The theme for this year’s cake festival is ‘The Wedding Cake’. If you are a cake lover or know anyone who loves cake, the EXE Cake Festival Uganda is the place to be this Saturday, 19^th May. The event will be on from 1.00pm to 8.00pm at Kati Kati, located on Lugogo-by-pass. The entry fee is 5,000/= for children and 10,000/= for adults.

 50 bakers will be displaying their cakes and for this price (the entry fee) you get the opportunity to not only look at but also taste the different cakes. If that doesn’t make you want to cancel everything in your diary, I don’t know what can

This is a fun event that can be enjoyed by everybody: from those of you who are engaged but are having trouble deciding what you want your cake to look and taste like, families that are looking for a fun activity, girlfriends that are looking for a fun way to spend the Saturday while at the same time tapping into their wedding fantasies and dreams, to all those of us who love cake and just want an excuse to eat as much of it as we can without having to pay exorbitant amounts for it. There will be loads of fun and games for the children too.

I spoke to Norah Ekochu the CEO of Cake Festival and organizer of the event.

 This is the second year you are organising a cake festival, what inspired you?

My inspiration comes from two things; first God and then cake. It is not a very well known culinary item on the Ugandan menu so not many people know how the cake is made. The few on the market are more of the basic type of Ugandan made cake. The cake festival is to showcase the intimate cake culture of the “made in Uganda” cakes and show that cake is made at its best here in comparison to the western world.

Secondly, many people know cake as an item for only the wedding, birthdays or other functions but it can also be a dessert, a healthy take away for lunch or dinner. That is what we share and still want to share with the public.

Why the wedding cake this year?

The Cake Festival is an annual event and each year has a theme of its own. This year’s is the wedding cake and since it is the beginning of the year, we would like the public who are making decisions on marriage or other functions to come have a great experience with their bakers and see and taste different designs.

What can people expect in terms of other activities?

The activities include a play area for the kids with bouncing castles, face painting, raffle draws, and the main activity is seeing the three best bakers win prizes. They will be judged according to taste, art and creativity, originality, presentation, precision and neatness, size and color and the highlight of the day is a couple winning a 30 tier cake.

How many people do you expect to attend?

Over 1,000

What is the event going to be like?

For only 10,000/- you will get a chance to taste all the cakes displayed and also see different designs from the bakers’ albums

Who are the organizers?

Cake Festival of which I am the CEO is the organiser of the event

Who are the sponsors?

UNGA millers, Cocacola, Turbo Rays Entertainment, Wedding bells and Dmar

What have been the challenges in organizing the event?

This year the challenges were minimal but the main one was that bakers had busy schedules but luckily most have managed to slot in and will be there to showcase.

Anything more you would like the public to know?

This year we are honored to have Capt. Mike Mukula as the Guest of honor and the raffle prize. The 30tier cake is quite big which is amazing. It is being sponsored by Cillas Oven Bakery.

The cake festival each year will have a lot of surprises so the public should put it first on their calendars.

The tickets will be sold at G&R supermarket in Ntinda, Shell Bugolobi and Millenium supermarket in Kisementi

]]> http://proggie.ug/the-exe-cake-festival/feed/ 0 http://proggie.ug/night-spots-nocturnal-bar-and-restaurant/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=night-spots-nocturnal-bar-and-restaurant http://proggie.ug/night-spots-nocturnal-bar-and-restaurant/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 08:47:26 +0000 admin http://proggie.ug/?p=7920

Nocturnal Bar and Restaurant, at the Ntinda trading centre is proving the ideal relaxation spot. Opened in March this year, this small bar has picked up relatively quickly. The bar is open 24hours, the policy of the owners being “We do not leave until the last customer has left”.

The bar, whose structure suggests it was once a home, boasts a spacious compound so you don’t have to be cramped inside. That is not to say that those who prefer to sit inside are not catered for. The inside is also roomy with tables and chairs neatly arranged to cater for both comfort and privacy.

Like most bars, there is a pool table to attract the pool lovers and a big enough Television screen for the football and music lovers. Unlike most bars, there is a barbeque to complement the local and junk food served. Even if you walked in at 4 o’clock in the morning there would be something to eat.

