Sandra Suubi is an award winning gospel artiste with a voice so powerful it will open a closed ear, and yet so gentle it melts souls. She is a musical powerhouse with distinctive melodious vocals, a versatile songbird who has experimented with different genres and a live performer with effortless skill. She also holds a master’s degree in Fine Art.

Described by many as Africa’s finest stage star and vocalist, Sandra Suubi had quite a normal childhood, having being born and raised in Konge – Ggaba. She went to Greenhill Academy for Primary and Gayaza High School thereafter before joining Makerere University. She holds a master’s degree in Fine art.

She started her music career in 2011 with a girl group called Xabu under the direction of First Love. When the group split in 2015, Sandra joined the Airtel Trace Music competition which she won and went on to represent Uganda in the East African category. 

In 2016, while pursuing a Master’s degree in Fine Art at the Margret Trowell school of Art, Sandra Suubi released her first two singles. Togwamu Suubi and Nsiimye went ahead to top charts on several Ugandan radio stations, the former going on to feature as the sound track for the award winning film Veronica’s Wish in 2018.

She released her first EP, Anthems of Life on May 2018 with songs like Onjagande nyo, Kingdom come, Heaven, Jangu Tuzine and held her maiden concert on May 13 and 17, 2018. All the songs off the EP have got massive airplay on Uganda’s radio stations.

She has over 20,000 followers on face book, 6k on Instagram and 5k on twitter; and her videos on YouTube attract a minimum of 8.7K views. 

She is being managed by Karizm, a talent management company; with Dorothy Nabunjo being her manager since 2017.

Faya, her most recent release is a hit banger that has already proved she is going on the music scene for a very long time. She’s here to stay!

Stage Performances:

Sandra Suubi has performed at major events including; Praise Fest Kampala, PhatFest, Kampala City Festival, Christmas in Kampala, Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards, Blankets and Wine, Qwela Junction, Uganda Diaspora Gala, Comedy Meets Music, Inauguration of AGR in Uganda and many others. 

Along with her band, she also performs at weddings, introductions and corporate events.

Other Talents:

When she is not in a recording studio, Sandra is a visual artist specializing in Eco-Art using recycled material (plastics) to create installations, stage back drops, jewellery and home décor.

It’s a passion through which she joins the environmental conservation effort by reducing littering and pollution.  She further believes the youth can use what is readily available to them to transform their lives. 

She has designed stage back drops for Bayimba Festival, Blankets and wine, Akadope, Orange Moon Production and has also created installations like King of the Road, The Tower of possibilities (Ebiroto 2) and The Headphones (Ebiroto 2)

For more on Sandra Suubi’s work and upcoming performances, visit www.sandrasuubi.com or search Sandra Suubi on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

 

Sandra Nankoma vocals cover the musical baselines of jazz and soul ballads with a distinctive identity and air that breaks the codes of the traditional African soul. 

A graduate of fine arts, the author, composer, and performer, made her stage debut at Bayimba Festival before sharing stage with notable artists such as Skyler Jett, Goefrey Oryema, Kareyce Fotso, Maurice Kirya, Joel Sebunjo, Jackie Akello, amongst others. 

In 2017, Nankoma was awarded Best African Artist for the acclaimed Visa Pour la Creation and spent a three-month residency in Paris developing her debut album, Ye’nze. While in Paris, Nankoma also collaborated with French artists like L’Artiste and Davd Felgerros and performed at events such as Cite des Arts International and MaMa Festival. 

In 2018, Nankoma was double nominated in the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA for “Best Female Artiste in African Inspirational Music” and “Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa” for her song “Kaddugala.” The anthem for dark skinned girls to love their skin tone and reject skin bleaching took home the continental award for “Best Female Artiste in African Inspirational Music.” Sandra runs a Melanin campaign (KADDUGALA) against skin bleaching. She believes everyone should be comfortable in their skin, especially dark girls. 

Convinced that music is the vehicle of social change, she engages her art in order to contribute to her society, especially to the cause of women and girls. Her commitment against discrimination and xenophobia is particularly evident through the listening of her first solo album Ye’nze. 

Sammy Kasule’s hidden intricacies in playing a six-string guitar have earned him enough attention and admiration. It is not every day that you find a bass of more than five strings.

Kasule is one of the backbones of Uganda’s music, but has for a long time lived a quiet life in Stockholm, Sweden where he has been leading a band called Makonde, together with Swedish musicians and another Ugandan, Gerald Naddibanga.

Combining elements of African soukous and Afro-Cuban rhythms, the group had cut its niche in Stockholm for the slick, pop-oriented sound.

