“Kasiva, do you hear that?” My grandmother would ask me as we sat by the fire after supper. I was 6 years old. She was a master storyteller, weaving witty tales with life lessons hidden at the end. She would have grown tired and would try to distract me to get a much needed break.

“Go to the cow pen and listen to the secret that Nzilú, the black bull, is telling Nzalú, the white bull.”

Curious and determined, I would run to the pen, fidgety and impatient to uncover these mysterious animal secrets. I would return moments later, slightly out of breath. “I heard nothing… only saw Nzilú licking his nose!” She would insist, “Hurry, go back and listen keenly. The secret is being told right now.”

And so I would go back, this time with focus. That is when I began to hear it.

The crickets chirping in layered patterns. The cows breathing in almost steady tempo. The wind moving through the trees. Laughter drifting from the kitchen. In the seeming randomness of it all, there was rhythm.

I would hum what I heard. Later, in bed, I would recreate those rhythms on my bed frame, on my lap, on my chest and cheeks. Years on, I experimented with sound everywhere; on pans, spoons, my school desk, buckets; anything I could lay my hands on.

That is how I discovered the most beautiful world I know; the world of percussion.

Today, Kasiva Mutua is more than a percussionist, she is a movement amplifying the voice of African women through rhythm, storytelling and presence. She does not simply perform; she awakens something powerful in her audience. Known for her energetic and charismatic stage presence, Kasiva’s work dissolves the boundary between artist and audience, transforming concerts into shared experiences of belonging.

From humble roots learning drumming from family tales, Kasiva Mutua's journey has been a beacon of female empowerment in the music world, amplifying the voice and spirit of Africa.