Nneka chants down Political "Vagabonds"

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Parent Category: Kampala One Articles

Category: Music

Published on Wednesday, 22 February 2012 14:13

Written by Moses Serugo

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It is unlikely either of the females from the quartet of Ugandan opening acts at Nneka’s February 6, 2012 concert will have something to brag about. Their set was plagued by sound “issues” that made their appearances at the Goethe-Zentrum Kampala do forgettable. And yet the pay-off plan here was to benefit from a similar platform that gave the main act, Nneka her first break after she “curtain-raised” for Sean Paul back in 2004 at a Hamburg concert. 

Ife Phianki racked up more points doubling as event emcee than being an opening act. And yet her jazzy-poetry-flavoured repertoire was worth paying undivided attention to. Thankfully she performs a minimalistic jazz set set at Course View Towers’ Soho Restaurant every Sunday starting 6pm free of charge. Irene Ntale tried out a disastrous acoustic set that exposed her mediocre guitar playing. Luckily for her, Qwela singer/trumpeter Emma Anikuru was on hand to smooth out rock singer Ntale’s the rough musical bits. She may want to explore the possibility of her good looks complementing Anikuru’s remarkable vocal talent.  

Tshila treated the audio glitch as yet another occupational hazard opting to sing through it by enticing the audience with her ethno-music set. She won over a new legion of thanks to her up-tempo danceable Gishu songs that highlighted the fact that 2012 is yet another circumcision year for the Bamasaba residents, the ones that inhabit the foot of Mt. Elgon. Tshila endeared herself further with the aptly titled Omubbi wa Kunno, very relevant given the news story of the day was the one about the financial impropriety of two cabinet ministers. Keko got the loudest ovation of the foursome for being just Keko. The towering femme “rap-ale” enchanted with her blend of rootsy-urban hip-hop. Her lone background vocalist was quickly drowned out when the audience sang along Akello, Akello, Akello to her runaway song Full Circle. 

The oddity was a marked improvement in sound quality when the Nigerian/ German star of the night Nneka stepped onto the stage. Maybe it was the fact that she benefitted from flying in her own sound engineer. Sorry Patrick Muyonjo! Perhaps you should be getting lessons from whoever was fingering the mixer keys during Nneka’s concert. Lithe frame and bad wardrobe aside, Nneka deserved being the main course of the night. It was hard to miss Naija-intellectualism mixed with German precision. If there were any hip-hop sceptics in the crowd, they were definitely won over by this version that is rather softer on the ear. Nneka could easily have turned the concert venue into a Tahrir Square when she belted out her song VIP, an acronym for Vagabonds in Power. This was her going for the jugular, seemingly prophesying tough times ahead as we get our own taste of the “oil curse”. Just so you should know, Nneka grew up and went to school in Nigeria’s Delta Region, the hotbed of MEND and the cradle of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s anti-Abacha’s protest movement.  

There was everything to thank the Germans at Goethe-Zentrum Kampala for that night beyond Nneka baiting and hypnotizing her audience with BMW precision. A generous subsidy by way of the UGX5000 ($2) ticket price meant there was a more affordable distraction from Thursday night’s regular Kampala offering of plain-vanilla sketch comedy. Next time anyone has grand plans to picket outside our Parliament, there will probably be a placard screaming “VIP”. Between you and me it will be less about the “honourable” status of our 300-plus legislators and more of a tongue-in-cheek indictment about them bleeding the taxpayer of UGX103m ($41000) motor vehicles each. Count Dracula would be more benevolent.

Text & Pictures: MOSES SERUGO ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )       

Music’s Double Death Blow

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Parent Category: Kampala One Articles

Category: Music

Published on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 18:57

Written by Moses Serugo

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There was something ominous about two recent celebrity deaths. Whitney Houston died on the eve of the 2012 Grammy Award ceremony while Ugandan singer Fred Maiso passed away on Valentines Day Eve. Whitney epitomized what the Grammys were about, the pursuit of musical excellence. And for her status as the power ballad diva, the recording Academy had rewarded her with six Grammys over the three decades of her singing career. He may not have matched Whitney by way of looks or singing talent but Maiso’s song Ekimuli kya Roza, a celebration of the rose bud as an enduring symbol of love continues to be a favourite Valentines season anthem in Uganda. 

