Music of Uganda Information & Music of Uganda Links at HealthHaven.com

Part of a series on the
	Culture of Uganda
	Languages
	Media
	Music
	Uganda Portal; v • d • e

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 first form of music genre in Uganda was kadongo kamu (single guitar).

In the 80's Jimmy Katumba and his band The Ebonies were known for their Ugandan music. In the late 1980s and 1990s many popular Ugandan songs 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 very popular in Uganda, the musicians remain among the best-known Ugandan musicians.

In the 1990s a similar album was produced in Sweden by a supergroup of Ugandan musicians called Big Five. Also during the 90s, Ugandan discovers Geoffrey Oryema, who has recorded several critically acclaimed albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios|Real World label. Lately new artists have brought across cultural music that blends western styles with East African rhythms; these include multi-instrumentalists. Recently, the Shropshire Music Foundation has been working with Ugandan children in war-torn communities to use music as a unifying factor.

Kampala is the center for Ugandan music, especially in the area of Wandegeya, which is the home of kadongo kamu. The most renowned musician of this style is Bernard Kabanda. There have been many contributors of Kadongo Kamu which means one guitar as the leading instrument used to be one guitar over the years. A few of them are dead now and a few of them have switched on to play the latest tunes with more than one guitar and lots of other instruments. Kadongo Kamu never used to appeal to the young kids in the towns especially the learned ones as much as it did to the older people however it was always educaional and informative.

A new style of music has developed in East Africa in recent years called takeu which comes from the first letters of Tanzania. Utake includes elements of music of Tanzania|Tanzanian, music of Kenya and Ugandan music.

Gospel music is gaining in popularity in Uganda, and among the artists that have contributed to this success are Ivan Woods [pamoja president], Martin Seku, Judith Babirye, Wilson Bugembe, Betty Namaganda, Betty Nakibuka, Afandae Lanneck, The kingdom Dancers and others. Roots reggae, ragga, dancehall and reggaeton music are also popular in Uganda.

[edit] Top artists

Top artists in Uganda include Bebe Cool locally called Munene Munene, Bobbi Wine who is called ghetto president, Radio and Weasel , another sammie e with an exceptional talent, Jose Chameleone and Madoxx Ssematimba. These artists are also doing well on the international scene.

Ugandan artists are known to be the richest in Africa competing with Nigerian, south Africans, and Congolese.They are known for driving posh cars like the new Benz of the new classes the hummers and Escalades which American artists of Piddidy, 50 cent, jay z and Akon drive.

[edit] Buganda

Buganda is the Central region of Uganda. The people in this region are known as the Baganda (one of the largest tribes in Uganda). This region has also had one of the longest reigning monarchies in Uganda. The Kingdom of Buganda is ruled by a king (known as "Kabaka"), who traditionally has been the main patron of the music of Buganda. Music includes massive and sacred drums, and a variety of vibrant dances such as Bakisimba, Nankasa, Amaggunju [an exclusive dance developed in the palace for the Kabaka]. The Baganda also have a wide variety of melodic musical instruments ranging from Chordophones like the ennanga harp and the entongoli lyre, lamellophones, aerophones, drums and idiophones; this region boasts one of the largest xylophone (called "Madinda") traditions in Sub Saharan Africa. There are two types of xylophones, the amadinda and the larger akadinda. Famous musicians from this region include Albert Ssempeke, Evalisto Muyinda, Nandujja, the late Peterson T. Mutebi and the late Elly Wamala, among others.

[edit] Basoga

Music of Busoga has similarities to the music of Buganda. The Busoga xylophone, called embaire, is used in the courtly music of the Busoga court. The compository principles of embaire music are similar to those of the amadinda music of Buganda. you know the basoga are more of baganda and to some extent people say that the basoga are duplicates from baganda.

[edit] Lango

The Langi live in the central area of Uganda, north of Lake Kyoga. 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.

[edit] 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
Kubik, Gerhard "Xylophonspiel im Süden von Uganda" (1988). In: Kubik, Gerhard Zum Verstehen Afrikanischer Musik, Aufsätze, Reihe: Ethnologie: Forschung und Wissenschaft, Bd. 7, 2., aktualisierte und ergänzte Auflage, 2004, 448 S., ISBN 3-8258-7800-7 (in German language).

[edit] External links