 The meal prices are affordable with the lowest price being 3,500shs and the highest being 6,000shs. Drinks are at 1,500shs for soda, 1,000shs for water and all beers at 3,000shs except for Tusker and Smirnoff which cost 500shs more. A glass of wine is at 5,000shs. Whether this is a marketing strategy to attract customers or something that will be maintained over time is yet to be seen.

The current clientele is usually people living in and around Ntinda. Their music is good and people of all ages are catered for as different genres are played. The staff are polite.

Like all things however, along with the good comes the bad. Unfortunately there is no parking so people coming to the bar have to make do with the spaces in the neighbourhood. The music, while good can be too loud at times for a client who prefers a quiet midweek drink. The upside is that management always responds if asked to turn down the volume.

 All in all, as soon as you walk through the gate; you feel the bar’s understated welcoming atmosphere. It makes you want to take a seat and stay a while. If you are looking for a nice, affordable place to while the evening and night away, Nocturnal Bar and Restaurant is a good pick.

I had a chance to talk to the manager of the place, Immaculate.

Qn: Why ‘Nocturnal’?

Immaculate: We chose that name because we are open the whole night. We never sleep.

Qn: How is the business so far?

I: It is picking up slowly. We have not yet gotten the numbers we want but so far, it has been smooth sailing. We have our few customers and the customer base grows every day.

Qn: What do you think is your advantage over other bars and hanging places?

I: Even at midnight and beyond, you can walk in and get local food. Something that is not possible in the other bars. We have an all night barbeque and all our food and drinks are affordable. Agaba’s pork is to die for. With a stick going at just 3,000shs and the other meats are just as delicious.

Qn: What age groups are you focusing on?

I: Initially it was for the young people who wanted to stay up and party till the wee hours, hence the name Nocturnal but now all age groups are welcomed and catered for.

]]> http://proggie.ug/night-spots-nocturnal-bar-and-restaurant/feed/ 0 http://proggie.ug/song-review-shankolo-by-mya-baganda/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=song-review-shankolo-by-mya-baganda http://proggie.ug/song-review-shankolo-by-mya-baganda/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 03:33:21 +0000 Ronald Gillette Mayanja http://proggie.ug/?p=7847

When Blu 3 split up for the first time and Cindy left, a new member, Mya Baganda, was brought on board. For Mya joining Blu 3 was not only about filling the gap, but also about living with scathing comments made by fans about her inability to sing, the use of auto tune and the circumstances that led to Cindy’s exit. There was a lot of pressure for the group to deliver and for Mya to fit in as the new Cindy.

Fortunately, the group split again just after a few records. Jackie and Lillian, the two remaining original members of the girl group started to work on their own solo careers.

Seeing that the group had been disavowed by the other girls, Mya pulled out all her guns and also started to sing solo. However, because of the stereotype that she can’t sing, going solo for Mya has not really been rosy. All her earlier singles have been faced by negative criticism.

Her latest single, titled Shankolo, produced by Bless Touch of Celeb Records paves new ground for Mya to re-launch after dropping a few clunkers like Hush Baby and the controversial Say No.

The song opens with a heavy rattling beat and Mya doing the Nananana bit, something that jokingly sounds like a taunt. The actual intention though is to get everybody up and running to the dance floor. Though it is still far from sweet and catchy, Mya evidently has a new and auto tune free sound.

Despite all the rough edges on Shankolo’s production, I think I love this new tune better. It has made me realize that at least if there is a music genre that is lenient to musicians, or Mya in particular, its dancehall.

The song rides on the obscure catch-phrase, ‘shake your shankolo’, that goes on and on in the song, adding to the many things that don’t only make this song sound crowded but also void of meaningful lyrics. The phrase got me thinking about a lot of things, because seriously, there is no way to decipher ‘shankolo’ without coming off as perverted, so I hit my resources.

According to Mya Baganda, shankolo stands for anything shakable; hair, body, head, chest etc, it stands for nothing in particular.

Now this is a movie that has had tongues wagging for weeks since its release. Grossing over $200 million on opening weekend, it has broken all kinds of records. Such records were the turf of big-shots like the Harry Potter series. To say that this movie was overwhelmingly successful would still sound like an understatement.

