{"id":147612,"date":"2025-08-18T18:36:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history"},"modified":"2025-08-18T19:23:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T19:23:42","slug":"how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history","title":{"rendered":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Kenya. <\/strong><\/span>In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers and historians alike. For more than three decades, James Rugami<\/b>, better known as Jimmy, has curated one of the region\u2019s rarest vinyl collections \u2014 safeguarding sounds that might otherwise have been lost to time.<\/p>\n

Rugami opened his store in 1989 as piracy swept through the music industry. He resisted cassettes and CDs, choosing instead to remain loyal to vinyl. \u201cSee when cassettes came and manufacturers started manufacturing cassette decks with two decks so that you can dub the cassette, that is what started killing musicians,\u201d<\/b> Rugami says. \u201cWith vinyl records you are sure to be dealing with the real thing… I did not move to cassettes, I did not move to CDs and I am still doing vinyl even today.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The Nairobi store attracts collectors from around the world in search of Kenyan benga, Congolese rumba, Swahili pop, and Afro-Cuban classics \u2014 much of it unavailable elsewhere after decades of economic turmoil and conflict wiped out recording archives across Africa.<\/p>\n

For Rugami, vinyl is more than just a medium; it is a vessel of history. \u201cVery few people know that there was music even in time immemorial which was sung in funerals and weddings most of which was not recorded. Now, if you don\u2019t have history, well, you are a loser,\u201d<\/b> he reflects.<\/p>\n

Global vinyl sales have surged in recent years, reaching $1.8 billion in 2023<\/b> and projected to hit $3.4 billion by 2032<\/b>. The renaissance has vindicated Rugami\u2019s devotion to records, bringing new life to his shop.<\/p>\n

For enthusiasts like UK collector Ben McCabe<\/b>, the vinyl experience is unmatched: \u201cIf you are finding a record, you are going to the old days of listening to an album… you\u2019re not skipping tracks, you\u2019re listening to what the artist intended to be the full piece, and I really enjoy that.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

What started as one man\u2019s fight against piracy has grown into a cultural archive, preserving the rhythms, stories, and pride of Africa\u2019s musical past \u2014 one vinyl at a time.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Kenya<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Kenya. In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers and historians alike. For more than three decades, James Rugami, better known as Jimmy, has curated one of the region\u2019s rarest vinyl collections \u2014 safeguarding sounds that might otherwise have been lost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":147611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[8463,544,7380,14882],"class_list":["post-147612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-african-culture","tag-kenya","tag-music","tag-vinyl"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-18T18:36:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-18T19:23:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"538\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-18T18:36:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-18T19:23:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\"},\"wordCount\":370,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"african culture\",\"Kenya\",\"Music\",\"vinyl\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"culture and art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\",\"name\":\"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history - kenya\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-18T18:36:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-18T19:23:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":538,\"caption\":\"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\",\"name\":\"kenya\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history - kenya","description":"In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history","og_description":"In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history","og_site_name":"kenya","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2025-08-18T18:36:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-18T19:23:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":538,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history","datePublished":"2025-08-18T18:36:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-18T19:23:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history"},"wordCount":370,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg","keywords":["african culture","Kenya","Music","vinyl"],"articleSection":["all news","culture and art"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history","name":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history - kenya","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-18T18:36:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-18T19:23:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"In the bustling Kenyatta Market of Nairobi, Kenya, one small record shop has become a sanctuary for African music lovers ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/08\/sm_1755528586.522326.jpg","width":1024,"height":538,"caption":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/how-nairobis-rare-vinyl-haven-is-preserving-african-history#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Nairobi\u2019s rare Vinyl haven is preserving African history"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/","name":"kenya","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}