By Moses Abeka
Karamoja. Ka-ra-mo-ja. Kara-moja, no matter how you pronounce Karamoja, it is that one word that swiftly rolls off the tongue leaving varying tastes in the mouth of prejudiced Ugandans. A society marginalized for decades with each generation maintaining the stereotype and passing on the status quo. It has taken brave souls to think otherwise and make commendable attempt to turn the ruined facade of society’s imagination and turn it into a fortress to behold. They saw hope, a future, a hand to uplift and enable the youth unravel gold in the mud, challenging them to reach deep in their innermost and harness their talents, and show the world their true colours, unearthing the debris of prejudice and stereotype thrown at them. That is the noble project of Bayimba Cultural Foundation, under the Youth and HipHop project, a non profit organisation with the overall aim to improve and bridge the socio-cultural and economic gap between youths in Uganda. It does so by supporting youths in acquiring artistic (hip hop) as well as leadership and entrepreneurial skills that can enhance socio-cultural and economic transformation across diversities.
”The phrase, we shall not wait for Karamoja to wear clothes, may not apply anymore. To me, they wanted skills, not our clothes,” SpokenWord PaperTrill a hiphop enthusiast speaks of the project. In a lengthy document, Sylvester, the coordinator speaks about raising hope for the youth in Karamoja. It reads in part….. ”In areas where we don’t organize regional festivals like Moroto, we always end our trainings with a free public showcase for parents, friends, artists and well-wishers where all the artists in different skills are given time to present what they had been taught in the course of the 2 weeks. There is no professional music studio in Moroto at the moment, so a few musicians who have enough money travel to Mbale or Kampala to have their songs recorded. After hearing their cry, we decided to add an extra activity specifically for Moroto by recording for them a song called “Shine” in our mobile studio set up in a hotel room then shot for them a video on the streets and market area. This being their first video, and audio to some of them, it has raised hopes in the hearts of many and they are looking forward for the official release”.
Generally, the Karamojong Youth are equipped with skills in music and empowered with leadership skills and career guidance all free of charge. We salute, the Bayimba Cultural Foundation!