Have you ever had a favorite superhero? Or a whole bunch of them? Have you wondered what it would be like to have them all fight the same battle? The Avengers is simply about that. And Marvel Studios, which gives us the honor, did a great job in building up to this movie. Where most promising blockbusters release two or three official trailers several months before the movie, Marvel made entire movies to lead up to this one! In the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, it starts from Captain America,  then Iron Man, then Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, and then Thor. As we watched these films, we couldn’t help but realize these big-time heroes were bound to meet someday very soon. Circumstances would eventually lead to that anyway.

As for the movie itself, it doesn’t waste any time at all. It’s like the producers know that by the time you sit down to watch, your anxiety is at a fever pitch. They get right to it! The villain shows himself, declares his intentions, and it’s up to Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, to do what needs to be done. The first 40 minutes or so remind me of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But that’s only as far as the recruitment exercise goes.

When someone claiming to be a god declares war on your planet, you don’t take it lightly. You assemble the only team capable of thwarting such a threat. But, it’s not really a team. It’s just a bunch of extraordinary people with big egos and bigger muscles. It’s not until they have a united cause that they can deal with this threat.

There’s plenty of action to go around, and some pretty amazing camera shots that are sure to keep you ‘wowing’ through the movie. They really went far in making this movie as true to the Avengers origin and tradition as permissible. Be ready for some awesome surprises. Oh, it’s not only about the action. The performances were good. One could have been concerned about character depth, especially with so many big name actors, but that wasn’t a problem.

 There’s enough time for everyone to ‘showcase’ their psyche. You learn why each character does what he/she does, and you get to see how important each of them turns out to be in the team. Yes, this action movie does not lack depth!

For those with some reservations, why would you miss out on “the biggest superhero team-up in the history of movie-making”? Catch The Avengers at Cineplex Oasis Mall. It helps to have a large screen. Brings out the scale of this epic movie.

A number of things have seeped into Ugandan Hip hop, and they have either wrecked the genre or helped push it forward.

Top on the list is the stereotype that Hip hop is music for the morally bankrupt generation. This is because many artistes’ lyrics are known to glorify wrong doing. For this reason, it was hard for Ugandan music sponsors and promoters to support the genre in the beginning.

The fusion of pop and rock into Hip hop to make it cut across has also been an issue of concern, but only to avid Hip hop lovers who believe Hip hop is solid enough a genre to stand on its own.

But despite all this, every Ugandan rapper today would love to have radio airplay, sponsored concert gigs, album sales, street credit and most importantly a record deal.

A record deal presents a lot of benefits. Once you are signed to a good record label like GoodEnuff Urban or Swangz Avenue, you are sure that at least there is a ready team of professionals that will help push your career to greater heights, and help you get paid, but that isn’t all you should expect.

Early this year, 12 year old rap sensation, Zack Mukiza aka Young Zee got signed to producer Benon’s Swangz Avenue. Much as the deal was good, debate of whether the young rapper, can survive under the pressure of a demanding record label, was inevitable.

And just a few months into the deal, Young Zee doesn’t seem to agree with a few things already.

Apparently, Swangz Avenue (the label), does not let the ‘I have A dream’ rapper see a penny from the sales he makes for the label.

When we spoke with Young Zee, he said that he was told that, they (Swangz Avenue) will not involve him in matters of finance until he is old enough to understand them.

Much as artistes care about the technical support, and exposure a record label gets them, they care more about the money the deal is bringing in. And it would come as no surprise to find Young Zee frustrated over this part of the bargain with Swangz.

During the performance of his debut hit song, ‘I have a dream’ at the just concluded Buzz Teeniez Awards, Young Zee threw in a line addressing his haters telling them to let him be (let him do him in Hip hop speak).

Apparently, lots of people have been hating on the youngster since he got that deal with Swangz Avenue. And it is something, he so badly wanted to address.

 At just 12 years of age, Young Zee is the youngest Ugandan rapper to be signed to a major record label. A lot of rappers would want, or rather think they deserve to be in his position.

THE JUMP OFF PRIEMER SOARED.

NANZIRI MARY MILAN.

