Namale bounces back

By Elvis Basudde It was an exciting trip down memory lane when veteran Hadija Namale Kiryango, 53, bounced back on stage last weekend and gave her long time fans a thrilling performance. To many, Namale’s come back was a surprise because when she left the entertainment world about two decades ago to concentrate on business as a fish monger, her fans and colleagues thought she would never go back to music. Namale, born in 1948 in Buwama, has been singing for 33 years. Before venturing into music, she was a barmaid at Suzana Night Club in 1968. After her debut public performance in 1969, Namale’s fame spread across the ridges, and she was soon receiving invitations to perform at almost all social gatherings around Kampala. Her maiden release, Bossa, fared quite well on the local market and throughout East Africa. “No one knew that I could sing or play a guitar. I had got married at the age of 14 and started working as a waitress with no idea of becoming a musician,” she reminisces. “I only wanted to be heard on the radio,” she says of her youthful ambition. She went on to record other compositions like Mwagala and Ngulojja. Namale boasts of 17 single records. Zoozo became a great success and hit the 100,000 sales margin, a feat that remains unachievable for many musicians. She repeated the magic again with the release of Mukulike omwaka and Ekyama kyokufa, which became chart-busters. Namale, however, often bounces back on stage as a guest performer with other musicians during concerts and festivals. At recent concerts held at Nakivubo Stadium, she emerged as the people’s favourite. Dressed in a flashy gomesi, the bulky singer crooned the love songs that made the mature audience dance with a far-away look in their eyes. Namale is set to release a cassette where she has redone her old hits. Ends