Nkwanzi performers treat fans to a melange of music

By Pidson Kareire It is music with effect. The blue water of a swimming pool at poolside bar, Grand Imperial Hotel, is quietly blown by the cool breeze while fans flock in with inquisitive eyes. Whatever is here is cultural, ranging from food, dressing and, of course, music. The Nkwanzi performers, an upcoming cultural group, are on the floor displaying their lyrics and gigs. The group’s passionate rhythm cuts through the cool environs, making fans change position in their seats to have a better view. The audience begin asking, “where have you been hiding?” It is a cultural gala. The place is decorated with beautiful animal skins, African craft and fresh banana plants. “It happens every Friday and Sunday evenings,” Kayovu, one of the organisers tells the audience. Kanyovu dramatised and explained the meaning of all the songs the group sang in various dialects. The environment was lively. Kids enjoyed pool water and music, too. Young Nkwanzi girls swayed their bodies gracefully as fans watched without blinking, almost forgetting their drinks. “Soon the management will be forced to recruit more waiters and waitresses,” a fan next to me noted, seeing a number of people flocking in, having been attracted by the cultural rhythm. “They are so good, but where have they been hiding?” another fan asked. Music became very sweet. Fans felt like joining the dancers on the floor, you could tell from the positions they took up to, when the heat of cultural shock stung them. The fans were taken to another world. It is when the music stopped that the fans realised they were at Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala watching a cultural group. ends