Kadongo Kamu

Lord Fred Sebatta

There are two popular music genres that preceded the present proliferation of music genres in the Ugandan popular music sound scope .One was ‘band’ music propounded by groups like ‘the Cranes Band’, its offshoot ‘Afrigo Band’; ‘Rwenzori Band’, ‘Big Five Band’; ‘Simba Ngoma Band et al. Band music was modelled on the big band jazz traditions that acoustically blended ‘Soukouss’, ‘Rumba’, ‘Reggae’ and other afro Caribbean plus latino stylistic patterns. Band music became a formation for the polyrhythmic structure of a contingent popular genre in Uganda. Today different artists (even solo performers) categorise their music as Band simply because they combine different styles (stylistic fusion). The second enduring genre was ‘Kadongo kamu’ which forms the subject of this article.

The seminal Kadongo kamu, has held a special place in Uganda’s multi-ethnic composition in a sense that though it is a music type associated with Buganda (a kingdom within Uganda), its popularity spread to other regions of Uganda partly because of the metropolitan situation that embraced Buganda right from the colonial period. The Kingdom of Buganda (to consolidate territorial and socio-political and economic power within its neighbours) was post 1840s one of the first to actually invite missionaries and welcome explorers who drew the line of achievement for the colonial project.

As a result Buganda became a centre for further intrusion into other regions thus graduating later into a metropolis. With Buganda hosting the British headquarters of administration and religious activity it became some sort of urban complex (so it was perceived by the other regions and to a large extent was more developed). The first hospitals, educational institutions, entertainment centres were situated in Kampala, which was the capital city of Buganda and also became the capital city of Uganda after independence in 1962.

To the other regions, whatever came from Kampala was urban and a reflection of the latest fashion that was accorded much attention. This as a background saw the rising popularity of Kadongo kamu soar after it had cemented its sound in Buganda. ‘Luganda’ the language of the Baganda (who hail from Buganda) was employed by the Kadongo kamu musicians and for many reasons (the main of which is the same concept of urbanity) it became a language of exchange in various parts of Uganda. Indeed the Government of Uganda only stopped short of pronouncing it as a national language for the sake of national unity.

Kadongo kamu has its origins in the first half of the twentieth century. ‘Ekitiibwa kya Buganda’ the national anthem of this powerful Buganda Kingdom located in central Uganda was peculiarly an A side Kadongo kamu record adopted by the Kingdom because of its thematic and narrative significance to the kingdom. The song by veteran musician and sports administrator Polycarp Kakooza (R.I.P.) was one of the historic moments of the music. Other key players at the time included Luyimba Zaake who later became a leading educationist in Uganda.

In tracing the origins of Kadongo kamu, Nanyonga (2000) attributes its origins to first of all the geo-political region Buganda and hints on the lucid interplay of a medley of factors. Such factors as cross border movements between Uganda and Congo and also between Uganda and Kenya earmarking especially the East Africa railways as a link in between the different musical regions that supplied a part of the cultural context of Kadongo kamu’s origins. Other factors listed as colonialism and the development of radio broadcasting in Uganda in the 1950s.In addition her assessment of Kadongo kamu is premised on the hybridity of elements in its mosaic. Assertions that are indeed valid.

Kadongo kamu in complete conceptual interpretation implies a varied scope of things. The ‘ndongo’ from ‘kadongo’ (which refers to ‘that ndongo’) is suggestive of a performance/entertainment spectacle such as a concert, disco or a gig. It further connotes an instrument (which then becomes central to this entertainment spectacle). However the ‘ndongo’ as an instrument became interchangeably used to refer to the lyre, the tube fiddle and later the rhythm and bass guitars. Kamu on the other hand suggests ‘one’. In its beginnings, the music had a rudimentary instrumental section that complemented the extensive narration that was prioritised. This sparsity of instrumentation, sometimes with only one instrument explains the label ‘Kadongo kamu’.

Kadongo kamu’s instrumental framework later became greatly influenced by the growing ‘Afro Jazz’ (Big Band/Orchestral) movements in the 50s and 60s as Grand kalle and Franco from Congo Kinshasa (now called Democratic republic of Congo) spurned it. The saxophone and the lead guitar in particular were introduced as part of the wind and string sections respectively which reaffirmed ‘Kadongo kamu’s target audience (the mature age group of past age 30). In ensuing years the generic nomenclature ‘Kadongo kamu’ was threatened with the further introduction of other instruments that made it more interesting to listen to. Keyboards, Western drum kits made the rudimentary instrumental structure a mirage of the genre’s previous character. The digital revolution in Uganda post 1990 served modifications to the instrumental composition of Kadongo kamu, which is revisited later.

