Paul Kafeero’s widow speaks out about family intrigue
Sep 03, 2008
<b>Omwana w’omuzungu recently came to Uganda to establish the Kafeero Foundation</b><br><br>In 1998, at a concert in Nakivubo, the late kadongo kamu maestro Paul Kafeero introduced a white lady to his fans. “This is the Omwana W’omuzungu I sing about. She is my wife.†Elvis Basudde tells u
Omwana w’omuzungu recently came to Uganda to establish the Kafeero Foundation
In 1998, at a concert in Nakivubo, the late kadongo kamu maestro Paul Kafeero introduced a white lady to his fans. “This is the Omwana W’omuzungu I sing about. She is my wife.†Elvis Basudde tells us about the woman who says Kafeero was a special human being with magical qualities.
When Dr. Kathryn Barett-Gaines, an American, came to Uganda in 1996 to do research for her PhD, she did not know she would fall in love with a Ugandan musician.
The plainspoken and warm American became known as Omwana w’omuzungu (child of a white person), after Kafeero’s song praising a white woman and describing his love for her.
Barett-Gaines, a professor of history and director of African and African American Studies at the University of Maryland, says getting married to Kafeero was a miracle.
Before she met him, she had never heard of him and had nothing to do with music. Barett-Gaines, who had completed her research in Uganda, had only two months of her stay left when two ladies approached her about performing with Kafeero.
Before involving Barett-Gaines, Kafeero performed the song with a light-skinned Ugandan woman who used to wear a wig to look like a mzungu, but she could not fool the audiences.
“Fans started demanding a real mzungu. The two ladies had convinced a Briton to perform with Kafeero and she was due to perform at a major competitive show between Fred Ssebatta and Kafeero at Nakivubo,†Barett-Gaines said.
But on the day of the show, the British lady had to fly home to attend her grandmother’s funeral. In a panic, the ladies drove around looking for a replacement and found Barett-Gaines having lunch in a restaurant.
They convinced her, drove her to Nakivubo and gave her a few sentences in Luganda. Fortunately, Barett-Gaines was already learning the language. She had also been an actress and a small-time singer in America. So, she dressed up in a busuuti and stormed the stage.
“No sooner had I stepped on the stage than the audience exploded like a bomb. The screaming, the noise and applause was incredible.â€
Barett-Gaines met Kafeero for the first time that day and she was asked to perform at other shows.
“I just fell in love with Kafeero,†she states.
Barett-Gaines says Kafeero was a God-given husband, a special human being with a magical personality, which was animated, romantic and adorable. She adds that he was a national treasure and the finest composer and entertainer Uganda has ever had.
She did not want to reveal whether they had a church or a traditional wedding. “Do you doubt me? Or would you like me to bring you a document to prove my point?†she asks, a little annoyed. “I was recognised as one of his wives by his family. He even introduced me to his father and his children know me as their step-mother.â€
The two lived in Kajjansi on Entebbe Road.
It is now a year after Kafeero’s death and Barett-Gaines says she is displeased with what is going on in his family. “I know what Kafeero wanted and I know he does not like what is happening now.â€
She says they often talked about Kafeero’s death. She says when they finished building their house in Kajjansi, Kafeero looked at her and said when he died, she would be left with many responsibilities.
Barett-Gaines also vividly recalls the last conversation she had with him as he was driving her to the airport in January 2007, before he died later in June.
He told her: “I am your husband. I think you will come to my funeral or I will come to yours. We will be together until the end and there will never be a time when we will disappear from each.â€
She says she had a choice to go back to the US and forget about Uganda, Kafeero, his music and his children. “But I could never do such a thing because it would show selfishness. Kafeero’s spirit would haunt me forever, because I loved him purely.â€
Barett-Gaines says after Kafeero’s death the family had a meeting where they elected a committee to take care of his property. She was elected with two other members as the leaders of the committee. However, she regrets that none of the members has done anything to help the family.
“For one year, I have waited and watched quietly to see if Kafeero’s family would honour his wishes. Instead, I have witnessed quarrelling, fighting and his children not attending school. His grave is unfinished, his studio locked and his last album not released. His house is also deteriorating and people are taking over his property,†Barett-Gaines laments.
