QUEEN OF NYATITI  from Kenya
Afro-Fusion, Jazz, R&B, Benga

             
Line-up:
Solo: Voc & Nyatiti
Duo: with Hassan Elmalik – King of Oud
Band:
Atisanna – Voc & Nyatiti
Winnie Wandera – Singer
Timothy Jandi – Bass
Abdallah Seif – Drums
Yusuf Khamis Mwinyikombo – Keyboard
Bruno Tumbo Mbaruku – Congas
Gabriel Kazungu – Guit
Kenneth Okoth Oguya – Sax
Lawrence William Sengo – Sax & Trumpet

The dynamic musician, singer & NYATITI player acts as a bridge between ancestral sounds and contemporary music, weaving together stories of memory, resilience, and cultural pride.
Jennifer Atieno Sanna is Kenya’s first professional female NYATITI player, an 8-stringed harp traditionally played exclusively by men within the Luo community.
She learned the instrument under the guidance of experienced NYATITI players and later pursued further training at the Kenya National Theatre.
Between 2011 and 2013, she took 1st place at the Kenya Music and Cultural Festival, organized by the Ministry of National Heritage; in 2020, she won the “Sanaa Award”.
Additionally, in 1997, she secured 1st place in the Competition for the Performance of Iriginal Lyrical Texts, among other accolades.

Coming from a musical family, ATISANNA began her career as a backing vocalist in her father’s group, the Sanna Jazz Band. During her time at Kileleshwa Primary School, she played the guitar and sang alongside her musically gifted grandmother, a prolific performer of *Dodo*, a traditional Luo musical style.
Her more recent musical influences include artists such as Suzanna Owiyo and Miriam Makeba.
A former student of Ngara Girls’ High School, she made her stage debut in May 2011 alongside the legendary Ayub Ogada at the Goethe-Institut in Nairobi. She is committed to the ongoing development of the music scene, aiming to ensure it becomes a sustainable source of income for those within it.

Past Performances
2011
At the Maktaba Awards, National Museum, Nairobi
2012
At the 20th Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL), Laico Hotel, Nairobi
At the “Kenya Music and Cultural Festival” gala, held under the auspices of the Ministry of National Heritage at the KICC, Nairobi
2013
At Auma Obama book reading “And life happens” at Paa Ya Paa” Kenya’s oldest Art Gallery founded by Phillda Njao and Elimo Njau, Nairobi
At “Africa Liberation Day,” Arusha, Tanzania
At JAMAFEST (a cultural festival), Kigali, Rwanda
2014
Performed alongside tabla master Subhash Dhunoochand for the International Day of La Francophonie at the Alliance Française in Nairobi, Kenya. They presented a “jugalbandi” (a musical dialogue) between two classical instruments of distinct origins: Indian percussion and the eight-stringed Luo nyatiti.
2015
At the finale of the “Women Festival Culturelles,” Alliance Française, Nairobi
2016
At the “WeCreate Kenya Women Entrepreneurship Centre,” Lavington, Nairobi
At the Sama Festival, Khartoum, Sudan; represented Kenya through a musical performance and by sharing various cultural aspects.
At “Zidi Africa Sports Week,” Kibra, Nairobi, Kenya—featuring cultural musical performances, the promotion of young talent, and awareness-raising for a clean environment.
At “Tree House,” “Choices,” the “World Global Party,” “Tamambo Tapas,” the “Michael Joseph Centre,” and the “Village Nyatiti Festivals,” as well as participating in Kenya’s first opera.
2020
At the launch of Teddy Warria’s book “I am From,”
At the “KUSI Ideas Festival 2020” at the Ciala Resort in Kisumu
On International Women’s Day
At the inauguration of the “Mama Sarah Onyango Hall” in Kisumu