LIVING FOR A PURPOSE: From collecting copper and scrap metals in Mathare slums to a Company C.E.O.

 

Living for a purpose: From collecting copper and scrap metals in Mathare slums to a company C.E.O.

Davy Barbz takes us through a heart 

moving and an inspiring life testimony,

 from the day he was born at the  

PUMWANI maternity hospital  

 to where he is today!

By Fred Nzomo.

Growing up in a missionary school, going up to class 7 without seeing his parents, running away from home and living on his own in MATHARE SLUMS area 1 at a very early age to a world class videographer and the current C.E.O at QWETU ELEMENTS, DAVY BARBZ tells us why he never gave up even when life gave him a dozen reasons to do so. MULIKA ENTERTAINMENT WRITER FRED, caught up this gospel artiste turned video director for a talk. Today he shares with us his life, how life made him try almost everything he could from dancing to singing, from singing to becoming a praise and worship leader in their church, an actor and eventually the video director and the C.E.O of QWETU ELEMENTS we have today. So how did he do or become all this in a span of 5 years? Did he succeed in his singing career? How about his video directing career? He takes us though his personal life, a challenging and most inspiring pullout. This is first of a kind done by the MULIKA ENTERTAINMENT FAMILY. BE INSPIRED. BE TRANSFORMED

 

David Githinji.

Davy barbz, real names David Githinji is one man who has beaten all odds to climb the ladder of success and quite knows the taste of real hustle. Davy was born in Nairobi at the pumwani hospital two decades ago, got enrolled in school at a quiet early age, has walked the journey of life when he had nothing and today shares with us how his life was then and now what God has done for him.

David was enrolled in school at a very early age and only got to see his parents 13 years later. In the course of the conversation I get curious to know why he had to stay at school even when other kids left school for holiday and how did he stay away and without seeing his parents for this long?

“I grew up in a missionary school in KANGEMI, St. Martins good news center, whereby we never used to go home after school had closed, I enrolled long ago in baby class and the first time I went home to my parent’s house I was in class 7, due to family issues.  After my final K.C.P.E exams I joined  Maasai boys high school which  was a boarding school, and since I met my dad while in class 7 I hated being away from home. Things didn’t work out as I had planned ,so I ran away from home and relocated to MATHARE SLUMS AREA 1, i lived in a mad house. I remember on one occasion my mum came and forced me to go back home, but after a month I ran away for the second time,....so they let me be. “His mum was working in the missionary school he (davy) was studying while his dad was working with UN at that time in juba, Sudan.

One might wonder what was making Davy run away from home, from the comfort of his parents and how did he live alone? How did he survive the harsh life of MATHARE SLUMS? What kept him going? And on that note, I get curious to know how did he really survive alone! “I started living in my own house while in FORM 3 in MATHARE SLUMS, we used to sell copper, and scrap metals to get our daily bread, and after life became worse I went back to my mum's house.  I was in my fourth year in high school.”

ABOUT HIS EDUCATION. HOW WAS HIS EDUCATION LIFE?

  “They (my parents) had to transfer me from boarding school to a day school for me to stay at home, I did my K.C.S.E in 2006, and I never pursued education from year 2007, since we (family) had moved to Ruiru”. However, in as much his life was marred with a lot of challenges, he still got a diploma in computer electronics engineering, and an advanced diploma from Shang Tao media arts, for 3d animation and media arts.  In the course of the conversation he cuts in, “‎something u guys should know is that I always wanted to be a chef, but that was a wrong career. “

TURNING POINT, CAREER, PASSION AND PROFESSION.

 In Ruiru, David started a small dancing unit and named it redeemed soldiers. They used to dance in church every Sunday where he also learned how to play the keyboard a move that saw him appointed to the position of a praise and worship leader.

After forming this group and being elevated to a senior position in church what happened? Did things work out for this young lad? “After a while I left and went back to Mathare slums where I met this crazy dudes who did what I loved most, dancing, so I joined them and in no time we had the baddest crew in the whole of pangani.  We called our group BADILI INTERNATIONAL. We were almost 24 members, but most of the guys gave up and the number reduced to 8. I had gained pace. We used to host a concert each and every month. After awhile I told the guys that I had written a crazy song and we should record it. At first they all laughed, they never thought I could sing, but after we recorded the first single I became their leader, and they lead sing.”

