Utsai Si Nyuwi (“Grey Hair Is Not Witchcraft”) is a three-track EP by coastal Kenyan cultural practitioner and musician Mzee Tendere, confronting the violent stigmatization of aging and the persecution of elders accused of witchcraft in parts of Kenya. Rooted in oral tradition and expanded through contemporary electronic reinterpretations, the EP functions as both protest and preservation—bridging ancestral knowledge with present-day sonic languages.

The project opens with the original version by Mzee Tendere, delivered through participatory call-and-response chants and proverb-driven lyricism in Kigiriama. Raw and uncompromising, the track serves as testimony and warning—naming the violence faced by elderly people in Kilifi County and beyond, and challenging the dangerous misconception that grey hair (mvi) signifies witchcraft rather than hekima (wisdom). The performance is grounded by the guitar and bass work of Michel Ongaro, whose playing adds depth and texture.

Track two features a remix by Umoja, a boundary-pushing DJ and production duo from Haarlem, the Netherlands, made up of

Job André de la Porte and Jeffrey Bok. known for their exploration of global grooves and rhythmic unity. Drawing on Afrocentric electronic influences and their engagement with East African music, they transform Utsai Si Nyuwi into an electronic dub mix layered with infectious percussion and dance-driven energy, extending the song’s message beyond its local origins.

The EP closes with a collaboration by Heka & Mbaluka, reimagining the track through an experimental electronic lens. Heka pushes the remix into psychedelic territory, weaving layered rhythms around Mzee Tendere’s voice, while Mbaluka adds Afrobeat- and jazz-inflected keys—creating a Pan-African sonic bridge that moves fluidly from ritual space to reflective listening and international dancefloors.

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