The Busoga Children’s Orchestra had a well of experience at their first performance outside their area of stay. Assembled recently, the group from Busesa in eastern Uganda was last week in Mbarara, western Uganda, at the 98th District Conference of Rotary clubs from Uganda and beyond.
The performance held at Las Vegas Garden Hotel on Thursday was not just like any performance but an experience worth all the praise given that the lads were doing it for the very first time in their lives. Indeed, they pulled it off! However, they were disappointed as the officials cancelled the two final dance sessions to climax their performances due to Rotary regulations.
Organizers rightly though painfully pointed out that Rotary regulations bar children from performing at evening events past 8p.m. Kenneth Kaziba who is behind the forty-one kids’ group, his assistant Dennis Kisakye alongside the trainers and the children themselves looked on in disbelief on receiving the sad news.
Instead in consolation, they were encouraged to look forward to bigger future opportunities given the success of their performance. The youthful group had performed beyond expectations before a big audience, on a big stage, and on their very first outing. One could understand their plight given the time they put in preparation and their due diligence in showing up early at the event. The event started about two hours late.
Guests arrived in a cool and serene environment, set well and befitting for the event. The event was the first outside Kampala and Entebbe regions as mentioned by different Rotarians. Rotary District 9213 and 9214 as well as Rotaract Districts 9213 and 9214 were behind the event whose theme was about celebrating our communities. “Every year, Rotarians and Rotaracts gather to network and reminisce on projects done and others that need to be done,” said one of the speakers.
The Busoga Children’s Orchestra mesmerized the guests, especially those knowledgeable of the music played, that is, instrumental cover versions of several local and international popular songs. You would tell from the body movements of the seated guests and the clapping that followed every performance that the kids had indeed played well and beyond expectations given their ages.
Seeing kids under 10 years of age playing instruments almost bigger than them in size and doing it well is something to write home about.
Fourteen nations attended the two-day conference. These included Uganda the host, alongside Canada, India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, USA, UK, Austria, Australia, Tanzania, and Zambia, among others. The event drew about two thousand local and international attendees. The children’s orchestra was part of the entertainment groups that officially opened the event.
And opening it officially they did in that they performed the Uganda national anthem, East African Community anthem, and the Rotary orchestra song. The group performed the anthems on traditional instruments with assistance from a saxophonist for two anthems.
Geoffrey Kitakule, a co-chairperson of the District Conference explained why they were celebrating communities in Mbarara. He noted that inviting guests to such events is easy but having them in attendance and in big numbers is quite something else to celebrate.
“You should celebrate well as a community especially since we Africans are good at celebrations,” Kitakule noted. He also praised the children’s group for the entertaining performance they gave that evening.
The group will also perform at two family shows coming up in Jinja and Kampala, respectively. The dates have not been disclosed. Seeing that the holidays have started for the school-going pupils and students, there will be plenty of time for rest and preparation.
Kaziba, the music director says they will also record an album this year. There is surely plenty in store for the children who wowed the Rotarians with their modern and local instruments including among others, a long drum, Adungu, xylophones, fiddles, modern drums, and a keyboard.
Roke Telkom, Centenary Bank, Uganda Breweries and Uganda Wildlife Authority sponsored the 98th Rotary District Conference in Mbarara.
