Joel Kahirimbanyi, Qwela’s dreamer
Aug 06, 2010
Known to many as the leader of Qwela band, Joe Kahirimbanyi is as interesting as his second name turned out to be.
By Michael Kanaabi
Known to many as the leader of Qwela band, Joe Kahirimbanyi is as interesting as his second name turned out to be.
never mind the fact that I and the person who led me to him, still find difficulties in pronouncing the good ‘K’ name right.
According to Joe, the good name simply means a hyperactive man, full of energy, who never quits.
That could be the reason Qwela has managed to celebrate its second birthday unlike the numerous bands that spring up every so often and fizzle out before we notice them.
Meeting him at the Rise restaurant and bar on the outskirts of Middle East in Bugolobi, I expected a dread- locked guy in shades (despite the fact that the sun had gone down), with some fake bling bling and jeans balancing mid way his backside, but that was not the case.
Dressed in a simple T-Shirt, a pair of sports shorts and casual sandals, Kahirimbanyi would pass for a young man on holiday, his outfit probably saying some thing about his casual approach to life.
Who is Kahirimbanyi?
“I love looking at things in a different perspective and as a result I tend to be agreeable most of the time, avoiding arguing a lot.
On the other hand, though, I tend to be a little complicated and fail to understand my self at times,†he says.
The live band music Qwela and other similar bands do though fascinating, is still confusing to the average Ugandan.
Joe calls it Afro fusion - a mixture of African rhythms with a western touch thanks to the fact that they use western instruments.
On what makes a good musician, Kahirimbanyi believes it is connecting with the people and reaching out to their souls.
Making the audience feel and get absorbed in his music, is what a really good musician is all about.
“You find many musicians with the skill, the papers and all that is required to make good music but they just can’t connect with the audience, which kills them,†Joe says.
His band is made up of eight guys, who are mainly instrumentalists and three ladies who do the vocals.
How come all the girls sing and the guys play instruments I asked.
The answer was simple; it just happened that the girls in the group sing better, while the guys also do the instruments better, Joe answered.
So don’t you guys have issues of the dating within the group and things going sour?
“Definitely not. it is not our policy to mix romance and work and that’s probably one of the reasons why we have come this far,†he answers.
On love and marriage
“I am very single. I have been in relationships before that didn’t work out,†he says. Nonetheless, Joe still loves the ladies and is looking out for some pretty amazing qualities in his perfect lady.
“She should be frank, honest, first and foremost, tolerant and forgiving as well because I can be quite difficult and hard to deal with at times,†Kahirimbanyi says.
Also key is she must be intelligent enough to sustain an interesting and rich conversation (so ladies, better up your game).
He adds that looks are not his key interest in a lady.
He is not the kind who cares so much about the family you come from, what you do or the amount of money you have, as long as the two of you click.
To emphasise this, Joe says a friend once told him he was the kind of guy who could be very happy and have fun with a mere 500 Museveni dollars in his pockets!
Joe confides that he is a dreamer and among his dreams, is seeing Qwela go international and being Uganda’s face of music across the globe.
So he needs a woman who can believe in dreams that big!
Known to many as the leader of Qwela band, Joe Kahirimbanyi is as interesting as his second name turned out to be.
never mind the fact that I and the person who led me to him, still find difficulties in pronouncing the good ‘K’ name right.
According to Joe, the good name simply means a hyperactive man, full of energy, who never quits.
That could be the reason Qwela has managed to celebrate its second birthday unlike the numerous bands that spring up every so often and fizzle out before we notice them.
Meeting him at the Rise restaurant and bar on the outskirts of Middle East in Bugolobi, I expected a dread- locked guy in shades (despite the fact that the sun had gone down), with some fake bling bling and jeans balancing mid way his backside, but that was not the case.
Dressed in a simple T-Shirt, a pair of sports shorts and casual sandals, Kahirimbanyi would pass for a young man on holiday, his outfit probably saying some thing about his casual approach to life.
Who is Kahirimbanyi?
“I love looking at things in a different perspective and as a result I tend to be agreeable most of the time, avoiding arguing a lot.
On the other hand, though, I tend to be a little complicated and fail to understand my self at times,†he says.
The live band music Qwela and other similar bands do though fascinating, is still confusing to the average Ugandan.
Joe calls it Afro fusion - a mixture of African rhythms with a western touch thanks to the fact that they use western instruments.
On what makes a good musician, Kahirimbanyi believes it is connecting with the people and reaching out to their souls.
Making the audience feel and get absorbed in his music, is what a really good musician is all about.
“You find many musicians with the skill, the papers and all that is required to make good music but they just can’t connect with the audience, which kills them,†Joe says.
His band is made up of eight guys, who are mainly instrumentalists and three ladies who do the vocals.
How come all the girls sing and the guys play instruments I asked.
The answer was simple; it just happened that the girls in the group sing better, while the guys also do the instruments better, Joe answered.
So don’t you guys have issues of the dating within the group and things going sour?
“Definitely not. it is not our policy to mix romance and work and that’s probably one of the reasons why we have come this far,†he answers.
On love and marriage
“I am very single. I have been in relationships before that didn’t work out,†he says. Nonetheless, Joe still loves the ladies and is looking out for some pretty amazing qualities in his perfect lady.
“She should be frank, honest, first and foremost, tolerant and forgiving as well because I can be quite difficult and hard to deal with at times,†Kahirimbanyi says.
Also key is she must be intelligent enough to sustain an interesting and rich conversation (so ladies, better up your game).
He adds that looks are not his key interest in a lady.
He is not the kind who cares so much about the family you come from, what you do or the amount of money you have, as long as the two of you click.
To emphasise this, Joe says a friend once told him he was the kind of guy who could be very happy and have fun with a mere 500 Museveni dollars in his pockets!
Joe confides that he is a dreamer and among his dreams, is seeing Qwela go international and being Uganda’s face of music across the globe.
So he needs a woman who can believe in dreams that big!