By Reporter
Nyege Nyege 2019 was with no doubt one of the finest events of the year in Uganda. The event organizers this year took the venture to Europe taking 15 East African atistes.
Amongst the highlight shows will be the European premier of the Nakibembe Embaire Troupe from Busoga, a giant traditional xylophone played by 6 members will play at the prestigious CTM Festival in Germany. They will also perform alongside Indonesian outfit Gabber Moddus Operandi who are currently working on a show with the Nakibembe at the Nyege Nyege Studios in Bunga.
It will also be the premier of MC Yallah, one of the pioneers of female hiphop in Uganda, who recently released an album on Nyege Nyege Tapes and has received international accolades for the best albums of the year section in many international publications. MC Yallh will perform at CTM also, and then go on a tour of 20 shows taking her in 13 different countries in Europe. In the summer she is also set to tour Brasil.
Amongst the upcoming Kampala DJs who are also gaining international interest are Catu Diosis who everyone remembers from a blasting main stage show at Nyege Nyege with her dancers, she will also play at Footprints festival in the Netherlands before embarking on a UK tour.
The tour will also mark the European premier of Brian Bamanya also known as Afrorack, who is the first African to build his own synthesizer, he will play in Paris and Berlin.
On the 24th of January, Paris will host the first Nyege Nyege night, an evening dedicated to talents from East Africa under the banner of Nyege Nyege, it will feature Afrorack, Mc Yallah, Hibotep and latest nyege roster addition DJ Diaki.
Samuel Kisakye also known as Don ZIlla has been with Nyege Nyege for over five years, he just released his second EP that has been widely received internationally. He will perform in Portugal, Germany and Poland.
As an artist development incubator based in Kampala, the mission of Nyege Nyege is to support emerging musicians that have what it takes to take their careers to the global stage. Thanks to the success of its record labels and festival, Nyege Nyege is now globally recognized for the quality of its music, it has shone light on Uganda and East Africa’s arts and culture sector, and is creating meaningful employment to many young people involved in the creative sector. Many Ugandans worldwide are now able to see their own artists wherever they live in the world, as far as Australia, where DJ Kampire, Africa’s number one female DJ, is currently touring.
