Karibu Karim / Na Badlenge Hum

Released in 1981 by the Nairobi-based label Alka Productions, this record captures the vibrant East African Ismaili community music scene of the late 20th century. It served as a cultural touchstone, blending traditional devotional themes with contemporary arrangements that reflected the diaspora experience in Kenya during that era. The project brought together Sadru and Zeenat Kassam alongside the musical group The Sunny to produce a sound that was both spiritually grounded and stylistically accessible to the local community.

The design and production were driven by the need to document and preserve regional religious songs, or ginans, while adapting them for a modern audience. By utilizing the resources of Alka Productions, which was a significant outlet for local devotional music, the creators ensured these compositions reached a wide listenership. Though the release is largely considered a private-press or niche regional production, it remains a notable artifact of the creative output of the Kenyan Asian community during the early 1980s.