Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Well, as much as it looks glittery and all, working in the arts sector, especially in music, is not always as easy as it may seem. In fact, sometimes music as a family business creates a space between the family members. In Mombasa, for instance, a lot of bango music lovers greatly miss the days when the legendary bango icon Mzee Ngala and his son Jimmy Ngala used to thrill them live from one stage.

Their combination, they say, used to be one of the best. However, six years down the lane, it seems like the wait is not coming to an end any time soon. According to a close family member, who is also a bango artiste, the two couldn’t keep up with each other and couldn’t just separate family from the business. And that is how their relationship became sour.

“The two used to perform under the management of Jimmy, but some members of the band were not comfortable with him as the manager. So, Jimmy felt offended with the murmurs and decided to do his things by his own,” he anonymously told Spice.

Mzee Ngala says he also misses the space he shared with his son, but he chose to respect Jimmy’s choices. He says the split brought a huge gap between them as a family.

“Jimmy made the decision to go his own way; it was not my decision. Maybe because of the age difference, he felt I was pulling him back. I am an old man and he is young and full of life. And since he is not a little boy anymore, I can’t be monitoring everything he does. From a distance I can tell that he is doing great and I am proud of that as a father,” says Ngala.

Artiste D Rush, son of legendary Mombasa musician Professor Naaman, dispels assumptions that he has been walking in his father’s shadows.

“I was not even there when my dad was doing music. It was many years ago, but people would still claim that I’ve been riding on his fame. Yes, he was famous and loved by many people, but I am just doing my own thing,” he says.

No smooth sail

Young couples in the entertainment industry also find it hard balancing the business and family part of it. But according to Johnny Skani, who is married to music promoter and events organiser Archy Kawere, it takes more than just understanding and commitment to pull through.

“It is not always an easy ride. Sometimes we have to be away from each other and the children for a long time and it gets emotionally draining. But the most important thing is for your partner to understand that it is work and look at it positively. This has been a cause for break ups in young couples in the entertainment industry, so I am just grateful that myself and Kawere are always able to keep our relationship and bond intact,” Skani tells Spice.

In his opinion, separating the business from the family space has made things easier to manage. He says: “I have my own business and my wife has her’s too. She is doing a different thing from mine, but we are always available when either of us needs assistance from the other. We also understand that business should remain business and family as family, so we have to respect their distinct roles.”

In the dance circles, you will spot celebrated dancer Said Makdar aka Kanda King breaking a bone alongside his wife Lady Tasha and son Kanda Kid. He says it was never the plan to have his family on the dance floor with him, but the more his children watched him do his thing the more they grew interest in it, sometimes randomly joining him on the stage and eventually winning the crowds’ love and admiration.

“It is not all cosy. There are challenges that come with it. Sometimes I get shows that demand Kanda Kid or the wife be part of. Kid is in a boarding school and needs to concentrate on his studies. We’ve had instances that clients have cancelled shows simply because Kid or the wife couldn’t show up because of varied reasons. But the biggest challenge is when the fans go overboard to pull moves on my wife or myself. It is important to have an understanding partner in this business for the relationship to survive,” says Kanda.

The blood ties

Mombasa-based singer Ali B (whose son Bawazir City Boy is also a musician) says sometimes it could be a difficult situation when a parent is in the same platform with their children, especially in the entertainment circles.

“We separated with his mum, so he has majorly been more around the mum and as usual it has not been easy being in a situation like this. My son is doing well in music and I am proud of him, but my biggest problem is that he is not getting shows. I need to follow up the issue keenly and find out why he’s being cut out from his space to showcase his talent. There must be a problem,” says the concerned pop star.