|
The African country of Uganda has had a turbulent history in the 20th century, and music has been an integral part of the nation's development. The 1960s saw Milton Obote attempt to subdue Buganda by destroying the royal drums, sacred symbols of the Bantu Ganda people.
Popular music
The first popular music in Uganda was guitar bands playing songs from the US, Europe, Congo and Kenya. Many of the musicians were from Congo (then called Zaire) and thus sang in Lingala. Most of the popular Ugandan songs in Luganda, the language of the country, come from the album Born in Africa, which was produced by Philly Lutaaya with the exile community in Sweden. The songs on this album remain ubiquitous in Uganda, and the musicians remain among the best-known Ugandan musicians; they include Sammy Kasule on bass and Gerald Nnaddibanga on percussion. In the 1990s, a similar albu, produced in Sweden by a supergroup of Ugandan musicians (called Big Five this time). Also during the 90s, Ugandan ex-patriot Geoffrey Oreyama recorded several critically acclaimed albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World label.
Kampala is the center for Ugandan music, especially the area of Wandegeya, which the is the home of kadongo kamu. Kadongo kamu features narrative songs played with a guitar and occasionally a drum. The most renowned musician of this style is Bernard Kabanda.
Folk music
The early years of Idi Amin's reign saw the formation of Theatre Limited, a group which studied and performed traditional music from across Uganda. Amin was suspicious of them, arrested several, and the rest fled the country, mostly to Sweden. The post-Amin government of Museveni formed a similar group called Ndere Troupe.
Acholi
Acholi folk is, like most Ugandan music, pentatonic. It is distinctive for choral singing in parts, and the region boasts numerous well-known church choirs. Instruments include the harp-like adunga and numerous percussion instruments.
Baganda
Baganda is the southernmost region of Uganada. Music includes massive and sacred drums, until their destruction in the 1960s, and vibrant dances called the bakisimba. Musicians from this region include Albert Ssempeke and Evalisto Muyinda.
Lango
Just north of Kampalo are the Lango, a people linked culturally to Sudan. The okeme (thumb piano) is popular since having been brought in the early 20th century by Congolese porters. Group vocals akin to rapping are common, and can including rhythmic dancing featuring stomping and jumping.
References
- Sandahl, Sten. "Exiles and Traditions". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 698-701. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
|
