Photo by Dan Ozminkowski
Music = Life, Hope... the Spirit of Uganda
By Benji Nichols
Shining bright smiles, indigenous rhythms telling the stories of thousands of years, movement as powerful as life itself: this is the Spirit of Uganda. When you ask someone what they know about an eastern African country like Uganda, chances are it’s limited and far from positive. Despite the negatives – and there are plenty of them – the people of Uganda continue to not only exist, but foster their traditions and ways of centuries past with brilliant passion. Most dear to heart are the thousands of years of drum and dance culture – passed down from generation to generation, from womb to grave. Luther College student and native Ugandan Dickson Kwatampora explains, “In Uganda, you have many tribes and kings that have been preserved for ages. The traditions have been preserved, and you learn them by learning their music – their language.” And that music, that language – in more than one sense – is life.
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Winter 2011-12 / theinspiredmedia.com