When I heard Dj Bush Baby was behind the ‘The jump Off’ I was excited off the bat given his precedent with XXL. I was not disappointed. The show bares a slight similarity to XXL but the segmentation and approach give it a face of its own. I still don’t understand the title ‘The jump off’ Perhaps, I should credit it to the masterminds behind the astounding graphics-Torque.

 The show is made up of three segments, The Review, Touch Base and Plan B (wonder if that was borrowed from Sunday Vision, The show is on Urban Television-a vision group enterprise after all).

 THE REVIEW: This is the part of the show where entertainment and lifestyle issues are dissected. A panel of what the show portrayed as experts, because of their radio Dj professions, discussed the overly debated and milked dry question of the relevance and popularity of Nigerian music and contrasted it with Ugandan Music.

Chameleon East Africa’s best was basically labelled a-one beat many variations wonder. The song launches dubbed album launches, poor quality videos and fake Jamaican dancehall accents were cited as the failures of the Uganda Music industry.

Navio, with scepticism, Maurice Kirya, with conviction, and Keko were given a heads up as the faces or future of Ugandan Music.   I found this conclusion funny given that the panel that included radio personalities Gloria and Rudende endorsed artists from different musical genres. They kept emphasizing the success of Nigerian music as ‘they have a recognisable sound’. Ladies and gentlemen that sound is a dialect-pidgin English. Now if I were to write this article with terminologies like abi, abego, wettin do, it would easily be recognisable as Nigerian; that’s why Ugandan gospel artist Exodus’ song Igwe was at first mistaken for a Nigerian song.

TOUCHBASE: This is more or less the public court of opinion part of the show. The cameras were taken to the street and the wanainchi asked about how they felt about the current Uganda and the pending 50^th independence anniversary. Majority said they had no joy in Uganda due to the shocking levels of unemployment, the large gap between the rich and the poor, the poor maternal health and the high levels of corruption. The few that were pleased only noted security as the positive aspect in the country. Needless to say, very few Ugandans will be celebrating on 9^th October, 2012.

PLAN B: This is where a celebrity is made to carry out an ordinary person’s day job in case God forbid the fame game failed. The victim was The Mith a.k.a Mr. So Ug and he was such a sport considering he had to be a taxi conductor. He however managed to notice the fine women on the streets of Kampala, he got that conductor characteristic down but luckily he didn’t add ‘sexy ogenda?’ He also made 3.500/- and managed to persuade the driver to go for a meal after a hard afternoon’s work. He noted that he would love to see Navio ‘The bad boy from Rubaga’ his Klear Kut comrade attempt the same.

All in all it was nice having Bush back on screen, and I was just as excited as he was. The show is worth watching and promises a lot-I noticed a researcher in the credits and that’s always a sign of a good show.

Check out The Jumpoff on facebook for its show times as the premier time changes to a different show time.

Following the 7/11 bombings, I vowed never to step foot at the Kyadondo Rugby grounds. But I could not miss the opportunity of a life time to watch arguably Uganda’s best artistes go head-to-head. This was the first of its kind in the history of Uganda’s musical industry.  A musical battle between the infamous Head of the Gagamel Entertainment, Bebe Cool dubbed ‘King fi di Jungle’  against the much celebrated proponent of the Firebase Crew, H.E President of Uganja Bobi Wine oftentimes referred to as the Ghetto President.

As fate would have it, it rained cats and dogs in the afternoon worsening Kampala’s already testing traffic jam. Nonetheless, this did not deter the fans who by 6pm had formed a mammoth queue awaiting their turn to buy tickets at the entrance of the grounds. Kayihura’s boys kept a tight grip on security. Everything was searched, no stone unturned.  The women’s weaves were not spared either.

As expected, the show took forever to start. The stage was enormous but dissected by a net of chains reminding me of the ‘WWE Cage Match’ with each side having its own band, DJ turntable and emcee. The output of the loudspeakers was epic; you could feel your heart burst out of your chest.

View the event photogallery here.