But towards the end of last year, Kasule made a decision to return home and settle. Having lived in Sweden for about 30 years, Kasule says he has accomplished what he wanted – to shape the future for his two children: 33-year-old Sammy Kasule Jr who is now married with a seven-year-old child, and 23-year-old Mitchell Kasule. “They are now [adults].

I have been fighting for their future and I thank God that they are ok. That is why I have decided to move back,” Kasule says. “I don’t intend to form my own band, but I intend to work with musicians in the studio and will be performing with Afrigo band whenever I want to be on stage.” Kasule has a recording studio in Stockholm, which he plans to relocate to Kampala and has already paid visits to three studios: Dr Tee’s, Eddie Yawe’s and Afrigo band’s to compare notes.

The only challenge he sees ahead is that it is easier to upgrade studios abroad than in Uganda, because the equipment is easily accessible there. Meteoric rise Born to Merekizadeki Kibirige and Catherine Namuwenda in 1952, Kasule started music at a tender age. At the age of 11, he made his first guitar from an empty fuel can, but this did not amuse his mother who destroyed it.

He made a second one and it was still destroyed by his parents. This did not, however, dim his dream. He followed his passion with another guitar, which this time round he decided to hide in the bush on the way to the well. So, every time he was sent to the well, he would pass by the bush to first play his guitar. His inspiration came from listening to Congolese music played on radio, and Ugandan musicians Christopher Ssebaduka and Rosia Nyogo from whom he learnt the Ekitoobero song.

This later defined his music style when he took music to a professional level with uplifting rhythms based on soukous mixed with Ugandan folk. Kasule, who went to Kibuli primary school before his family relocated to Masuuliita where he went to Light College Katikamu, abandoned school before finishing O-level to pursue his music career.

In 1969, he joined his first band, Kawumba band, whose home was at New Life bar in Mengo where he played until 1970. Following the political unrest during then President Idi Amin’s government, Kasule sought refuge in neighbouring Kenya, joining a Congolese band called Les Niors in 1973, with which he worked for three years before joining Special Liwanza band.

After learning Kiswahili, he in 1977 recorded his first hit single, Maria Wandaka, which received great airplay in Kenya. He followed it up with a Shauri Yako English version and then Ekitoobero. As a gifted composer and performer, he later decided to start his own band Vundumuna together with guitarist Tabu Frantal and keyboardist Botango Bedjil.

This later evolved into Makonde band where he was joined by Philly Bongoley Lutaaya (RIP) in 1979. European career When Lutaaya moved to Sweden in 1983, Kasule followed suit. Here, they teamed up with other Ugandan musicians such as Frank Mbalire, Hope Mukasa, Joseph Nsubuga, Richard Mudungu, Fred Ssemwogerere and Shem Makanga to form a group called Savanna.

That is when they released Lutaaya’s hit-album, Born in Africa. Kasule moved to Japan in 1989, joining the African Jambo Jambo band with four Congolese and another Ugandan, Meddie Matovu. In 1991, he moved back to Sweden and decided to reform Makonde band, and recorded songs including Njabala, Seyeeya and Ziwuuna.

Opportunities for interaction between refugees and host communities are limited, especially since refugee communities are usually separated from the rest. The project, Refugees Across Spaces seeks to break the isolation of refugees and stimulate local integration mechanisms in their surroundings and societies through culture and its expression.

The project is a collaborative project between Regina Theatre, Uppsala and The Cultural Avenue; with financial support from the Swedish Institute. 

At Bayimba 2019, we invite you to visit “Walls We Built” Audio Visual installation curated by Annika Rachor where some of the work of the project will be showcased. In this space, co-hosted by the project, Refugees Across Spaces, you can lounge, interact and chit chat on different themes including identity, walls, borders, human rights and enjoy short poetry and dance performances by a select group of refugee artists. 

 

I am a Ugandan Roots folk pop/ world music artist and humanitarian. Ssali Hytham Muserebende a voice to the voiceless children grew up in an adventurous landscape of Bugerere in Uganda’s district of Kayunga on the shores of a mythical River Ssezibwa. Ssali has lived up to his childhood dream of becoming a world musician. As a child he started music by gathering and beating toys to create instrumentation for the folksongs blended with lullabies. His talent has grown having shared stages with some of the renowned artists and bands. With his passion for children, he runs the campaign HEAL THE PAIN OF AFRICAN CHILD Where he shares 30% from his music performances, workshops, CDs and DVD sales to the needy children under “Heal” The Pain of African Child Foundation in urban areas.

Has toured and performed on various platforms, Ssali follows a chain of African World Music artists recovering folk songs to flamboyant foreign and African fusion feel. He plays various African percussion drums, but well experienced with Achogo (thumb piano), a commonly played musical instrument in the Great Lakes region of Africa. His finely revamped vocal blended together with blistering melodies and catchy experimentation of thumb piano, tube fiddle, variation of African drums backed up by western keyboards, percussion and bass kicks, make Ssali’s performances groovy and vibrantly marking his musical legacy. His music is rooted in his ancestral Ganda culture.

