By Ian Ortega
Nostalgia hits us when we remember these songs; they still play in our heads when we see some little children. Well, for a lucky few like yours in writing whose nursery schools still exist, these songs are worth compiling. Since BigEye.ug is dedicated to archiving everything Uganda, we release the top 25 Ugandan Nursery and Childhood rhymes and songs.
1. Twajja tuli mbuzi kati tugunjuse
We sang this one to give our teachers a smile and appreciate them for helping transform us from academic goats to bright pupils. It’s only after the president sent Makerere University lecturers to rear goats that I realized how stupid we were to call ourselves goats.
2. Zakayo omuwoza ali ku muti
This one was our Sunday school rhyme. It was about Zacharias, the midget in the Bible who climbed up the tree to get a clear view of Jesus Christ. “Yesu amuyita, Yesus amuyita” we would continue with the singing as we held each other’s hands.
3. Kodina kodina mpiringisa bina lyange
The girls used this rhyme to practice those strokes in ‘gyal a bubble’. They would shake whatever little their mama gave them. Here we were getting older so we would talk about booty and get away with it.
4. Nakera nkya nenaba entumbwe nengenda ku school okusoma
Personally, I remember singing this one in the morning Physical Education exercises which we carried out naked or in our under-pants with the girls in the knickers. We would bend a little bit to stress the point.
5. Sipolingi
This one taught us about gambling and guess work. We would sing; “sipolingi my father…… simulasimula head omuchere n’enyama olyawo ki?” Nga when you choose rice you get on one side as those of meat get on another side, then you carry out a tug of war.
6. Kwiso, Baado
This one was our local hide-and-seek rhyme. We always made sure we hid with our crushes and the lucky few, like the Hoods, were able to beat their first rats during these times of hiding.
7. Essawa bweziw’elo mukaga ddala ddala ddala
I always sang this one at my Nursery school at Christ the King Church. It was our day’s farewell to the teachers as we matched out of class with our bags and juice bottled tagged in our necks.
8. Ffe tuli embaata ento tetumanyi Kubaala
This one was how we learned about counting in Luganda. I remember this one at the nursery school I went to―Makindye Parents School; we would count ‘emu, biri, ssatu, nya…” The Runyankore version was; “Itwe turi entama ento_ emwe, ibiri, ishatu, ina, itano, mukaga, mushanju, munana, mwenda, ikumi.”
9. Baana bato tweyagala nga yesu amazima
Again this one was for Sunday School, truth be told I always hated being young, I hated Sunday School, they took our IQ for granted.
10. Paulo kagwa yali anoga emwanyi naserela kumuti ekalamu enemyeka
I used to hear my older brothers and sisters sing this one, it seems it was the hit song during their nursery school times.
11. Ekibobo kili mu nyumba
Another physical education song, older kids like Brian would have their long ga-things pointing through their bu-under-pants as we went ahead to look for the basket in the house.
12. Nabubi yazimba kumutiti omuwanvu
And we would continue singing “enkuba yatonya, nabubi yagwa…” This song used to remind us of those who step on our heads as they climb up the ladders of success.
13. Come Tumoolo and Get a Glass of Soda
This was at a time when we had sodas like Schweepes (think that was the spelling), used to read it as a name for my older cousin’s girlfriend in his letters. We would tell each other, “come tomorrow and get a glass of soda.”
14. Wampologoma sawa meka? Mwagala esawa.
Recently I heard when S4J , a gospel rapper made a song out of our rhyme, we used it to learn about telling the time.
15. Kaapa Egooba Gooba, Kaapa Egooba Emeese
This introduced us to rats, cats and mice. We used to chase our crushes with this song, so we went ahead to chase, catch them and fall down together.
16. Make a Circle, Circle.
This used to help us get organized in the football pitch and make proper circles.
17. One Crocodile went to see an Elephant
This was at my last Nursery school at Sunshine Kindergarten in Makerere. It was a first world nursery school, so we only sang English rhymes unlike Brian who sang Luganda rhymes.
18. The Football Cheering Rhyme
Since I was already on the school football team in my Top Class, they would cheer me in this way; “Ortega waffe oyo, tumwagalanyoooo maama naye ekikulu tumwagala kufa nakuwona!”
19. Babaa black sheep
Okay this one is not a Ugandan rhyme, but we sang it the Ugandan way- “baba bulaaka siipu.”
20. Sissi twagenda mukibira Ssisi
This was my favourite, I enjoyed singing it while seated in the bus going to the ZOO which was the popular thing back then for kids. “Sissi twagenda mukibira Ssisi, netusangayo essajja”
21. Yesu Ayagala Abaana Abaato
Yes, another Sunday School ring-tone, it also has a runyankore version; “Yesu nakunda abato abato abato, Yesu nakunda abato abato nkanye……X10”
22. The Vulgar Rhymes
When we got to Primary Two, we became spoilt, during trips, we would sing these rhymes in the school bus. The crew at the back of the bus would begin; “Kyoya kyoyagala kiza kizaamu amanyi nege negendedde ewaffe….!!! We also had this popular one; “Esefuuliya efumba lumonde y’ekimana amazzi emuuga.”
23. Edimasta agenda kooti ye tajerabila
Stuart sang this in his Nursery school because only the Headmaster was allowed to have a coat and a 3-piece suit.
24. A Top Runyankore Rhyme
I sang this one to impress my Munyankore girlfriend but I don’t know the meaning; “Twiizire Kushoroma ebinyobwa, ebinyobwa, ebinyobwa… twizire kushoroma ebinyobwa omukasheshe kare munonga
edmund mumutuhe mumutuhe mumutuhe *2 mwiije mumwakire mumwakire mumwakire*2 twiija kumwakira kumwakira kumwakira omukasheshe kare munonga*2 noha oramutware oramutware oramutware omukasheshe kare munoga *2
25. Kili kili My bell
Rasta Rob later on plagiarized our song and made a hit song out of it, but we shall never forget our super rhyme. “Kaano akanyonyi ak’ewaffe.
26. ADD MORE
Just to show that you did not skip nursery school or childhood, add more of your popular rhymes. Let’s see who had a better childhood.