Katongole Omutongole the emcee of the show stepped up to the plate at 7pm. I reckon the organisers would have done better than Katongole whose gimmicks came off rather childish. Nevertheless, he somewhat managed to make the crowd laugh.  Upon leaving, he bestowed on the crowd the power to adjudicate at the end of the show

Filled to the brim, the entrance was shut deterring any more fans from entering the grounds.  Aboard a ‘pioneer bus’, Bobi Wine and the Firebase entourage entered from through the entrance at the right side of the stage. Fire sprays lit the air with a fair share of the crowd shouting ‘Bobi! Bobi! Bobi!’. Bebe cool followed suit in his much talked about Hammer to jubilation transcending the voices of Bobi Wine’s fans with some of Bobi’s quickly switching camp.

Omulangila Ndaus introduced Bebe on stage throwing the crowd into an overwhelming frenzy. If there is one thing Bebe Cool has mastered, it’s the art of crowd pulling. For no sooner had he stepped on stage than the audience jumped up and joined in the singing. The plastic chairs seemed to have outlived their purpose and served another but rather odd purpose of being flown up in the air like flags. The wheels had been set in motion.

After performing three songs, according to the rules of the battle, it was Bobi Wine’s turn to sway the audience to his side. He started his campaign with verbal attacks ranging from Bebe Cool’s financial constraints to his marital woes. The audience, with the exception of a few pockets of them, was not really concerned about what they had going on behind the scenes but more about who could entertain them more to their satisfaction. But alas, what he lacked in persuasion and amusement, he made up for in live singing as opposed to counterpart. His voice not only rhymed well with his band but was much more audible.

Unfortunately, this was not an R n B or Soul concert; it was a dancehall concert of which the crowd was the judge. The crowd booed him off stage and started to chant Bebe Cool’s name to rescue them from the musical oppression the President had put them through.

The Ghetto President retaliated with a song that more or less was directed at Bebe’s financial and marital predicaments. His time was up with only one song performed but to the delight of the crowd who could not wait for the “Big Size’s” next performance. Round one was finished with a point to the Munene for an outstanding performance and nil to the Ghetto President for the lack of creativity.

Bebe Cool on the other hand did not disappoint. For his second performance he stepped out in a Chinese inspired outfit with traditional baganda dancers in tow. The song was retaliation to Bobi’s remarks that he (Bobi) is the Kabaka’s man/musajja wa Kabaka. But aside from the glamour, Bebe showed surprising maturity evading even the provocative remarks made by his nemesis. He politely asked Silk Events after his four songs to switch his microphone off and give chance to the President to perform. The sequel continued with each side giving its best shot.

3.30 a.m, what would have been the close of the show, seemed to be the start of it. In came Kayihura’s boys with intent to stop the show as it was way past the requisite midnight limit. The Ghetto President refused to give up his microphone and continued to throw insults that came off as the kicks of a dying horse. Since the crowd was the judge and the way it chanted Bebe Cool for an encore was enough to know who had gone home with the belt.  Either it was a well pulled off ponzi scheme that drained a great deal of money out of us or the greatest show performed by our local artistes. Am more inclined to choose the latter.

Lyrikal Proof aka LP, was picked out of over 3 million artistes from around the globe who are featured on ReverbNation to have his profile displayed on the sites homepage for a whole 7 days  (last week).  Every week only 10 high ranking bands and artistes are chosen to feature on the site’s homepage.

The ‘GudEnuff Urban’ boss becomes the  first Ugandan, and quite possibly, first East African artist chosen by the site. Featuring on the sites home page means a lot of exposure for both Lyrikal Proof and Ugandan hip-hop.

Check out his Reverbnation page :http://www.reverbnation.com/lyrikalproof

The ‘Nudes’ Exhibition at Fas Fas Studio was one NOT to be missed for both art and non art lovers. The studio is located in Bugolobi, above Jazz supermarket opposite Bouganvillia Hotel. The exhibition was running from Friday 15^th April from 1:00pm to 10:00pm and closed Friday 27^th April at 10:00pm.

It was a collection of original art work and other crafts like sandals, wall hangings, and mirrors. The exhibition was organized by Ronex – the owner of the studio and other artists like Ro Kerango, Henry Mzili, Daudi Karungi, Sheila Black, Claire Tendo and Katja Lenart. The best part about it was that viewing the art pieces was absolutely FREE! Everybody was welcome but for matters of decency you had to be 18years and over.

View the Gallery here (Please note: If you’re below 18 or are offended by the nature of images please do not view them.)

