Teacher Turns Performer

By Vision ReporterPeter Malinga aka Peter Pata was a teacher at Jinja Karoli Boys School, Maganjo. He clearly loved and enjoyed what he did. But he was also the boys’ choirmaster. He loved conducting the singing youngsters at their school parades and festivals. But music was clearly Malinga’s first love. He was not about to proceed with this conflict of interests. So, as far back as 1996, the 30-something-year-old artist, who is also good at sign writing, packed up his bags and called it quits. He swapped the classroom for club life.Inspired by singers of the time such as Lucky Dube, Maxi Priest and local ragga pioneer (then) Shanks Vivi D, he started performing in several night-clubs around town. He has since done several gigs at Lions Club, Bwaise, Miami, Cave 2000 and Sax Pub. But Malinga’s presentations lacked authenticity. He mimed more than he sang. It bought him a name all right, but did nothing to push him forth as an artist in his own right.Acknowledging the need for his musical growth, the he refocused his energies on developing a sound of his own. It would take money and commitment but time was all the erstwhile teacher had on his hands. With earnings mainly got from his sign writing and a bit of performance here and there, he set out to work on becoming his own star. First, he had to decide what style of music he wanted to represent. He had a lot of inspiration from the South African sounds of the mid eighties. He wanted to fuse that with our own local sounds and a little bit of reggae and come out with a unique sound. Next, he set out composing and writing his own songs. Then, naturally, it was time to think of the studio.“I approached the management of A.K Communications in Lugogo. I was pretty sure of myself. I paid and work got started on my album,” the jovial Malinga narrates.Today, Malinga’s debut album is complete and out. Titled Hard Way, the five-track album comprises songs sang both in Swahili and English. Thanks to Malinga’s rich musical background, he adept enough to do his own production on all the songs. His sound is unmistakably the fusion of South African rhythms and local sounds he set out to create.Ends