So, she recently came to Uganda to establish a charity, the Kafeero Foundation Limited.
Barett-Gaines is also writing two books dedicated to the fallen musician. One of the books comprises lyrics of Kafeero’s songs in Luganda and English and the other one is his biography. Profits from the books will go to the foundation.
“Another problem is that Kafeero’s father had disowned him. Kafeero left a will, but it is being ignored and challenged by his father. My idea is that the foundation promotes and protects it,†Barett-Gaines explains.
She says Kafeero named his first-born son, Simon Peter Kafeero, the heir, but his father does not want to respect that. “He wants to take everything. He has already taken over Kafeero’s house in Masaba and his musical group, the Kulabako Guitar Singers.â€
Background
Barett-Gaines was born in Washington DC, where she attended elementary and high school. She then proceeded to Fordham University in New York city for a bachelor’s degree. She did a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a doctorate in history.
The Kafeero Foundation
Barett-Gaines says when Kafeero died, people said many nice things about him and even promised to pay for the construction of his grave. Some even went abroad asking for money, but nothing has been done.
The objective of the foundation, whose offices are the house Barett-Gaines shared with Kafeero in Kajjansi, is to preserve Kafeero’s legacy.
So far, the foundation has raised more than sh2m. The foundation also received a donation of five acres of land in Kyamulinga village in Mubende, where the benefactor wants them to set up a secondary school in memory of Kafeero.
However, they still need more money to build the grave and complete some of Kafeero’s projects. Barett-Gaines encourages Kafeero’s fans and musicians to contribute to the foundation. Donations can be made through Stanbic Bank at Garden City on account number 0140543276601.
She also plans to work with Dr. Sylvia Nanyonga-Tamusuza of the department of music, dance and drama at Makerere University on issues about Kafeero’s life and music.
------------------------------------------
OBJECTIVES OF THE FOUNDATION
-------------------------------------------
- To preserve Kafeero’s legacy and to continue with his work and goals
- l To educate his children
- To maintain and improve his property, including his gravesite and other memorials to him
- To promote knowledge of Uganda’s musical history and innovation
- To promote and protect the image of Kafeero in Uganda and abroad
- To promote Kafeero’s wishes concerning his minor children and his property
In 1998, at a concert in Nakivubo, the late kadongo kamu maestro Paul Kafeero introduced a white lady to his fans. “This is the Omwana W’omuzungu I sing about. She is my wife.†Elvis Basudde tells us about the woman who says Kafeero was a special human being with magical qualities.
When Dr. Kathryn Barett-Gaines, an American, came to Uganda in 1996 to do research for her PhD, she did not know she would fall in love with a Ugandan musician.
The plainspoken and warm American became known as Omwana w’omuzungu (child of a white person), after Kafeero’s song praising a white woman and describing his love for her.
Barett-Gaines, a professor of history and director of African and African American Studies at the University of Maryland, says getting married to Kafeero was a miracle.
Before she met him, she had never heard of him and had nothing to do with music. Barett-Gaines, who had completed her research in Uganda, had only two months of her stay left when two ladies approached her about performing with Kafeero.
Before involving Barett-Gaines, Kafeero performed the song with a light-skinned Ugandan woman who used to wear a wig to look like a mzungu, but she could not fool the audiences.
“Fans started demanding a real mzungu. The two ladies had convinced a Briton to perform with Kafeero and she was due to perform at a major competitive show between Fred Ssebatta and Kafeero at Nakivubo,†Barett-Gaines said.
But on the day of the show, the British lady had to fly home to attend her grandmother’s funeral. In a panic, the ladies drove around looking for a replacement and found Barett-Gaines having lunch in a restaurant.
They convinced her, drove her to Nakivubo and gave her a few sentences in Luganda. Fortunately, Barett-Gaines was already learning the language. She had also been an actress and a small-time singer in America. So, she dressed up in a busuuti and stormed the stage.
“No sooner had I stepped on the stage than the audience exploded like a bomb. The screaming, the noise and applause was incredible.â€
Barett-Gaines met Kafeero for the first time that day and she was asked to perform at other shows.