Ba Afrique Sounds

Ba- Afrique it’s a Ugandan world music band formed 2008 by Muserebende Hytham Ssali with a group of multi talented musicians. After all the challenges I went through during 2007/2008 european tour organized by South London African Women Organization (SLAWO) and Uganda Aid Action Fund (UAAF) with the musicians I was forced to form a band to be on the safe side and being more composed therefore I teamed up with multi talented musicians and formed up Ba Afrique Sounds Band with the aim of promoting our culture through music internationally and save the African child. Although Ba Afrique Sounds is a music group it’s heavily inclined to improving the lives of deprived children and families through its campaign Heal the pain of African child in collaboration with other NGOs on different causes, A number of projects aiding orphaned children sick and needy families have been established.

All the band members commit their effort involved in unprivileged children charity activities and other forms of volunteer assistance to heal the pain of African children campaign. The group regularly involve charity shows to raise money for its humanitarian campaign for a better tomorrow.

Ba- Afrique Sounds has performed on 2017 Ziff ( Zanzibar International Film Festival ), Bayimba Music and Arts International Festival, Malahaba Swahili Music Festival, Native Travel Festival, Super Woman Gala, Laba Arts Festival, Pearl Rythm Festival, Mwinda Festival in Toronto Canada organized by Vision Africana 2013, Fete De la Musica organized by Alliance Francaise Kampala.

 

Moses Rallo, a spirit of Karahunji XVI, of the 9th legion.

A sexless mahavator living around the Bahai Temple where he is usually fascinated by drums, fancy cymbals and cosmic sounds. He will be presenting his RED EARTH FRAGMENTS at this year’s festival.

Swahili Blues Explosion 

Swahili Blues Explosion are an East African group dedicated to taking the coastal sound of Swahili blues to new heights, thru the combination of pan-African influences and western jazz-funk. Led by Tanzanian guitar maestro Leo Mkanyia and Ugandan saxophone prodigy Caesar Kajura, this is an East African band set to take the world by storm. 

Leo Mkanyia

Leo is a vibrant young composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer from Dar es Salaam. Leo was born in Dar es Salaam in 1981. Leo began playing the guitar when he was eight years old. His father is an African jazz guitarist who played with the renowned Mlimani Park Orchestra. Leo spent years playing his father’s guitar when he was alone in the house and copying the chords, which he’d seen him play. Music doesn’t pay in Tanzania, and so his father was adamant his son should follow another career. When he found Leo playing a classic Tanzanian song one day, he decided to give his son his wish, and taught him all that he knew. 

Mulatu Astatke, legendary Ethiopian Jazz musician, described Leo’s music as “fantastic” during a Tanzania Ethiopia fusion project that brought Leo to Addis Ababa in 2015 and 2017. Biyi Adepegba, Art Director of Joyful Noise Recordings UK and the London African Music Festival described Leo’s music as “blues which recalls the wonder of the King of African Blues Ali Farka Toure”. Rachel Doyle from the New York Times admired the “mix of Tanzanian drumming with blues melodies and dansi”. Tabu Osusa, Director of Ketebul Music in Nairobi and producer of Leo’s third CD praised Leo’s “multi- instrumentalism and his strong ability to perform and record live”. 

Caesar Kajura

Born in 1989 with Asperger’s syndrome, Caesar hummed little tunes to himself, long before he could talk. After years of struggling to relate to school systems and making friends, one day a music teacher gave Caesar a set of percussion drums for a school performance and set the direction for his life. Despite his difficulties, Caesar’s adult- like behaviour, demeanour and sense of responsibility helped develop the discipline he needed for a career in music. 

When he moved to Zimbabwe in 2008, Tony Vas, a celebrated saxophonist in Harare introduced Caesar to jazz and he adopted the township rhythms of South Africa, evolving them into his unique afrofusion style which he performs in Kampala today. Caesar connects with people best through his music and uses this simple fact to raise awareness on a personal issue: Special Needs and Autism. 

Deno Bass

After learning to play bass at his local church, Deno’s natural gifts led to a top job, performing with Ugandan star Angela Kalule’s K’angie Band. He is passionate about jazz-funk and cites Richard Bonner and Hugh Masekela as his musical ancestors. 

Kalungi Da Drummer

Kalungi comes from a musical family and started playing percussion aged 5. He switched to drums when he was 18 and went on to play with the Undercover Brothers, Qwela Band and with top Ugandan artists like Madoz, Sheebah, Eddie Kenzo and Chameleon. He cites his musical influences as Lucky Dube, Bob Marley and Phil Collins.