Vocally stood out the singer who had solo parts consisting of verses that were eventually responded to by either choruses that sang or responded at several points of the song to phrases from the singer. The vocal style became known as ‘Ngono’ and whether male or female there was clarity of pitch, intonation and chord progressions vocally which complemented the equally dexterous instrumental sections. The voice would sound like a complainant or someone moaning. This actually drew many more audiences who heard this as an appeal and they paid attention to what these distinct voices had to state.

Willy Mukabya

Buganda, the geographical origins of ‘Kadongo kamu’ as previously acknowledged supplied the ‘bakisimba’ rhythm (a percussive tradition) that formed the acoustic basis of Kadongo kamu. Because ‘Bakisimba’ was both a dance and a rhythm that surrounded the music the groove that is a vital component of African popular music influenced the popularity of Kadongo kamu.

The social context permitted infinite thematic variations that followed the edutainment ethic. Through lengthy narratives (the initial Kadongo kamu songs were between thirteen and seventeen minutes long) on issues such as gender, politics, economics and other social issues spiced with anecdotes most of the songs emerged with a moral that became food for thought for the audiences that attended these concerts or bought cassettes of this music. Further lyrical and instrumental embellishments overwhelmed audiences.

With pre-independence developments such as missionary activity, formal education, radio broadcasting, the looming commercial opportunities, the East African railways and the prevalence of night spots that included White Nile and Suzanna, artists who sang Kadongo kamu were inspired to forward this genre by taking it to professional levels. Artists who had a great impact on the scene include Christopher Sebadukka (R.I.P.) and Elly Wamala. Wamala particularly attributes religious choral training as crucial to all his past works. The clubs patronized the colonial settlers with bands performing a repertoire of foreign music to satisfy revellers who were initially foreigners and could afford a night out. Fred Masagazi one leading ‘Kadongo Kamu artist actually notes that they had to wear suits and performed mostly covers (other people’s songs). These covers had the creative thrust in modifying ‘Kadongo Kamu’

The previously mentioned metropolitan stature that Buganda (particularly Kampala) assumed at the dawn of colonialism predetermined the foundation for the recording and performance culture that emerged. Radio Uganda, which was established by the British in Kampala to partly serve their service men and communicate to the masses too initially, broadcast to Buganda with its menu of foreign music (precisely because of their service men and also because there were hardly a bulk of recorded local songs). The transatlantic musical movements of the Beatles, Gerry and the Pace makers, the Bee Gees, Elvis Presley found residence on the play lists of Radio Uganda. The Spanish and African sonic influence in the Caribbean (in the case of Cuban music ‘Salsa and Calypso’) was also broadcast because they were part of a global musical movement at the time. The settlers so cherished these sounds.

Radio Uganda then influenced what was stocked in retail shops and played in Nightclubs for local audiences. This then got assimilated into the music that was produced locally. The possibility of getting played by Radio Uganda drove many musicians to record more and ‘Kadongo kamu’ was truly their recognised ‘pop’ style and so this advanced the development of ‘Kadongo kamu’. Incidentally, the void of credible recording facilities because live performances were the obvious, encouraged local musicians to penetrate Kenya to record.

Kenya to British East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya) had the same position as Buganda to Uganda. Nairobi the capital city had a large settler community that had brought expertise of music entrepreneurship and an audience in the form of professional recording studios, record labels and pressing plants.

One such studio was Grant Charo’s Equator Sound studios where ‘Malaika’ (which later became a classic remake by Miriam Makeba from South Africa) was recorded with Fadhili Williams in the Equator Sound Band (this band also had one Ugandan Charles Ssonko who was a brother to the songstress Freda Ssonko).

The most important aspect that Nairobi offered were a performance culture that brought large audiences to watch musicians who could then make a living. Many Ugandan musicians travelled to Nairobi and performed there and recorded. The performance venues of Kadongo kamu musicians oscillate around up country locations and urban theatres. In some cases Stadia have been used to accommodate the increasing audiences who are addicted to their favourite musicians.