The idea behind the exhibition was to provoke people and get their views and opinions on the difference between Nudity, Nakedness and Pornography. Art pieces and crafts go for between twenty thousand shillings (20,000/=) to four hundred eighty dollars ($480). According to Ronex, people were supposed to write their views on the wall but some thought it a bit embarrassing.

As soon as I walked through the gate, I could tell that this was not your usual run of the mill exhibition or art studio for that matter. People were seated in various parts of the compound in cozy chairs and were chatting and enjoying a cold drink as they relaxed before or after they viewed the art pieces. Yes the studio has a mini bar so you can do a lot more than view the art work. The compound was laden with various pieces of art which ensured that you viewed the art at your own convenience and not feel rushed as is the case in other studios. The studio is also quite spacious so you did not feel cramped or squeezed and could move around freely from room to room.

As it was a collection of different artists and different styles, it was only fair to find out about all the different styles. Katja’s style is imaginative drawing and she uses pencil, pen and color to create her paintings. I liked the simplicity of her paintings.

 Daudi paints the models – as in literally gets a model, puts paint on her, and photographs them. I was very impressed with his particular style and I thought it absolutely genius.

Henry’s style is abstract imaginative. I found his pieces very funny – as in comically funny. Shiela and Clare both had just one painting and their style is acrylic. I didn’t quite understand Clare’s painting but then again, I have little experience with art so I will leave that to the masters to decipher. Last but not least, Ronex uses collage (paper and glue) and photography. He also makes crafts like mirrors and other wall hangings. He takes photographs of the models and manipulates them using photoshop and illustrative to create a different image.

Even with my very little experience however, I could tell that a lot of thought and detail had been put into creating the paintings. The exhibition was a collection of different styles of art which resulted in a beautifully laid out display with loads of color and variety. Some paintings were modest which left you wondering what more there was to paint while others were so detailed, they made you want to turn away in embarrassment.

Some paintings were over exaggerated, they were comical and it was impossible to take them or the artist seriously. I felt that every artist related to me in a different way and at the end of the day, the person who walked into the place eager to see these people that could organize an event so vulgar, left a person with a whole new view of the human body and an advocate for the artists and their cause. A critic was definitely turned into a believer.

I took some time out to interview Ronex.

When asked about the aim of the exhibition and why paint Nudes of all things, He said,

 “I believe we live with nudity even if we shy away from it. Nudity is appreciation of the human body. I feel that we should treasure it. We have adopted the Western culture (of wearing clothes) but in the past, we went around nude and some cultures like the Zulus and Swazis are still practicing this. Nakedness has a sexual attachment to it. It is done to entice, depending on the context. Pornography, I left that to other people to define it. People do not understand how we work. For an artist to dress you, we need to know how you are shaped. We need to see or imagine you nude. (My eyes widen at this. You don’t say!!!). Even a fold shows there is something. The cloth follows the shape.

How long have you been an artist?

 I have been in the Art industry for ten years. I have done 9 solo exhibitions and the group exhibitions are too many to count.

  Why did you choose to make this a group exhibition?

 “I created this space for artists so doing or having a solo exhibition would be mean. Plus a group exhibition provides variety and the art experience for the customer would be better with variety.”

I notice the pieces are mostly about women, why is that?

 (At this point Robinah the manager of Fas Fas walks in and answers the question for Ronex) Because women have a beautiful body and men don’t. (I concur). Each body part of the female is decorative. You have got to be proud of your body. Only young girls like showing their bodies because things are still intact. What I found disappointing was female exhibitionists were painting women.

The exhibition is free, so how do you meet costs? If people attend but no one buys an art piece, how would you benefit? We benefit from sales obviously but if no one buys, (shrugs shoulders) Art is a gift. That is why we do it.

Are the prices of the art pieces negotiable?

The prices are mostly fixed but can be negotiated depending on the artist.

At the end of the interview and my stay at the studio, I am almost sad to leave. Ronex and the staff at Fas Fas are down – to – earth, approachable people who relate well with their clients and everyone who visits the studio. They all worked hard to ensure that all their clients were comfortable and answered any questions they might have on the pieces. I believe this will go a long way in marketing their studio and the art. I have only good things to say about the exhibit. Not only because of the excellent quality of the items being shown, but also because of the atmosphere in which they are being shown.

