His name is Robert Munene but in the regional dance scene, they call him Larumba Munene — an ode to both his past and present.
He is both a singer and a dancer but in the art world, he is known for being one of the torchbearers and champions of Afro-Latin music in Kenya.
He grew up on rhumba music. His parents listened to Congolese rhumba, and this was passed down to him. Later on, he discovered salsa, bachata, kizomba and then Cuban rhumba which he dived headlong into because he has quite an explorative spirit.
“I discovered that the drum beat in Cuban rhumba came from Africa, went to Cuba then came back to Africa as Congolese rhumba, and so what they sing as Congolese rhumba is Cuban rhumba that was Africanised. An example would be the Congolese song for independence in 1960 which was a chachacha song. It was played on the beat of Cuban rhumba, and this was the genesis of Congolese rhumba.”
His listening to Congolese rhumba and getting to learn other genres linked to this helped him develop a range of tastes that shaped his perspective on music.
For him, rhumba defines his alter ego which ensues from his name Munene which he says is a Congolese name forming the spiritual essence of his persona. Munene cuts across as a man invested in the ties to his present and past clearly.
Afro-Latin music, which is his niche panache, is a fusion of African and Latino music. The genres that lead up to Afro-Latin music drip off his fingertips.
“You have salsa which comes from Cuba, Bachata from the Dominican Republic, and Tango from Argentina. When you go to Haiti, there is Kompa and if you go to the French Caribbean, you have Zouk, Chachacha also comes from South America and if you go to Columbia, they have salsa caleña. We marry all this with our rhumba and if you happen to attend an Afro-Latino concert, you will get to hear Mario, Nakei Nairobi and many others in a groovier salsa version,” he says.
Munene acknowledges that Afro-Latin music and dance have been in Kenya for the past 30 years and he and his band are not the novel pioneers.
“If you look at the old gospel songs in Kenya, some have people dancing to salsa in the background. If you look at some of the dancers for Wyre’s videos, there was a guy called Ian, who used to dance salsa back in the day,” he says.
He continues. “When you listen to people like Savara and his song Show You Off, that is Kompa, if you listen to Otile Brown, in some of his songs, he meddles around with Zouk and Kizomba. Kizomba and Semba are from Angola.”
The aim of Afro-Latin, he says, is to bring a fusion and an energy to the masses. He plans to demystify the notion of Afro-Latin music in Kenya by curating real experiences through live music.
His first rodeo with Afro - Latin music was back in November when he held the first Afro Latin Tamasha in Nairobi which he says had a massive reception but acknowledges that more work needs to be done.
“We have not been getting enough support from the mainstream despite our popularity. Afro-Latin is something that has been in existence but what is lacking is its packaging to fit into the mainstream. This is what we are trying to do to make it palatable. We are not a cult, we want everyone to join our movement and enjoy our music,” he says.
How he got into this space was courtesy of a mishap.
“In 2017, I used to do a lot of sports, I then hurt my knee. I came to Alliance Française where there was a dance class and since I couldn’t run anymore, I opted to dance. I realised it was something I could do well, and I enjoyed it. It was good for working out and good for my mental health, especially after a long day's work.”
Half the crowd that bought tickets for the first concert were not from the Afro-Latina space to which Munene realised that there was a need to get to the masses in the right way.
“We had eight hours of pure good music celebrating dance, culture and good music and even when it ended, people still wanted us to continue.”
Ritmo Connexion wasn’t originally an Afro-Latin band. He calls them a collective of musicians who are doing different genres but were handpicked to specifically major in Afro-Latin music.
“Some of them had played some bit of salsa and kizomba before but right now they are going deep into the genre. For some the 2nd Edition of the Afro Latin Tamasha will be the second time they are playing Afro- Latin music.”
The music scene in Kenya, as Munene notes, is ungrateful to bands because he thinks they can earn better.
“If we can demystify this and get more people to understand the genre, then maybe they can make a living out of this.”
From his experience with Afro-Latino Tamasha, Munene has no qualms about how the sound will be received if any of the past interactions are anything to go by.
As he plans for the second Afro Latino Tamasha 2.0 that will be held in December 2025, he is looking towards inculcating the entire Africa region as a whole into the mayhem.
“We have a very good network in Ethiopia, Uganda and even West Africa, the good thing about Afro-Latin music is that wherever you go, you create a good network, if you take me to Moscow today for example, I know I will find an Afro-Latin night and I will dance.”
Afro-Latin and dance go are a match made in heaven. “Dance is a workout, and you get good endorphins that make you feel good about yourself. I have seen people transform to the point of addiction and I don’t think it is a bad.”
