The metal musician paying homage to his Mau Mau heritage

Martin Kanja always knew his great-grandmother had fought for Kenyan independence and was the only female field marshal in the Mau Mau. But as a young boy growing up in Kenya, his main interest was music. He fell in love with metal as a teenager and threw himself into Nairobi's flourishing underground scene. In 2019 he formed the successful grind band DUMA with collaborator Sam Kurugu and performed around the world. And as his music developed, so did knowledge of his family – and country's – history. Today he's known as Lord Spikeheart and has dedicated his latest solo album The Adept to his great-grandmother and her achievements.

American comedian Kirsten Michelle Cills was seven years old in 2001 when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. That same year, she was stood next to the Twin Towers in New York City when they were attacked on September 11th. Today she is a comedian and has turned some of the hardest moments of her life into comedy, finding humour where many others couldn't.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: May Cameron

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(Photo: Martin Kanja. Credit: Manuela Benetton)