In spite of their popularity in urban places they still maintain a deep loyalty with up country audiences whom they attribute their successes to. Their performances are routine weekly engagements that occur with or without hits throughout the year. There is the existence of loose cooperatives of the musicians who stage joint shows at various venues. Kadongo kamu musicians share a rare solidarity and often fundraise for their fellow artists in times of calamity. They are also the only artists who can hold performances of their own outside their cooperatives because their performances contain a lot of variety.

Kandongo kamu is also linked to the theatrical movements of the 60s, 70s and 80s.The dramatic quality of Kadongo kamu performances were similar to those of theatrical groups such as Byron Kawadwa, Omugave Ndugwa, Wassanyi Serukenya and later Jimmy Katumba and the Ebonies. Theatrical groups achieved a lot of effect on stage through the use of songs that complemented scenic development, thematic exposition as well as narrative enhancement. These groups composed and those in existence today still compose songs that are used in their plays. There had to be a definite or an allegorical story line in these songs and Kadongo kamu also borrowed a lot from these. Indeed the Kadongo kamu singers also turned to drama in their performances. They created scenes around their songs in which the message was acted out. Many theatrical groups today form theatrical ensembles that sustain singing careers in Kadongo kamu or in what they term as band music, whereas Kadongo kamu singers have expanded their bands into ensembles that dramatise as well as sing.

The dramatic live performance of Kadongo kamu entails scenes that occur at various points of the live execution of the song. These scenes change from time to time from verse to verse, chorus to chorus and the mandatory instrumental solo is where the singers do the motions for the spectator audience. This mode of performance dictates that a solo singer is complemented with other singers who respond or engage in a dialogue with the lead singer. These dialogues are actually on stage discussions filled with social commentary .The setting of stage, costumes, props, motion and stage effects like lighting are manipulated in accordance with the message of the song.

Paulo Kafeero

The 70s and 80s were hard times for Kadongo kamu musicians who like the rest of Uganda were faced with the rampant instability and lack of economic growth as a result. They did persist and still performed but to lacklustre audiences. It is in the late 80s after the advent of the N.R.M. Government that some semblance of stability prevailed and fostered consistent artistic growth.

In the late 80s and early 90s, the late Tony Sengo (formerly of Afrigo Band and later of Big Five and Badindaz Bands), Hope Mukasa (formerly of Mixed Talents and Philly Lutaaya’s Savannah Band) and Tim Kizito (formerly of the Ebonies Jimmy Katumba’s back up band) and Dungu were key players in the recording of Kadongo kamu singers in various studios in Kampala. Artists like Willy Mukabya, Paul Kafeero, Livingstone Kasozi, Fred Sebatta, Herman Basudde and Fred Sebaale were prominent. Interestingly Kadongo kamu still appealed to the rural and urban (but luganda speaking) audiences though it also traversed the rest of the country. For a while it was not considered mainstream until key developments occurred in the mid 90s.

The liberalisation of the electronic media in 1992 saw privately owned radio stations open. The first two, Sanyu and Capital that were English speaking rejected Kadongo kamu. In 1996 Central Broadcasting Service (CBS) owned by the Kingdom of Buganda with an indigenous format as part of the cultural policy of the kingdom of Buganda devoted airtime to the broadcast of Kadongo kamu songs and this was when it gained mainstream success. Radio Simba’s opened in 1998 with a similar format and also focused on local music and this was a good omen for the Kadongo kamu artists. The area that was lacking was in club play for Kadongo kamu to become a complete mainstream success.

In 1997 and the years after, Disc Jockey Henry Rota of Rainbow sounds, a local digitised mobile disco, recognised the popularity of Kadongo kamu records primarily because of his up country gigs (where the revellers loved it) and retail sales at different outlets in Kampala and the rotation on CBS radio and Radio Simba.The instrumentation of Kadongo kamu records were not percussive enough to be blended with foreign records in the clubs that people would dance to. To achieve this effect, Rota remixed them by placing a layer of Jamaican B-side dub instrumentals like Santa Barbara and Official Rat. The records for example Sebatta’s Obugenyi were instant club ‘bangers’ as hits are referred to in Uganda.

