Pewa Pewa by Katombi – What is Alex Kasau actually talking about in this song?

Pewa pewa is undoubtedly one of the Alex Kasau (Katombi)’s best hits of all time. It was released during the covid-19 period (the year 2020). I first heard of it in -- you guessed it right -- Kitui Town at the keg pubs that are somewhere below the town’s main bus station, in Mjini. Someone came into the pub shouting ‘Pewa Pewa by Alex Kasau’ and I couldn’t [right then] understand what he was speaking about. But after a minute or so, the pub’s loud speaker came alive with the melodious song – and that is when I came to know that Nguuni Lovers Lovers had given birth to yet another beautiful baby: Pewa Pewa. I have gone on to hear the song numerous times thereafter, and it seems that there is no pub that doesn’t play Katombi’s Pewa Pewa hit. It has become like an anthem in Ukambani pubs and beyond.

So, what is Katombi talking about in the song?

Well, Pewa Pewa is basically a club song. It starts with the phrase ‘Pewa Pewa, Kila Mundu akite upewa’ (which basically means that every body should have a drink). Kisinga (as Alex Katombi is also known) then proceeds to proclaim that "I only come to realize how moneyed I am when I go to drink". And upon realizing how rich he is, he proceeds to order drinks for everyone: pewa pewa. Then, of course, the people in the club start praising him – with the guys calling him ‘Bazu’ even as the damsels call him ‘uncle’. Folks who use harder stuff, on the other hand, refer to him as ‘Akasha’ (or something like that).

At some point in the song, Katombi alerts us to the fact that this life that we have is not eternal. And that we should therefore drink while we can.

There is also the point at which Katombi proclaims that Hennesy, Shisha and weed are his mainstays, and that he doesn’t like to be disturbed (kukuniwa mbwembwe) while drunk.

One of the most poignant verses in the song is the last one – where Kasau declares that he only drinks with “Mang’andaa”  (cool lads, I suppose) and that you will never find muguka and tuluki twa utila (small small alcohols) on his table. Then the song climaxes, and goes into the usual ‘Kisinga Kee’ routine, which is the signature for Alex Kasau’s Nguuni Lovers Lovers band.

In my view, there are some three things that make the Pewa Pewa song by Nguuni Lovers Lovers good.

First is the fact that the Pewa Pewa son has an easy to understand and memorize chorus (which everyone can internalize and sing along to): just the sort of thing that people drinking in a club setting like. So even if you can’t catch the rest of the lyrics, you can be sure to at least catch -- and sing along to – the chorus. This is a strategy that Katombi seems to have adopted of late: we see the same thing in the ‘Mwendaa Ata’ song, which I reckon came in the same album as Pewa Pewa.

The second thing that sets Pewa Pewa apart is the fact that it is a very melodious song. This is important, especially at a time when more and more Kamba benga artists are opting for free-style singing, as opposed to melodious singing. One gets the impression that only artists like Alex Katombi and his protégé Kelvin Kyalo have kept up with the melodious singing tradition.

The third thing that sets Pewa Pewa apart from the rest is the instrumentation. As always, Katombi lead guitar is spot on, as is (I suppose) Mukuu’s rhythm. But what is really notable is the bass in the song, and the fact that in this particular song, the bass guitarist has actually gotten himself to be heard clearly. This is unlike what we are used to – where the bass guitar is usually just an accompaniment to the rest of the instrument. In Pewa Pewa, the bass comes out very clear and is truly distinctive. In Nguuni Lovers Lovers team 1 lineup, it is usually Kasyema who strums the bass guitar. I don’t know if he is the one who did the recording as well, but the bass in that song is quite remarkable. If you happen to listen to the Pewa Pewa song in a club setting where there is a proper sound system, you won’t fail to notice just how distinctive the bass guitar in that particular song is.

All said and done, we see (through the Pewa Pewa song) that Katombi didn’t go to sleep when the covid-19 lockdowns came upon us. Instead, he went into music-making mode, and the results are clear for all to see – with hits like Pewa Pewa and Mwendaa Ata. I have also watched the video to the Pewa Pewa song by Katombi, and it is a reasonably good work, especially considering the fact that it was taken during coronavirus restrictions time.