On December 12, 1963, at Uhuru Gardens, Kenya became independent to the sound of a new national anthem based on a Pokomo lullaby, orchestrated by a British composer, and sung in Swahili. The ceremony featured performances by national choirs, military bands, and traditional dancers from across the country. The songs performed that night were chosen to represent a unified Kenya that didn't yet exist. Some became standards. Others were forgotten. The independence songbook was an act of hope, a playlist for a nation that had to be invented in real time.