To the Kadongo kamu artists, this was impure. To counter this impurity, though they did not did not condemn Rota but instead went to studio and laced their songs with heavier instrumentation (for the clubs). They recruited ace producer Steve Jean and affiliates Ken Lubwama, Robert Segawa and Tim Kizito who in 1999 at the digital Kasiwukira studios transformed the Kadongo kamu beat into what became termed as contemporary Kadongo kamu. Underneath the ‘ngono’ vocalisation and the lyrical web that Kadongo kamu unveiled was a fusion of Hip hop, Reggae, Soca beats with a touch of Soukouss with a remarkable string section intact. Other studios like Joe Tabula’s BK studios and Hemdee Kiwanuka’s NO-END studios were instrumental in this transformation. Kadongo kamu musicians were marvelled by new technologies that relied on synthesis of sound versus the prior tiresome acoustic processes and embraced them full heartedly though many of their fans were initially critical of the sonic changes. The consistence in performance and lyrical traditions converted many of its critics. Today the artists still rely on the acoustic but complement it with the digital.

This new sound caught on fast and even managed to garner youthful interest in a genre previously relegated to the older generation. Steve Jean cognisant of the radio phenomenon (Paramount to the success of the music) also reduced the length of the songs that he produced to between three minutes thirty seconds to four minutes thirty seconds which are essentially radio specifications for music to be introduced to play lists with commercials, station Ids and Talk time interspersed. This became a standard and currently Kadongo kamu records are very radio friendly. With this mainstreaming came a change in the presentation of the artists. The apparel and stage organization moved from the huts and Kanzu’s (traditional men wear) that was dominant to plush settings and suits for the musicians. Some musicians took up title such as Lord Fred Sebatta, Prince Paul Kafeero and Dr Fred Sebaale.

The business side of the music is quite organised in most cases because Kadongo kamu musicians are more focussed than other musicians of other genres. They are also the most enduring .For a performance the artists usually prefer organizing their own concerts because there is a lot of profit involved. However for a booking of one Kadongo kamu ensemble for a gig it would cost about one thousand five hundred dollars wherein they come with their equipment.

The industry still suffers from a lack of record labels in place to take care of business. From the recording studio the artist makes a master tape .The artist then talks to an agent who is commissioned to market the music. This agent becomes a copyright buyer (so he retains the duplication copyright of the music. The artist retains the performance and re-recording copyright). Major agents in Uganda include Kasiwukira, Lusyn, KASE, and NIK studios. The agent normally pays the artist a sum of money exceeding the cost of recording that is agreeable to both of them. This grossly depends on the profile of the artist (based on past recordings). For instance Fred Sebatta would rake thousands of dollars (millions of shillings) whereas a relatively unknown artist would receive a couple of hundred dollars (thousands of shillings).

Whereas it seems lack of prudence to release the copyright to these agents, the advantage is in working with them grants the artist access to nation wide network of agents. These agents have a network of retail agents who buy from them from all over the country who come to buy from them and these help popularise the music outside Kampala. The tape is duplicated into several thousands of tapes. Each tape at retail price will go for about one dollar.

A cover (sleeve) is then designed and then the distribution is on to a radio station whose format must cater for audiences that the artists target. These stations are mainly CBS, Radio Simba, Super, Radio Uganda and Dembe FM. Full fledged Radio programs on Super 88.5 FM (the ‘Senga show’ Sunday afternoons); Radio Simba 97.3 FM (‘Kadongo classics Saturday’s 12:00-2:00 pm hosted by Ndawula Ali Wowooto) .The Agents in many cases advertise the music on radio stations, television stations and through the newspapers as well by getting journalists to write about the music. The music is then released and the artists continue their routine of performances. They also release large size posters advertising in advance the arrival in stores of the music. These strategies facilitate the massive distribution of the music and it is no surprise that Kadongo kamu musicians are some of the most successful.

At the inaugural Pearl of African Music Awards 2003 that took place on The 4th October 2003 at Speke Resort Munyonyo, sounds from this genre resonated through Gerald Kiweewa’s ‘Gaali Ekozeeko’ that was a monster hit cycled by the commercial networks ascertained above. Other ‘Kadongo kamu’ classics through the years include: Christopher Sebadukka’s ‘Amazima’, ‘Nantondo’ ‘Obwavu’ and ‘Obufumbo’; Peterson Mutebi’s ‘Amata agatafa’ and ‘Kagutema’; Willy Mukabya’s ‘Kayanda’; Fred Sebatta’s ‘Sam wange’ and Paul Kafeero’s ‘Walumbe zaaya’.