In 1963, Kenya had more than 40 ethnic communities, each with distinct percussion traditions. The Kamba played the kilumi, the Luhya the isukuti, the Luo the thum. When the new nation needed a national sound, the percussion came first. Bands at independence celebrations blended drum patterns that had never shared the same stage. It was awkward at first, then necessary, then normal. The rhythm of Kenya is not one tradition but the agreement that all of them could play at once.