Blind Karimojong stuns Canada with thumb piano

By Opiyo Oloya in Toronto

As he mounted the staircase onto the stage, Achilla Orru appeared tentative, uncertain, extending his walking cane to discover unseen objects blocking his path.

Once set before a microphone, lukeme thumb piano in hand, Orru is suddenly transformed into a confident performer with the voice of a lark and the dexterity of a frittering dragonfly. He is so fluid on the lukeme that, alone on the stage, he sounds like an ensemble of three musicians playing on three different instruments.

On this occasion, the gala celebration for the fifteenth year of Casey House in Toronto, the audience of high-ranking government officials and business leaders sits in enraptured silence, drinking the beautiful tune emanating from such a small instrument.

Then, as Orru concludes the tune, the house erupts in thunderous ovation, and the first person to jump up clapping is none other than Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bill Graham. If he seems to applaud the longest and the loudest, it is because Mr. Graham counts Orru as one of his closest friends and often invites the Uganda musician to his house. Later in the evening, Mr. Orru and Mr. Graham embrace like long lost friends.

In fact, the popularity of the Ugandan-born musician has spread fast beyond Canada to Europe and the Far East. Last October, Orru was invited to the World Music Exposition (WOMEX) in Germany where he performed to sold-out venues.

According to Orru, the trip was one of the most successful tours he has ever taken with his band, Bana Afrique. The group started the tour with a performance in the town of Leens in the province of Groningen in northwestern Netherlands.

Orru says of the concert, which was held in the town hall: “We never expected such a warm welcome from the inhabitants of Leens-as soon as we began playing everyone who was probably seeing a black person for the first time, jumped up and began dancing.”

The people of Leens were so captivated by the warm music of Bana Afrique that many volunteered to chauffeur the band members for the rest of the tour of the Netherlands, insisting along the way to meet all expenses incurred by band-members.

A few days later, at WOMEX2002 festival in Germany, Orru found himself surrounded by world media eager to interview him. His performance was standing room only and officials twice chose the album Te-kwaro as Album of the Week. Indeed, Radio France International pursued him to Toronto to get his interview.

Two days after returning to Toronto from the triumphant appearance at WOMEX, Orru and his band boarded the plane for Osaka, Japan, their final destination, the port city of Okoyama, Japan. In Japan, Orru’s lukeme music caused near riot, many patrons mobbing Orru for autograph.

“Things were so chaotic that organisers decided that I will sign a big autograph to be copied for every fans who wanted it,” Achilla said. To honour the Uganda musician, the city of Okoyama declared an annual festival called appropriately Te-kwaro (cultural roots in Luo). Orru will return to Okoyama in November this year, to open the second annual Tekwaro Festival before embarking on a Japan wide tour.

Achilla attributes his success to discipline and the never-ending search for the holy grail of lukeme sound — the point when the music causes spontaneous response in the listener. Where other musicians are content with merely being able to make good music, Achilla looks at music making as a challenge to discover new nuances in the instrument.

His adaptive and innovative approach, which allows the lukeme to hit note often associated with the guitar, has stood him in contrast to lukeme sound by such noted performers as Geoffrey Oryema and Stella Chiweshe of Zimbabwe. In Orru’s hands, the sound of the lukeme is clearly articulated to produce the intoxicating melody.

Of course, it helps that Orru is well spoken, often able to communicate clearly on most topics ranging from music to issues of international development. In fact, most people are often taken aback by Orru graphic description of colours even though he is completely blind. His knowledge of people allows Orru to strike conversation with a perfect stranger, yet make him or her feel completely at ease.

Orru was born in Enthurr also known as Nyakwai and Labwor in Karamoja. However, he feels that his success on the international arena can only be crowned when he is able to return to Uganda to perform alongside Uganda artists, especially at the National Theatre.

“You know, however good you are as a musician, you need your people behind you all the way,” he says philosophically. “My living dream is to return to Uganda soon to perform for Ugandans who, as you know, really encouraged me to pursue this music as a legitimate profession.”

As if to underscore the point, Orru triumphantly pulls out a brand new lukeme still wrapped in shipping material. “I got this by FEDEX from the elders of the Ethurr, and trust me I am going to work on it until it is transformed in a visually stunning instrument decorated with multi-coloured beads. Then, of course, there will be the glittering sound the instrument will produce — it will be unbelievable, just wait and see,” he says.

Then, just as loving, Orru covers the lukeme with a woollen jacket, which he says allows the instrument to retain its vibrancy.

As springs draws near, Orru is already preparing his band Bana Afrique for many concerts in Canada, the United States, South Africa, and Europe. In fact, he played to a sold-out show at the Royal Ontario Museum two weeks ago, dazzling the mostly middle-class white Canadian audience, with exceptional virtuoso on the lukeme.

In the meantime, he spends most of his waking hours in the studio working on his third albums — his two previous Apaa Idomo and Tekwaro sold well in the Canadian market. According to Orru, the new album will be a work of wonder to behold.

Orru hopes to premier the album tentatively titled Do Mach, the flame, in Kampala. “I am willing to work with a Kampala co-sponsor to play different venues in Kampala and up-country. Whoever is interested and able should contact me by e-mail at info@achillaorru.com.”