Samaki Mkuu, the artist formerly known as the Kenyan swimming ace Jason Dunford, has collaborated with Jus of Jabali Afrika to produce a COVID-19 song to help spread “the message of social distancing to save lives and also express our gratitude to medical professionals around the world battling on the front lines”.
The swimmer is still in him: Dunford’s artist name, Samaki Mkuu, loosely translates to ‘Big Fish’ in Swahili.
Photo Courtesy: The COVID-19 Song – Photo Courtesy: Jason Dunford
He tells Swimming World that the song’s message can be summed up in the hope of “together we shall overcome”, borrowing the sentiment of the original “We Shall Overcome”, a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the Civil Rights Movement.
COVID-19 is the fight right now, the song from Jason and Jus notesat a time when the impact of the coronavirus pandemic not only leads the news each day but is the news dominating the lives of billions across the globe.
Dunford, Olympic finalist, Commonwealth 50m butterfly champion over 50m butterly in 2010, a five-times All-Africa Games butterfly champion and gold medallist over 100m Butterly at the 2009 Universiade, says:
“As the whole world confronts coronavirus, Justo Asikoye (Jus/Jabali Afrika) and I wanted to do something to help ease anxieties using the power of reggae music. We decided to write and record this song, with the whole project from conception to completion taking only one week.
“We wanted to document some of things we’ve been hearing about in the news, spread the message of social distancing to save lives and and also express our gratitude to medical professionals around the world battling on the front lines. Together we shall overcome”.
Jason Dunford ‘Samaki Mkuu’ Swim
Jason Dunford Photo Courtesy: FINIS
Dunford retired from swimming back in 2014 after the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“Since then my journey has moved in some varied directions,” he tells Swimming World. He worked for clean-tech companies GreenCitizen and SunRun in the San Francisco Bay Area until 2016 before returning to Stanford to complete his MBA.
Swimming gone, studying wasn’t enough. During his two years back at Stanford, he co-founded a software company that his wife now runs as CEO. Dunford remained connected to the company in an advisory capacity after he started his own V-log called J-Talk Live. Says Jason:
“The experience of becoming a V-logger took me down a broadcast journalism path and I landed a spot on the Africa Business team at the BBC upon graduation. During my work as a journalist is when I started songwriting, recording and producing songs and music videos of which to date I have now released 8 videos plus an audio album and audio singles.”
As Samaki Mkuu – a ‘Big Fish’ shout out to his swimming days – he has mainly collaborated with Mexican rapper Romantico as part of the duo Romantico & Samaki Mkuu.
Photo Courtesy: The COVID-19 Song by ‘Samaki Mkuu’, Jason Dunford, and Justo Asikoye (Jus/Jabali Afrika) – Photo Courtesy: Jason Dunford
The COVID-19 Song is part of Dunford’s latest collaboration. He says:
“The next album I am releasing and that includes this song Covid 19 is scheduled for release this month and is a collaboration album with Justo Asikoye of the veteran Afro-Rock band, Jabali Afrika, the most toured band to ever emerge from Kenya.
“It also features a number of guest artists including Romantico, Yawezekana Strong (from the DRC who fled to Nairobi as refugee to escape the continuing war there) and two other Kenyan artists Achieng Guyo and Dakitare Dan.”
Dunford is also finalising a second album with Romantico. It will include a number of guest artists including Latin Grammy winner Antonio Carmona of Ketama, R&B singer Sanaiperi Tande, Jabali Afrika, Zambian Afro-pop artist Roberto, Kenya’s first ever female rapper, Nazizi, dancehall artist Dufla Diligon and traditional Samburu music artist Lemarti.
Some Of the Songs From Samaki Mkuu and Friends