So this month I was supposed to write you a wonderful review of art. Last month we saw how Uganda and Africa at large celebrate literature, so this month we were going to look at art. The reasons as to why I was unable to share with you the vastness of art in our city and country, in all its forms and glory is a matter for me, believe me, I will make it up to you soon. My quest to delve into the art culture in Uganda wasn’t entirely fruitless because I discovered art not in the form I was looking for, that which is expressed on canvas and walls but in the form of a music group called Cajon Music House. Cajon, loosely translated, is a Peruvian instrument that resembles a big wooden box that the player sits on. The frontal face is then hit to create different sounds depending on how/where the player hits it. The Cajon is a good substitute for a drum set when you are playing acoustic. I figure that is where the use of such a unique name was opted for when they decided to come together as a music label.
There I was on cold Friday morning, frustrated at having missed an art show I had been scheduled to attend, on account of the rain and the Ugandan parked in front of me leaving no room to exit without either bashing his car or mine, when I was gently prompted to try taking a short trip through the quiet streets of upper Kamwokya to Alliance Francaise -Kampala to discover the secret meeting of underground artists on the rooftop. The invite was simple, posted on their Facebook page, the fans few but loyal. I found myself seated on the rooftop (quite cold I must say) facing a spectacular array of music instruments covered with great lighting and immediately biased myself into believing I was about to watch another of the many bands that are mushrooming in Kampala, but alas such was not the case. Instead of the usual group of singers doing covers of songs they are good at belting out or popular songs that get the crowd going, here were individual artists singing their original compositions, accompanied by a guitarist, drummer or even backup singers. It was surprisingly surreal. To see young artists with day jobs and a passion for music singing lyrics that anyone living the Ugandan hustle of love, the struggle to survive and the pain of loss could relate to.
First of all, these ladies and gentlemen can sing; there was Igulu who sings in his mother tongue of Lugisu, he has chosen to mainly curve his art in folklore; then Blessing whose song ‘lwachi tonyamba’ was about heartbreak and as he let his powerful voice soar with the song, we felt his pain and lastly fan favourite Jonah Kagwe whose song ‘Kankuwe obudde’ is quite popular on sound cloud, treated us and I who for one hadn’t heard the song before immediately understood why anyone would warm up to it with its catchy chorus and wonderful instrumentals. Others graced the stage as the evening proceeded, young enthusiasts interested in singing professionally. These I came to learn are trained by the label to improve their vocals and enhance their singing voice whether it is there or not. The crowd was small, mainly fans already aware of their music. I suppose the light downpour that evening deterred a few more who would have been there.
All round, I can say that there is a group of musicians in this country that are aspiring to do something true to who we are, they might not have the packed audiences, and you will not find their music blaring out on the radios, but if you look into the haystack of what is pop culture now, you will find this needle-of an art form that is pure and genuine and if I dare say so; quite promising!