Incidentally, both were born in the same decade, three years apart. Whitney died at 48 while Maiso was 45 at the time of his passing. Each defined a musical era. Whitney’s purity of voice was a testament to church as a fine incubator for music talent if the outpouring of singing talent during her funeral service on Saturday February 18, 2012 is anything to go by. And while the post-Whitney norm has been to celebrate her vocal prowess, it is only proper that those behind the superb production especially the instrumentalists get to shine as much as the singing star.

And while some may feel that Maiso’s vocal talent was overrated, it is worth celebrating the musical period in which he thrived, one that emphasised “live” instrumentation long before the malignant synthetic music cancer we have today. The ‘90s was not just about the rise of the lazy lip-syncing artiste. It was also the time a subterranean live band scene simmered. That was the time Maiso’s contemporaries like keyboardist Tony Sengo, lead guitarist Dede Majoro, drummer Giles Warugaba and Afrigo songwriter Godfrey Mwambala carried the torch of live music. The latter takes credit for penning one of the decade’s greatest hits Jim, the 1994 single that continues to define lead vocalist Joanita Kawalya’s unfailing musicality.

Maiso is from the same musical breed of Carol Nakimera (RIP) and Sarah Birungi (RIP). Those two singing belles are lauded for leading a pseudo feminist musical movement as front-women of the ‘90s Centra Volcano Band, the resident live music outfit at Luwum Street’s Carlifornia Pub. Maiso’s musical journey continued with stints at Star Light Band and Pride Band before an encounter with peers Ronald Mayinja and Mesach Semakula saw the trio breakaway from entertainment entrepreneur Kato Lubwama to form Eagles Production. While there, he doubled as the band chairman and principal lyricist, holding the fort even when some of his musical friends abandoned ship for the allure of private business. During this wobbly time, Maiso benefited from the musical companionship of steady hands like Paddy Ntale, James Muwanga Wamala and Abel Kato.  

As is the norm, our collective outpouring of grief at Whitney and Maiso’s passing has been a renewed interest in their music. Parting shots they have left us as we bid them a final farewell. We can best eulogize them by treating these departed artistes like they never left. Whitney will definitely continue to be a musical benchmark and the one that set the bar so high. Maiso will also remain in our hearts as the voice that brought us that cheesy albeit enduring soundtrack to love.  

MOSES SERUGO ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

PHOTOGRAPHS: CNN & The Observer (www.observer.ug)

Ismael Lo: Balladeer Lion of Teranga

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Parent Category: Kampala One Articles

Category: Music

Published on Friday, 03 February 2012 10:10

Written by Moses Serugo

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It would have made better business sense for Joel Sebunjo to bring in a more commercially viable artiste like Youssou N’Dour for his annual Diplomat’s Tour now that the latter’s bid for the Senegalese presidency has been thwarted. Sebunjo’s first choice for the January 27, 2012 do was Baaba Maal; he of the “yele Senegalese music called yele” fame. Maal’s musical pedigree also includes performing at the Nelson Mandela 90^th Birthday Concert in London in 2008. Ismael Lo came as an afterthought and going by the racial mix of the patrons at the Kampala Serena Hotel concert that night, Lo’s music is definitely the delight of expatriate palates.

And yet if locals had been curious enough to go for the concert (the post-festive season credit crunch aside), they would have been pleasantly surprised at Lo’s musical attributes. It is not everyday that you find an artiste that can multitask over three musical instruments; voice, guitar and harmonica. And it is an indictment on our so-called petit bourgeoisie who include “corporates” to only patronise artistes with whom they are familiar. N’Dour would have packed the Serena on account of 7 Seconds while Maal would have baited Ugandan patrons on account of Yele.