Davy on stage at the kamiti maximum prison

After a while, David and his group members decided to record an album together, a move that saw them work with one of the best audio producers by then. How did it turn out?  “We were 6guys and 2 ladies. We decided to record an album and by God's grace we recorded with the best producer at that time, (name withheld), but he disappointed us, it took 4 years for him to give us a demo album”, laments Davy.  After getting the demos, the group resolved to shooting videos for their debut album but as fate would have it, the video director failed them miserably.

...” He (the video director) shot our video then flew to the states for six months and on coming back he had lost some of our footage's.  He had edited a shoddy job and decided to give it to us, but we refused, we were desperately indeed of stardom because of the life we lived, we wanted fame really bad that we forgot that it has never been hard. He really disappointed us and the group broke up, we all gave up! after some two three years some two guys that were in the group approached me and asked if we could try singing one more time, we did a song, and shot a crazy video with convex media, it was super hot, the track was baba asante by BADILI INT, this did not bring us together as a unit because after it was aired for about 6months the group broke since we didn’t share a common goal and dream as team. I had written almost 20 songs, I didn’t know what to do with them so I kept the lyrics book very far away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJR9YOQwcwM  (watch the song asante baba here performed by badili international)

VIDEO DIRECTING.  THE ‘BIRTH’ AND THE JOURNEY OF A VIDEO DIRECTOR.

Now that everyone in the group had given up and the group had finally come to an abrupt end, what was next for this ambitious young man?  The jobless boy was still in MATHARE SLUMS, got tired of the slum life and begun yearning for a better life. A popular video director in town promised him through facebook that he will sign their group BADILI INTERNATIONAL and employ him provided that he knew how to edit. Did he really know how to edit? Let’s find out.

“I had a smart phone that I used to shoot some random clips and tried editing using windows movie maker and wow, my dream started becoming a reality I had no idea that I could do it, after a while I was good at it, I could shoot something using my phone then edit. I got a job at a studio nearby, DEDE RECORDS, and the producer SAMMY GITONGA told me that he won’t charge me for anything; all I had to do is be on time, clean the studio, make tea and learn how to produce. I started making beats for recording. Directing has really changed my life, I am so blessed, and I cannot tell it all”.

 Nitatenda by Mr. Nick directed by Davy barbz.

A QWETU ELEMENTS PRODUCTION.

It really has been a long journey for this young man. He has gone the tiresome and tiring journey, he could have given up, but he didn’t. He endured everything and today Davy is enjoying the fruits of his hustle dated back to 7 years ago. He kept on keeping on. So where is David today? Has he achieved his dream in life? Is he still living for his dream?  

TODAY

Davy on set.

Davy on location

Today David is among the top video producers and directors in Kenya, he owns production companies by the name QWETU ELEMENTS MEDIA with offices along taveta road and nyayo stadium block b. He is the creative director and has done almost 150 music videos that have received airplay all over the TV stations. He is planning on signing few upcoming artistes to help them achieve their goals. Ladies, this man is already taken!

WHERE DOES HE WANT TO BE IN 5 YEARS TIME?

QWETU ELEMENTS C.E.O, Davy Barbz.

I hope and pray that QWETU ELEMENTS MEDIA will be a house hold brand all over the world, creating more inspiring, great music videos all over, and winning all kinds of awards.  Also venture into film production.
Follow him on twitter. https://twitter.com/Davy_barbz 
On facebook. https://www.facebook.com/qwetuelementsmedia?fref=ts 
youtube channel. http://m.youtube.com/user/Davybarbz06

AS MULIKA ENTERTAINMENT FAMILY WE WISH DAVID ALL THE BEST IN HIS ENDEAVORS, MY GOD BLESS THE GOOD WORKS OF YOUR HANDS.  THE SKY IS NOT EVEN THE LIMIT. YOU GOT THE WHOLE WORLD TO CONQUER.