Blog
Likembe
Written by oliviawallwork
From their travels in Northern Uganda, as part of a Singing Wells mission, Jimmy, Andy, Hannah and Vicki have recorded lots of videos and sound clips of traditional Ugandan tribal music. The first of which they have edited and uploaded, is the Rubanga Kingom Awach Boys.
The band is a full likembe band – which is a musical instrument that consists of a wooden board with staggered metal keys attached – and you can read more about the band, its aims and the way it works here on the Singing Wells website.
I love watching this video because it is at once organised, rhythmic and complete but also has an improvised, ad hoc, passionate tone that makes it so exciting to watch. The women dancing in the background are fantastic – something you would just never see in England: the most we’d manage is some school children half heartedly clapping along – and I’m not really sure what goes on, but at 2:00 they seem to decide the man in red isn’t allowed to dance anymore!
Keep checking back for more updates and videos from their trip to Northern Uganda and you can always read their daily blogs on the Singing Wells website.