Singer Victoria Kimani is thankful she doesn’t understand Swahili and Sheng’.
On social media, Kimani revealed that most of the negative comments on social media are usually in the two languages and is therefore glad she does not feel the hate from her fans.
“Lazima ni baraka za Mungu kwamba sielewi Kiswahili kwa sababu sitawahi kuelewa zile chuki huelekezwa kwangu,” she told her fans.
“Haha ... Endeleeni kuongea, sioni, siskii, Wala sielewi neno, ni herufi tuu. Like a stamp of Gods protection over my heart, soul and mind.”
Kimani is sister to rappers Simon Kimani (Bamboo) and Kimya Miyaki who are both fluent in Kiswahili.
However, while Bamboo and Kimya typically grew up in Kenya, Victoria was born and raised in the US where their clergy parents are based.
The 33-year-old also partly lived in Benin City, Nigeria, while her parents were on missionary work there before finally relocating to Kenya in the mid-2000s.
Victoria confessed in the long post that she tried learning Swahili at some point but lost interest due to mocks and negative comments from Swahili speakers.
She wondered why other artists abroad are not getting such a backlash.
“Napenda sana, Tanzania na Afrika Mashariki kwa jumla. Lakini inakera sana wakati baadhi ya watu wanadhania kuwa, sizungumzi lugha ya kiswahili kwa kupenda kwangu, ama kwa sababu nimekataa kujaribu nijue,” she said in a post after confessing someone had to write it for her.
“Ukweli ni, hata wakati ninapoweka bidii na kujaribu kwa kadri yangu, wengi wananicheka kwa matamshi mabovu, wananihukumu na kunipiga mkwara kwa kukosa uzoefu wa Swahili, wakati wao walizaliwa uswahilini.
“Nimejieleza Mara kwa Mara kwa zaidi ya miaka 6, lakini kwa wengine bado.Naomba niulize... Je, mbona hawaulizwi wasanii wa USA na sehemu zingine sababu za kukosa kuongea Swahili?
“Ni muziki zao muna enjoy... bila maswali. Wengine hupata raha wenzao wanapopata tabu!La Kwanza, sijui Kiswahili, ninapojaribu, pia bado ni mbaya , matamshi mabovu, na kunifanya bonzo wa kuchekelea! Nishaawahi kuja kazini kwako nikikuambia la kusema au kufanya?
“Uzoefu wako wa kuongea kiingereza na matamshi yanapokua mabovu? - sijakukosoa. Kwa kweli mambo kama haya yananifanya nisiwe na nia lugha yeyote- ila Kizungu! Unapopenda mziki yangu, unaipenda, kama huipendi, huipendi.
"Lakini sita anza gumbaru ya swahili sababu yako wewe!” read her post.
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