Day 2: Focus on the Nyatiti, Orutu and DRUMS! Story
…moments or jump in deep squats around the drums, and c) twice he did major spins, hitting drum, spinning and hitting again on time. The reason you hear it ‘fizzle’ at the last second is because he eventually collapsed. As you listen to drumming, let’s introduce the Orutu. It’s a one string instrument, played with bow, with notes determined by finger pressure against the central stick, ‘fretting’ notes. Here’s what one looks like close up: Here’s t…
From Kisoro to Nairobi to Lake Victoria Story
…s a either victim or an executioner well. To prove the point, we asked our Ugandan driver what he thought of the memorial. He said he now understood how his dad died – he was a Ugandan working in Kigali the day the slaughter happened. He is most likely buried in the mass grave along with 250,000 others. Nairobi: Observations and Reflections Arrived safely in Nairobi late Friday night and had an incredibly quick 20 minute drive from airport to hote…
The Batwa Trail News
…to Singing Wells Hello Victoria, I thank you for writing to me! I was in Uganda on an organized tour and visited Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elisabeth National Park, Lake Bunyonyi, Kisoro (Nshongi Gorilla), Lake Mburo. While we were in Kisoro we received information about the Batwa Trail in the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) office. I read more about the Batwa people in the latest Bradt guide. I am…
A Batwa song in celebration of Uganda News
During our field trip to Uganda in November 2011 we recorded the music of six communities in the Kisoro district. One of our favourite songs was one about Uganda – a song of the Batwa sung in celebration of their cherished county. When we invited some of the Batwa to Nairobi to record in the Ketebul Music studios, we asked them to perform a version of the song for our Influences series, accompanied by Jesse Bukinda on guitar and Winyo on vocals….
Day 4: UOBDU and the Birara Dancers Story
…st stop was the office of the United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU), where we met Henry Neza, the Capacity Development Co-ordinator, and Alice Nyamihanda, Tourism Officer and the first University graduate amongst the Batwa communities. They are to be our hosts and translators for the two days – we were lucky to be joined by Precious as well, Alice’s five month old daughter. Patrick photographs Alice and Precious with Winyo an…
Day 3: From Nairobi to Kigali to Kisoro Story
…ia. Crossing the Border: Rwanda was colinised by the Germans and Belgians, Uganda by the British. The result? As you cross the border between the two countries you switch sides of the road. Our drivers had left hand side drive, which was fine in Uganda, but meant that those in the passager side were left in the ‘middle of the road’ driving around Rwanda. Everyone seems to keep it straight, as we had no head on collisions. Kisoro: Located in the Mu…
Day 1 & 2: Preparing to leave for Kisoro, Uganda Story
…, mic stands on right. That’s all we need for full field recording So, that’s the team and the kit. Tomorrow we head for Kisoro, Uganda. The Singing Wells Team …
News from the Batwa in Kisoro News
…performances we recorded. We also printed some leaflets about the Batwa in Uganda and their traditional music and dance which we hope will help to promote their standing in the community in Kisoro and beyond. Zaninka Penninah from UOBDU sent us this message: Dear Victoria, Greetings Batwa community members. Please find the attached photos taken while the Batwa are viewing photos from the Albums. The Batwa were so happy – I think you can even see i…
Nick Abonyo (the ‘clapper-man’) News
…being in his parent’s village. He liked village life because everything is free there. They grew their own food including maize, sweet potatoes, arrowroot and kale. They fished in the local lake and would sell some for pocket money and eat the rest. They also had chickens for eggs and meat. The water is pure so you don’t need to buy it. People are very friendly in the village and there is still honour and politeness. They respect their elders, alw…
Best of Singing Wells 2011 News
In 2011 we completed three field recording trips in Kenya and Uganda and also took the mobile recording studio to the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival. We’ve recorded over 150 songs from more than 25 local music groups and uploaded 36 videos of these performances to YouTube (so far). Every performance was unique and special – we loved them all – so picking just 10 songs for a ‘Best of’ album was not easy. Here are our final choices….it’s just a sma…
A Year in Review March 2011 – March 2012 News
…bal dance. Read more about the Festival here. The Batwa Project in Kisoro, Uganda: This visit was partially funded by the Institute for International Education (read more by clicking here). We recorded music from 6 Batwa communities from the Kisoro district and subsequently invited 10 musicians back to Nairobi to record them in the Ketebul Music studios with professional musicians. Below we’ve included three separate videos. The first is a recordi…
A message from Henry Neza at UOBDU News
…Neza from UOBDU sent us after the Singing Wells recording trip to Kisoro, Uganda: The Batwa of Kisoro, as a result of your visit felt an international belonging and recognition. Through the generation of money by the Abubilla team for the performance of their cultural dance, the Batwa managed to aquire things like goats, clothes, seeds, utensils, bedding and tarpaulins to cover their leaking houses…… Eating good food among the Batwa families was…
AMF receive grant to fund Batwa recordings News
…rall aim of the Singing Wells project is to identify, record, preserve and promote the cultural music heritage of East Africa. In taking the project to Uganda to document and record the traditional music and dance of the Batwa, we can help to stem the tide which is threatening to obscure the music traditions of this ethnic group. The SWP will ensure that the unique sights and sounds of the Batwa are fully and professionally documented, preserved f…
Recording music & dance of the Batwa News
…uly, 2011 by Dina Buck for the United Organsation for Batwa Development in Uganda. Rationale for taking the Singing Wells project to Kisoro, Uganda The overall aim of the Singing Wells project is to identify, record, preserve and promote the cultural music heritage of East Africa. In taking the project to Uganda to document and record the traditional music and dance of the Batwa, we can help to stem the tide which is threatening to obscure the…