Headbanging in Nairobi: The emergence of the Kenyan metal scene and its transformation of the metal code

In this article, I discuss the development and structures of Kenyan metal culture. In doing so, I show that this local metal culture is dependent on an urban setting that provides electricity, performing venues and the Internet. Furthermore, a growth period is encountered that is characterized by a slowly increasing structural complexity. Additionally, I outline the idea of a metal subject in general and a Kenyan metal subject in particular. Therefore, I follow a praxeological approach that shows that, even if the Kenyan metalheads’ aim is to reproduce the social practices of the global metal culture, new forms of metal practices are thereby produced and the so-called metal code is transformed. I conclude this article by proposing the idea of four transformative boundaries that lead to the emergence of a genuinely Kenyan metal sound. These boundaries are communicational and technological boundaries, boundaries of skill as well as boundaries of local culture.