Blog
AMF News Update 2011
Written by Andy Patterson
The next phase of the Singing Wells project gets underway in November with a two week field recording programme which will take us to Southern Uganda and Western Kenya in our quest to identify and preserve the traditional music of East Africa.
The SWP team, comprising audio and video engineers from Ketebul Music in Nairobi and volunteers from Abubilla Music in London, will set off from Nairobi on 21st November, first heading for Kisoro in Uganda to record the unique music and dance of the Bawta people.
RECORDING BATWA MUSIC
Itʼs particularly poignant that the SWP is traveling to this region as the Bawta are a largely forgotten and displaced people
and their traditional cultural heritage has been threatened with extinction in recent history. Conservation projects in the
mountainous areas of southern Uganda have forced the Batwa from their traditional homelands and forest existence.
Consequently, the Batwa have become marginalized from Ugandan society and most communities now live in poverty.
Each music group will receive a gratuity payment for their performances which will then be professionally mastered and added to the Singing Wells music map of East Africa, where everyone can enjoy the unique music and dance of these, and other traditional music groups, with a simple click of the mouse.
We hope our visit to the Batwa will increase awareness of their cultural heritage
and bring new hope to their community.
RECORDING LUO MUSIC
On 26th November the SWP head for Kisumu to record the music of the Luo. Once again, there will be unique sights and sounds to capture in this region. In particular, the Luo play an eight-stringed, lyre like instrument called the nyatiti. Itʼs made from a hollowed fig tree with cow skin stretched over the bowl and fishing line for the strings. When played it produces a beautifully haunting sound made famous by Ayub Ogada, one of the few Luo music artists who have made it both on the national and international music scene. His famed performance of ʻKothbiroʼ was used in the film The Constant Gardener.
We hope our visit to record the music and dance of the Luo will not only preserve these traditions but encourage new artists and bring these unique sounds to a wider audience.
ITINERARY
20th November: Pre-travel briefing at Ketebul Music studio, Nairobi. Pack equipment.
21st November: Travel day: Nairobi-Kigali-Kisoro.
22nd-24th November: Recording the Batwa, Kisoro region,Uganda.
25th November: Travelday:Kisoro-Kigali-Nairobi
26th November: Travelday:Nairobi-Kisumu(by road)
27th Nov to 1st Dec:
Recording the Luo
• Day1:Unguja&Rangʼala(Dodo&Benga)
• Day2:Siaya(Orutu,Nyatiti&Ohangla)
• Day3:Kisumutown(Ohangla)
• Day4:Mbita/Rusinga(Ramogi)
• Day5:Mbita/Rusinga(Ramogi)
www.singingwells.org/music-map Photos courtesy of Dina Buck for UOBDU