About Carola Kinasha
Carola Kinasha was born in a small village known as Longido, northern Tanzania close to the Kenyan border. She is a Maasai by tribe and she spent the first 13 years of her life in the village before moving to Dar es Salaam. Though her early years were spent in village life she experienced western influence from a very young age.
Born child number six in a family of eight, her brothers and sisters, already in secondary schools and colleges brought with them different types of music every holiday. Her late brother Esto Kinasha brought home country music, gospel and calipso. Her other brother Abedi Kinasha brought home soul and classical music, her other brother Oculi Kinasha brought Tanzanian and Congolese Music while her sister Juddy Kinasha brought home South African music.
Her father played the accordion and brothers played piano, organ and guitar. Carola's mother is still singing in the village choir.
Carola's love for music ensured she attended every traditional ceremony that went on within a walking distance of her home, where she could hear Maasai warriors and girls singing and dancing.
Over a career spanning several decades, Carola has established herself as one of the pioneers of traditional fusion in Tanzania.
Carola feels that she has so much to express from the different cultures that she was brought up in. Her music is a result of extensive research into Tanzanian traditional music. She is a strong believer that Tanzanian musicians need not mimic other types of music when there is so much to explore in their own traditional music.
Apart from performing, Carola is an activist fighting for the basic rights of musicians in her country. She has worked extensively on campaigns to bring back music education to schools in Tanzania, anti-piracy and a campaigner against corrupt radio DJs who don't give airplay to local musicians without being paid. Carola is Vice President of the Tanzanian Musicians Network.
Carola has conducted seminars and workshops with other musicians to provide them direction with their music. She is also a member of an all women group known as Women's Voice based in Norway, where women from different countries get together to make music.
In 2002 Carola was recognised for her contribution to the music industry when she received an award from the MA AFRICA AWARDS in South Africa.
Carola recorded her first album Nyakati, Moments in Kiswahili, in Germany in 1998. In April 2007 Carola completed her 2nd album Maono (Vision). Grant Pierce OAM introduced Carola to Perth based musician Lee Buddle who mastered the new album.
Carola and Shada perform live at Sweet Easy, Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam every Saturday 8.30pm til midnight and Sundays at the Kilimanjaro Kempinski Hotel, Dar es Salaam 12.30 til 3.30pm. Occasionally Carola gets together with fellow Tanzanian female artist and long time friend Sauda Jazzmin to perform a few impromptu numbers together.