Nandujja’s daughter finds own identity in Stockholm
DOUGLAS D. BUGINGO
Sweden - based Ugandan singer Sylvia Namutebi is a chip off the old block. She is causing ripples with her music - a craft passed on from her mother traditional musician Annet Nandujja.
“I am grateful to my mother for many things. The old lady struggled to give me an education. But what I treasure most is the gift of song that she passed on to me,” says Namutebi with a light-hearted laugh.
Like many other ladies, Namutebi doesn’t freely mention her age, but she is the youngest daughter of Nandujja, a traditional dancer, talented actress, a percussionist and a dance trainer. Her only sibling and elder sister is a teacher back in Uganda.
Namutebi lives in Stockholm where she went in 2004. She works at a Rehabilitation and music is still a hobby, though it might soon become her main source of income. Her music is well received among the Ugandan community in Sweden and every time she performs, she sends them crazy with her infectious voice. Ugandans in Sweden equate her to Juliana, Iryn Namubiru, Mariam Ndagire and Desire Luzinda.
Creating her own identity
Her music is urban contemporary as opposed to her mother’s traditional folk pop style. Her debut album Nguo Ya Africa is Swahili for Africa’s Attire. In the title track, Namutebi preaches unity for all Africans in the diaspora since they all share the same skin colour.
Other tracks on the album are; Kyayalude, (hatched), where Namutebi says she has been musically born. Omwana is a very sad song that depicts the pitiful life of street kids. Namutebi’s message in this song is that even street kids should have rights just like any other children who come from able families.
On Nyongera Ku love, she pleads with her husband to love and care for her the same way he used to when they had just met. On Tekaba Kalulu she sends a message that there shouldn’t be gambling in love, while Omukwano Gunyuma, describes the joy of true love.
Ugandan hasn’t been exposed to her music yet, but Namutebi says she is coming in December to launch her album. She says she would be recording more songs but has no sponsors to pay for the recordings and filming of the videos, whose costs are prohibitive in Stockholm.
She filmed the Omwana and Nguo Ya Africa videos in Uganda and the rest were done in Sweden.
Raised musically
Namutebi not only sings, but also plays most traditional instruments. “I grew up seeing nothing but musical instruments and dance costumes in my mother’s home. She reared me to be a performer,” she reminisces.
“I wrote my first song when I was eight years old and my first audience was my mother. She listened to the song and said it was superb. By the age of nine, I had already had exposure to a variety of musical instruments and I was wooing audiences with my mother.”
This early exposure gave her a taste of the adoration that musicians receive, making her fall in love with the performing arts. She started composing her own music, which was even used in the schools she went to.
She started singing at a tender age when she was still a pupil at Nakivubo Settlement Primary School. She joined The Planets (her mother’s group) when she was in S.I.
Just like her mother who is well known for Nankassa (traditional dance), Namutebi’s trademark in Sweden is performing traditional dances. “I became famous here because I used to perform the kiganda dance at parties and concerts. That is how a big number of people knew me here. They however, got surprised when I revealed my other side - singing.”
“They could not believe it because my kind of music is very different from my mother’s, and it is not just music, it is a contemporary mix of traditional and western styles.”
Since her first appearance on stage in 2005 when she sang for the Ugandan audience during Independence Day celebrations in Stockholm, Namutebi has since been sharing the stage with names like Madox Ssematimba, Iryn Namubiru, Henry Katamba and Dennis Rackla.
She has also performed in Netherlands, Germany, US and London where she sang at the Uganda Achievement Awards recently. She is not yet married, but she has a fiancé who is based in Uganda and they are soon formalising their relationship.
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