“I just fell in love with Kafeero,†she states.
Barett-Gaines says Kafeero was a God-given husband, a special human being with a magical personality, which was animated, romantic and adorable. She adds that he was a national treasure and the finest composer and entertainer Uganda has ever had.
She did not want to reveal whether they had a church or a traditional wedding. “Do you doubt me? Or would you like me to bring you a document to prove my point?†she asks, a little annoyed. “I was recognised as one of his wives by his family. He even introduced me to his father and his children know me as their step-mother.â€
The two lived in Kajjansi on Entebbe Road.
It is now a year after Kafeero’s death and Barett-Gaines says she is displeased with what is going on in his family. “I know what Kafeero wanted and I know he does not like what is happening now.â€
She says they often talked about Kafeero’s death. She says when they finished building their house in Kajjansi, Kafeero looked at her and said when he died, she would be left with many responsibilities.
Barett-Gaines also vividly recalls the last conversation she had with him as he was driving her to the airport in January 2007, before he died later in June.
He told her: “I am your husband. I think you will come to my funeral or I will come to yours. We will be together until the end and there will never be a time when we will disappear from each.â€
She says she had a choice to go back to the US and forget about Uganda, Kafeero, his music and his children. “But I could never do such a thing because it would show selfishness. Kafeero’s spirit would haunt me forever, because I loved him purely.â€
Barett-Gaines says after Kafeero’s death the family had a meeting where they elected a committee to take care of his property. She was elected with two other members as the leaders of the committee. However, she regrets that none of the members has done anything to help the family.
“For one year, I have waited and watched quietly to see if Kafeero’s family would honour his wishes. Instead, I have witnessed quarrelling, fighting and his children not attending school. His grave is unfinished, his studio locked and his last album not released. His house is also deteriorating and people are taking over his property,†Barett-Gaines laments.
So, she recently came to Uganda to establish a charity, the Kafeero Foundation Limited.
Barett-Gaines is also writing two books dedicated to the fallen musician. One of the books comprises lyrics of Kafeero’s songs in Luganda and English and the other one is his biography. Profits from the books will go to the foundation.
“Another problem is that Kafeero’s father had disowned him. Kafeero left a will, but it is being ignored and challenged by his father. My idea is that the foundation promotes and protects it,†Barett-Gaines explains.
She says Kafeero named his first-born son, Simon Peter Kafeero, the heir, but his father does not want to respect that. “He wants to take everything. He has already taken over Kafeero’s house in Masaba and his musical group, the Kulabako Guitar Singers.â€
Background
Barett-Gaines was born in Washington DC, where she attended elementary and high school. She then proceeded to Fordham University in New York city for a bachelor’s degree. She did a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a doctorate in history.
The Kafeero Foundation
Barett-Gaines says when Kafeero died, people said many nice things about him and even promised to pay for the construction of his grave. Some even went abroad asking for money, but nothing has been done.
The objective of the foundation, whose offices are the house Barett-Gaines shared with Kafeero in Kajjansi, is to preserve Kafeero’s legacy.
So far, the foundation has raised more than sh2m. The foundation also received a donation of five acres of land in Kyamulinga village in Mubende, where the benefactor wants them to set up a secondary school in memory of Kafeero.
However, they still need more money to build the grave and complete some of Kafeero’s projects. Barett-Gaines encourages Kafeero’s fans and musicians to contribute to the foundation. Donations can be made through Stanbic Bank at Garden City on account number 0140543276601.
She also plans to work with Dr. Sylvia Nanyonga-Tamusuza of the department of music, dance and drama at Makerere University on issues about Kafeero’s life and music.
------------------------------------------
OBJECTIVES OF THE FOUNDATION
-------------------------------------------
- To preserve Kafeero’s legacy and to continue with his work and goals
- l To educate his children
- To maintain and improve his property, including his gravesite and other memorials to him
- To promote knowledge of Uganda’s musical history and innovation
- To promote and protect the image of Kafeero in Uganda and abroad
- To promote Kafeero’s wishes concerning his minor children and his property