Kampala has plenty of singers and with the live band craze; you’d be hard pressed to find a classy venue that didn’t host one at least once a week. So, even though I knew the wealth of talent that was going to grace the Qwela junction at Emin Pasha this month, I hardly expected to be surprised by anything. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised.

The very first thing that kind of threw me off my laid back game was the unexpected choice of MC. I figured that it would probably have been a smooth talking DJ or something. But it was none other than Fun factory’s Anne Kansiime! It’s not every day you have the coincidence of standup comedy and live singing.

Qwela started the night off with ‘Kidepo’, one of the singles off their first studio album. Joe’s voice worked its magic, highlighting my idea that theirs is Uganda’s new sound. Anyone who has listened to the band will agree that their music is as truly Ugandan as it gets while at the same time maintaining a beautiful universal appeal.

Richy took the stage amidst excited squeals from his fanatical following. I have it on good authority that if John Legend was to somehow disappear indefinitely, Uganda wouldn’t miss him because of Richy. He belted out the lyrics of his song, ‘Promise to do my best’ passionately, moving some ladies in the crowd to scream out “I do!” in response to what I assume they perceived was his indirect proposal.

Irene Ntale, the lead singer of the Uneven Band, combined pertinent message with beautiful melody in her song, ‘Politics’. The thing that I found particularly remarkable about her performance was the fact that she was backed up by the rest of the ‘Golden voices’ scheduled to sing that evening. The result was astounding! I think every artist at one point in their lives should have backups that talented to recreate that effect. Together with the rest of the night’s talent, she sung about the way the world is – to get anywhere; ‘you gotta know somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody.” The song was a powerful exposé on corruption yet at the same time you could not remain oblivious to Irene’s remarkable talent as a song writer.

Evon took center stage with her singular lithe sound singing ‘Road to Jinja’. It just made you want to pack your bags and take a vacation. She has said in the past that musicians like Adele and Jessie J are some of her influences but I believe that she is making waves as an artist in her own right. Her sound was so distinct; I can’t quite compare her to anybody.

Hum Kay’s performance took me back to the smooth RnB voices of the nineties; the era when Boys to men was all you wanted to listen to on the radio. He was effortless, going over each note like a pro as he sung about there being a better way. At some point, I almost thought I was listening to amplified radio.

7^th harmony, a group of former Gayaza girls, brought a whole different tone to the evening. Their sweet and mellow acapella gospel medley almost brought the audience to their knees. With flawless harmonies and perfect pitch, they reminded us that good music didn’t always have to be rocked out to. We did church – Gyza style.

Richy came back on with his groovy number, ‘Dance’. Interestingly even, though the song was about dancing, he admitted to not being able to dance at all. He tried, with little success, to get the crowd on their feet. Most of the people in the audience seemed keener on being entertained rather than participating in anything. At some point during the song, he invited Qwela’s Joe to show the crowd some dance moves and then things got real interesting. He dug up moves from back in the day like the house girl stroke that nobody appeared to remember until he demonstrated it. For a few charged minutes, everybody was jamming it old school.

Richy got back to singing, inviting the rest of the artists to a one on one ad-libbed sing off. He was seriously out done by the likes of Evon and Hum Kay, causing some in the crowd to exclaim that he had ‘died in his own movie’. Everyone was eager to participate except Irene, who when invited to the sing off just froze like a deer in the headlights. She only made a somewhat feeble attempt at a recovery after considerable encouragement from the audience and Richy.

Curious, a young rapper, astounded the crowd with Rukiga hip-hop. The performance of the song, ‘Ija nkutware’, was spiced up by Joe on the vocals and Moses of the Hip-hop quartet, beat boxing. John Kawa of Kads band also took to the stage with his hypnotizing baritone, singing songs a number of people remembered from their childhood.

As the evening drew to a close, Rachael Magoola came and raised the temperature in the place to an ultimate high. She looked ageless as she wound her waist, reminding us that some people just have that X factor. By the time she was singing her hit ‘Obangaina’, everyone was on their feet, dancing the night to a beautiful close.

Qwela junction is set to run again on the last Friday of May featuring some of Kampala’s most renowned guitarists.