Musibye mutyano! Bulungi! Mmm…
With these greetings in the local Luganda language, we greet you and invite you to explore with us the mysteries of the music and culture of the pearl of Africa that is Uganda. Participating in the expedition are MA Joanna Kwapień, MA Joanna Złotkowska, Marcel Frąckowiak, Szymon Mański and Prof. Bożena Muszkalska, who supervises the course of the expedition. Following in the footsteps of eminent ethnomusicologists Gehrard Kubik and Peter Cook, we reached the village of Lutengo, some 60 kilometres from the country’s capital, Kampala.
We conducted our first interviews and took part in several days of workshops to play traditional instruments: endingidi (fiddle); endongo (lyre); ennanga (bow harp); amadinda (xylophone); engoma (drums): embutu, empunyi, engalabi, nankasa; ensaasi (rattles). These belong to the instrumentarium of the Buganda royal court and were, until recently, the insignia of royal power.
We were introduced to the arcane knowledge of court music by the heirs of the old masters Albert Ssempeke (father) and Everisto Muinda: Albert Wisaso Ssempeke, John Sekitoleko Ssempeke, Sebufu Steven, Mirajje Semuwemba.
Below are the first results of our activities. Take a look at the photo gallery and the video with excerpts from the workshops we attended.
Photography: Joanna Kwapień, video recordings: Marcel Frąckowiak.
