Rhythm and Life from the Qwela Band
Aug 20, 2010
Joe Kahirimbanyi is the leader of the Qwela Band, an 11-member band that has been around for about five years now. They do Afro fusion and have weekly gigs at Barbeque Lounge at Centenary Park, Katch the Sun in Bugolobi and Emin Pasha in Kololo. <b>DOMINIC MUWANGUZI</b> met Kahirimbanyi at Hotel Af
Joe Kahirimbanyi is the leader of the Qwela Band, an 11-member band that has been around for about five years now. They do Afro fusion and have weekly gigs at Barbeque Lounge at Centenary Park, Katch the Sun in Bugolobi and Emin Pasha in Kololo. DOMINIC MUWANGUZI met Kahirimbanyi at Hotel Africana and they talked about the band and its up-coming Rhythm & Life Concert.
Question: Why do you do Afro-fusion and not any other type of music?
Answer: When we were starting out, we decided to do what we were comfortable with. I personally grew up listening to traditional music in Kabale my home town. We would have these local acts performing ekitaguriro both at school and at home. Later on, I got exposed to western types of music like Country music, RnB and the Hip-Hop. Because I wanted to preserve these two backgrounds, I opted for Afro-fusion, which incidentally is a blend of western music and traditional music.
Question: And the name Qwela, What does it mean?
Answer: Qwela has diverse meanings. First, the name sounds musical and in western Uganda the word means, ‘to be bright or holy; actually it is pronounced as “Kwera†in Rukiga.
In South Africa, there is a township vibe called ‘Qwela’, which is played by a flute.
Question: You started out as a gospel outfit and now you do secular music. Why did you change?
Answer: I really don’t think we changed at all. Qwela music has always been about passing on a positive message. In our music, we still sing about themes like love, happiness, victory and poverty which are Christian-oriented.
However, we are not blatantly crusaders. Our objective is to sing music which is palpable to wider audiences.
Question: That sounds interesting. Is this the only difference you have with other bands?
Answer: I think our real difference from other bands is that we embrace the concept of unity. Qwela as a band is one unit. Whatever song we have has been put together by all of us. Every member of the band is involved in the creative process of the music at one level or the other.
Question:Are you guys musicians per se or do you have other careers?
Answer: I personally cannot afford another career right now. I am too involved with other activities of the band. However, Anita Asiimwe is an architect and Sam Bisaso is a producer.
Question:What challenges do you face?
Answer:I would not call them challenges because they have got us where we are today. However, the music industry is a unique business it is temperamental-based.
On a rainy day, you will not get any audience and if you have a relative who knows you own a band, the will want you to perform for free at their wedding. It is never easy to deal with such situations.
Question: Say something about your Rhythm and Life Concert, this evening at Serena.
Answer: It is going to be a live performance as expected. There is an African Ensemble which we are going to feature and they will do ethnic undertone music. Other performances will be from Maurice Kirya, Michael Ouma and Benon Mugumbya. We have also “married†Multimedia and Visual effects on stage. All this is going to conspire into a fabulous concert.
Question: Why do you do Afro-fusion and not any other type of music?
Answer: When we were starting out, we decided to do what we were comfortable with. I personally grew up listening to traditional music in Kabale my home town. We would have these local acts performing ekitaguriro both at school and at home. Later on, I got exposed to western types of music like Country music, RnB and the Hip-Hop. Because I wanted to preserve these two backgrounds, I opted for Afro-fusion, which incidentally is a blend of western music and traditional music.
Question: And the name Qwela, What does it mean?
Answer: Qwela has diverse meanings. First, the name sounds musical and in western Uganda the word means, ‘to be bright or holy; actually it is pronounced as “Kwera†in Rukiga.
In South Africa, there is a township vibe called ‘Qwela’, which is played by a flute.
Question: You started out as a gospel outfit and now you do secular music. Why did you change?
Answer: I really don’t think we changed at all. Qwela music has always been about passing on a positive message. In our music, we still sing about themes like love, happiness, victory and poverty which are Christian-oriented.
However, we are not blatantly crusaders. Our objective is to sing music which is palpable to wider audiences.
Question: That sounds interesting. Is this the only difference you have with other bands?
Answer: I think our real difference from other bands is that we embrace the concept of unity. Qwela as a band is one unit. Whatever song we have has been put together by all of us. Every member of the band is involved in the creative process of the music at one level or the other.
Question:Are you guys musicians per se or do you have other careers?
Answer: I personally cannot afford another career right now. I am too involved with other activities of the band. However, Anita Asiimwe is an architect and Sam Bisaso is a producer.
Question:What challenges do you face?
Answer:I would not call them challenges because they have got us where we are today. However, the music industry is a unique business it is temperamental-based.
On a rainy day, you will not get any audience and if you have a relative who knows you own a band, the will want you to perform for free at their wedding. It is never easy to deal with such situations.
Question: Say something about your Rhythm and Life Concert, this evening at Serena.
Answer: It is going to be a live performance as expected. There is an African Ensemble which we are going to feature and they will do ethnic undertone music. Other performances will be from Maurice Kirya, Michael Ouma and Benon Mugumbya. We have also “married†Multimedia and Visual effects on stage. All this is going to conspire into a fabulous concert.