BUY WHEN YOU SING TO THE FISHES NOW AT THESE STORES

The Story

Can a man, an artist, ever truly outrun his past?

Guitarist Otis Dinos returns to Kisumu, the magnetic town that shaped him. In the ‘80s, he was a legend—his explosive mix of hard benga and rumba gave birth to a generation of fans and made him famous. But after a tragic exit twenty years ago, everything fell apart. Now, at forty-seven, he’s back, haunted by the ghosts of his bandmates and a life of excess.

Guitarist Otis Dinos is back in Kisumu, the addictive and possessive lakeside town. Back in the ‘80s, he was the Urban Benga guitar legend. His commercially potent mix of hard benga and lofty rumba was loud with a culture surrounding it, and a cult-like following. It ignited an entire generation of music fans. It made him rich and famous.

When he left Kisumu twenty years ago, it was a sudden unpleasant event. Everything ended in tragedy. He was twenty-nine years and at his peak. Today he still is the artsy man: the musician, the guitarist. People have died fast; the men and women who helped him make music… they have all died or wasted away... all perished. Is he about to perish too? What is left? The past has unfulfilled dreams, good life, nice cars, easy money, expensive perfumes, glamorous women, living on the road and on stage and in the studios. And conniving bandmates, thieving promoters and clever pirates.

The present is bearable but holds no promise: he is forty-seven. If he has to accept his forced retirement, he has to learn to be a local Kisumuan, not the famous name. He reminisces about the romantic encounters of the ‘70s. The future is uncertain. He is searching for sanity and happiness. Happiness? In Kisumu lives the woman whose unfulfilled love still dwells in his heart. But his mind is too bamboozled to even think.

REVIEWS

A compelling exploration of fame and its toll, this novel takes readers on a journey through the gritty underbelly of Kisumu’s music scene. Otis Dinos, a once-celebrated guitarist, returns to confront his past and rediscover what’s left of his soul. With a hauntingly rich narrative and vivid characters, this story reveals the true cost of living in the spotlight.

GORDON ONDIEK, FORMER MANAGER OF COLLELA MAZEE

An evocative and introspective narrative, this book explores the haunting legacy of a rock legend who returns to his roots. The story of Otis Dinos is both poignant and powerful, capturing the essence of struggle and redemption in the vibrant backdrop of Kisumu’s music scene. A must-read for fans of music and deep character studies.

TABU OSUSA, KETEBUL MUSIC

CHAPTER EXCERPT

CHAPTER ONE

“Shakespeare was right: death is a necessary evil.”

UNEXPECTED expectation it was.

It came as a powerful and relentless dream that was as limber as kamongo mudfish wriggling through your hands. On the day I had another fishy dream, that night in 1992, my nogoodnik brother died. Mama went to church to pray in meek supplication, crying out to the heavens in rapture. I fell apart, my heart beating like the rhythm of conga drums. If I dreamt about fish, something bad happened. Somebody died.

MAMA NYAR GI NERA, mama sister of uncles, is sad about it. And she’s happy at the same time. She announces that she is now ready to die too, herself. She keeps hoping Agwenge will walk in through the door. She dreams he is still here beside her while he is now gone away. Then she remembers how she found herself plagued by his terrifying ayaki. She raises her arthritic hands in despair.

She twists her lips and tsks the way Nigerian women do in their movies. “He’s free at last,” she mutters in Dholuo. “Ei. Yawa. Thu! Let him go and rest.” The melancholia of Agwenge’s stupefying ayaki must have been unbearable. Is he free of it now? Amazing how his death quickly dissipated Mama’s concerns and worries. She mutters, “Wuololo! Ayayee!” not believing he’s gone. She had been absurdly protective, like a bewitched woman.

BUY WHEN YOU SING TO THE FISHES NOW AT THESE STORES