Pius Wafula Group
…group called “Webuye Jua Kali” up to 2009, when he founded his own group. Today the group counts 5 members who play the following instruments: LITUNGU – a 7-string traditional lyre; ISIRILI – a one-string fiddle; LUENGELE– a percussive idiophone, they use a wooden stool struck with wooden sticks; ENG’OMA – a generic term for drums, they use a plastic water container also struck with wooden sticks; CHISASI – shakers made out of gourds. We recorded…
Group 4: Urugangaze Ballet Story
…s derived from the verb “gutora” (to choose/select) as a large number of the trainees originally were recruited from the children of upper middle class families. Secondly, the lion manes that the dancers wear are made of wood that is beaten so fine it becomes hair-like. Some photos of the female dances… Some photos of the male dancers……
Field Recording Report by Kahithe Kiiru Story
…nique percussive style was originated by the Isukha and Idakho sub-groups that reside in that area of Western Kenya. Internationally recognized and inscribed, in 2014, on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, isukuti has become a cultural identity marker of the entire Luhya ethnic community. The first isukuti group we recorded was Matende Cultural Isukuti Youth Group, founded in 2006 by Johnstone Asutsi an…
Day Three: February 18, 2020 (Stonetown, Mpendae, Maungani) Story
…oing by occasionally. We managed to record one song but had to stop after that due to noise. We hope to have this group come to the hotel on our last recording day. We felt bad that they only were able to perform one song but they took it graciously. Performers: Rajab Suleiman (qanun and director), Mohammed Hassan (accordian), Fum Faki (bongo and tabla), Tatu Khamis Haji (singer) Songs: Chungu – means Pot, composed by Said Ali 10 years ago Usikho…
Day Four: February 19, 2020 (Maruhabi Palace) Story
…based on the floor, Kinganga – a short medium sized drum, a Bati – a high hat, a Chapuo – a long narrow drum held under the arm, a Dutu – a smaller version of the Chapuo and Masewe – shakers worn on the legs. The most notable instrument was a type of horn made out of a gourd. Performers (all men): Shaaban Mwasi Sekimbuke (leader, plays he Bati -high hat), Haji Mtumweni (drums), Mohamed Faki (chapuo), Hussein Fereji (horn), Juma Nasoro (dancer wi…
What We Do Page
…pporting traditional music performance in rural East Africa as we believe that this not only serves to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of a community but is also a key indicator of the sustainability of that community. “While fragile, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization. An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities hel…
Page
…orks as part of Selam, a non-Governmental organisation based in Stockholm that promotes world music, and NACOFU (National Council of Folklorists of Uganda). Working alongside him, we have charted his journey to restoring several musical instruments that have been considered lost, the Royal Drums of the Buganda Kingdom, the Naizungwe Drums and the Bigwala. You can read more about his work here. You can watch our documentary film charting our redisc…
Day Zero: February 15, 2020 – Assemble in Zanzibar Story
…hroughout our journey, we hear artists talk about Siti Binti Saad, noting that she was a rebel, noting that her lyrics were part of the Unyago style (see below) about real life, about real women, about love and sex… She always sang about these things through metaphors and the poetry of Swahili. But we had so many artists laughing with us as they told us the meanings of her songs. And with a wink and a smile, they’d all say, ‘Well this one is ab…
Mission Page
…heritage of the region and to help make this legacy relevant and fresh to today’s audiences. As a group of sound and video engineers, producers and musicians, we set out on this mission not to become ‘fossil collectors’ and store the recordings in inaccessible archives. We work with musicians to make sure their music traditions continue to be practiced, can be shared amongst the widest audiences and become a source of inspiration for new musician…
Day 1: Saturday, 2017 February 18th Story
…s. In Mission 2, we are ‘fusionists’, trying any old blend of new and old that fancies us at the time, that inspires our artists to go in new directions. So, there will be chaos. We simply want to enjoy music and the cultural collisions we create are part of the fun. We also try to tell a single story on these visits. For this trip we are retracing the drums of Mzee Morris. We will tell his story as we go. So, we’ll tell you about these missions i…
Our journey to the Royal Drums: in the words of James Isabirye Story
…e don’t support it and we are losing the myths, the dances, and the songs that define us. If you lose that sense of identity how can you know where you’re going as a society? If you don’t know your roots, how do you know who you are? This matter has concerned a circle of my friends deeply since around 2003 and we’ve all tried to deal with it. I have a circle I talk to all the time about this, including Julius Kyakuwa, Centurio Balikoowa, Haruna Wa…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 4, Part 2 – Flutes Story
…and shortest, sharing the same note as the Enkologi, but octave different. Today, they were supported by the royal drum, Mbuutu (not to be confused with the 15 drum ensemble of the Entenga). They played the following songs: Sematimba ‘Ne Kikwabanga Anamwa Nganga (with accents over the ‘g’s’) And with that, we faced a thunderstorm and packed ourselves up for the hotel, and packed in the hotel for our flight on December 4th back to Nairobi. We will…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 4, Part 1 – Reflections Story
…r sterility, they look more like fossils than homes. These are the images that inform our discussions. What does it mean to preserve or to rediscover cultural elements? What part of our efforts should focus on preserving music, like these grass huts, before it dies? What part of our efforts should focus on reviving the music, using it to inspire new generations to build on it in their own way, as thousands of generations did before? This has alway…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 2 – Interviews with Musicians of Uganda’s Royal Palaces Story
…mother sent my father to the palace to find me. But the people there said that there was so much shooting that it was clear everyone was killed. So when he returned from the palace he told everyone I was dead. But when the soldiers took over the palace they took us to prison. And I was there for three weeks but they would release me only if I signed a paper saying I didn’t have a gun and wouldn’t fight. I signed. So then a man came in and said tha…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 1- Drum Making and Palace Players Story
…tch rises, you simply wet them down to keep them in tune.” Here, we learn that drums must leave the drum maker with a tendency to pitch higher – that is, the sun will tighten them. You can always ‘loosen in the field’ with water and pounding of the fist on the skin (as we saw our royal drummers do), but you can’t pitch lower without going back to the drum maker to re-tighten the skins. Abass makes beautiful drums and he is very generous with his t…
Central and Eastern Uganda: Day 2 – Kampala to Jinja Story
…band combined with a king’s processional trumpets, you know the musicians that announce the entry/exit of the sovereign. In our village, then, you had the xylophone players sitting three to a side ready to play their instruments, backed by the drummers. And then marching around them, twirling as they play, are the five trumpeters and, in our case, a dancer, leading them around the stationary drummers and xylophone players. Add a grand quantity of…