Flower Power Invades Kajjansi
Nov 10, 2002
SISSA, off Kajjansi on the Entebbe Road, is normally known as a shooting club.
By Timothy Bukumunhe
The Sissa music revival night brought back the hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s
SISSA, off Kajjansi on the Entebbe Road, is normally known as a shooting club. But however, last weekend and over two days, it transformed itself into a venue for a ‘Woodstock Festival.’ In this revivals weekend, where 60s, 70s and 80s music rocked and ‘flower power’ flourished. The pattern of this particular festival was to follow the UK version: Beer, food, music and women, but with a number of omissions - no drugs, no open sex and not topless beauties making a ‘nuisance’ of themselves dancing to the Jimi Hendriks song Purple Haze.
In keeping with the Woodstock spirit, the heavens opened up as Sanyu FM presenter, Banji, blared out classic tunes from The Beatles, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Diana Ross and the Supremes.
From the start it was obvious that much of the crowd would be made up by the expat community, but an encouraging number of Ugandans did turn up. However, as soon as they landed, they went out of their way to keep to themselves and watched the proceedings from peripheral positions, save for a few like Capital FMs Christine Mawadri and MCL Mcann’s Jimmy Begeire.
But it was Abbey Kassam who stole the show, doing an excellent job of the microphone as he kept the party together. At one point he graced on the dance floor with his wife before moving onto a less than enthusiastic Capital FM presenter, Christine Mawadri.
As the music blared, the chef was busy tending to the whole goat, lamb and pig gently roasting away. He did a good job too, for no sooner had they shouted out that dinner was served than were people in a mad rush to queue up.
After dinner it was down to three things— beer, dancing and trying to keep awake. And as the beers took their toll, one by one, small groups of ladies began to vanish into the night, down to their tents, which they had struggled to put up earlier. Others like ACDI/VOCA’s Bernie Runnebaum and his wife, Satyan Dave and Kevin Fryatt-Bamforth, Mawadri, Jimmy Bemba and fiancée Enid Bitarabeho, Nari Patel and Sheli Smith huddled at the bar, fighting off mosquitoes and trying to keep warm. I couldn’t take the pace. By 11:00pm, I sneaked off and crashed out in the car, only to be dragged back hours later by a ‘worried search party.’
Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, probably round about 4:00am, Banji began to crack which ought to have signalled the end of the night’s affairs. But people were not done yet. A home tape deck was quickly set up and the dancing and beer drinking continued for another few hours.
As dawn broke, some of the females— perhaps frightened they might have to endure another dancing session— sneaked off back to Kampala without even waiting for breakfast! The rest one by one crawled out of their little nooks or wherever it is that they slept. Some slept in their cars, battling it out with the mosquitoes; others by the bar, too far gone to make it to their tents.
The morning offered a bright new dawn. After a full English breakfast, the party carried on, the music this time not blaring out as loud as it did the previous night. And over the course of the afternoon, one by one the revellers packed up their kits and headed back home— no doubt for a good snooze.Ends
The Sissa music revival night brought back the hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s
SISSA, off Kajjansi on the Entebbe Road, is normally known as a shooting club. But however, last weekend and over two days, it transformed itself into a venue for a ‘Woodstock Festival.’ In this revivals weekend, where 60s, 70s and 80s music rocked and ‘flower power’ flourished. The pattern of this particular festival was to follow the UK version: Beer, food, music and women, but with a number of omissions - no drugs, no open sex and not topless beauties making a ‘nuisance’ of themselves dancing to the Jimi Hendriks song Purple Haze.
In keeping with the Woodstock spirit, the heavens opened up as Sanyu FM presenter, Banji, blared out classic tunes from The Beatles, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Diana Ross and the Supremes.
From the start it was obvious that much of the crowd would be made up by the expat community, but an encouraging number of Ugandans did turn up. However, as soon as they landed, they went out of their way to keep to themselves and watched the proceedings from peripheral positions, save for a few like Capital FMs Christine Mawadri and MCL Mcann’s Jimmy Begeire.
But it was Abbey Kassam who stole the show, doing an excellent job of the microphone as he kept the party together. At one point he graced on the dance floor with his wife before moving onto a less than enthusiastic Capital FM presenter, Christine Mawadri.
As the music blared, the chef was busy tending to the whole goat, lamb and pig gently roasting away. He did a good job too, for no sooner had they shouted out that dinner was served than were people in a mad rush to queue up.
After dinner it was down to three things— beer, dancing and trying to keep awake. And as the beers took their toll, one by one, small groups of ladies began to vanish into the night, down to their tents, which they had struggled to put up earlier. Others like ACDI/VOCA’s Bernie Runnebaum and his wife, Satyan Dave and Kevin Fryatt-Bamforth, Mawadri, Jimmy Bemba and fiancée Enid Bitarabeho, Nari Patel and Sheli Smith huddled at the bar, fighting off mosquitoes and trying to keep warm. I couldn’t take the pace. By 11:00pm, I sneaked off and crashed out in the car, only to be dragged back hours later by a ‘worried search party.’
Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, probably round about 4:00am, Banji began to crack which ought to have signalled the end of the night’s affairs. But people were not done yet. A home tape deck was quickly set up and the dancing and beer drinking continued for another few hours.
As dawn broke, some of the females— perhaps frightened they might have to endure another dancing session— sneaked off back to Kampala without even waiting for breakfast! The rest one by one crawled out of their little nooks or wherever it is that they slept. Some slept in their cars, battling it out with the mosquitoes; others by the bar, too far gone to make it to their tents.
The morning offered a bright new dawn. After a full English breakfast, the party carried on, the music this time not blaring out as loud as it did the previous night. And over the course of the afternoon, one by one the revellers packed up their kits and headed back home— no doubt for a good snooze.Ends