Kenyan Artist, Octopizzo, Releases Track to Generate Support for German Charity, Viva con Agua

Kenyan artist Octopizzo, joined other artists around the world in launching the “Sema” track and engaging in a couple of charity stints.

Octopizzo aka namba nane real name Henry Onyango Ohanga is one of the most celebrated Kenyan rap artist, hailing from Kibera. He is famed for his music, charity and entrepreneurial endeavours.

Together with other artists from East, West Africa and Europe, Octopizzo took part in the feted German charity “Viva con Aqua” which entailed putting up a joined music show as part of a charitable project on water and sanitation.

During the fete the video track “Sema”, or Tell was also launched through the Sankt Pauli organization, and brought the Ghanaian Stallion, Kenyan – Octopizzo, Ugandan -Maro and Bobi Wine, Knackeboul from Switzerland and Megaloh from Germany.

The first meeting of the six musicians took place in the Karamoja region, of Uganda. This was during the Viva con Agua Kampala tour in celebrations to mark the World Water Day.

In collaboration with the Welthungerhilfe project, the musicians attended two festivals in which their song and video were used to generate support for the Viva con Agua project.

The music performance was characterized with a variety of instrumental, a refreshing blend of different languages, accents and styles.

The lyrics, “But hatuezi pika uji bila Maji”, (Translated: You cannot cook porridge without water), emphasized the importance of water to communities.

The song was created during the project trip with Viva con Agua in Uganda, and was launched under the “Sema” title, in the East African lingua franca – Swahili – and means “say it”.

In the period between the Uganda tour and the release of “Sema” the song is said to have attracted a lot of enthusiast both in Uganda, and on social media.

Other experts that were involved in the shooting and production of the video include Marvin of Hobgoblin-Images, as well as Bobbie Serrano and Björn Holzweg who were charged with the artwork and cover. The 2016 “Sema”-Viva con Agua video can be bought from (iTunes |Amazon)

Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli is a charity founded in 2005 in the Hamburg quarter of St. Pauli. The aim of the organization is to improve drinking water supply in developing countries in conjunction with the Welthungerhilfe. The organization is built up as an “open network” which means that it mainly consists of individual initiatives with the support of the organization’s head office.

Octopizzo is however not the first Kenyan artist to help out with the Viva con Agua campaign. Our girl, Onejiru, also did a song for them last year. (READ: Kenyan Artist Features in Gentleman’s New Song)