastor Ng’ang’a, I can't help but feel that the system has failed him. He was meant to be an entertainer or an actor, but now he has had to find other ways. He has a captive audience who show up at his church on Sundays, and he is there being himself with his guitar."
Would I book him for Blankets & Wine? "No, please. But if his fans demand it, we could book him."
