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Orchestra on Green: Dealing with waste crisis through music
Maurice Kirya
What you need to know:
The golf course is the largest green space in Kampala. However, beneath it, lies
a sewer line that transports sewage, garbage and other forms of waste from
Makerere University, Wandegeya Trading Centre, Mulago Hill, Mawanda Road in
Kamwokya and Kololo to Bugolobi sewage treatment facility
On Tuesday this week, President Museveni announced he had dismissed Kampala Capital City Authority’s executive director, Dorothy Kisaka, over the Kiteezi landfill disaster.
On the other side of town, at the Kampala Golf Club, Capt Charles Rukundo was addressing the media about creating awareness on Kampala’s waste crisis, one that could lead to yet another Kiteezi-like disaster in the capital. The golf club creates awareness, promotes sustainable biodiversity and supports local people to understand the role of the Kampala Golf Course in ensuring a healthier city.
To kick-start the drive, Uganda Golf Course will host the Orchestra in the City, a second edition of the House of Jazz after the debut at Latitude 0 last year. This edition, however, will be hosted at the golf course’s 11th hole, under the stars and on the green.
The golf course is the largest green space in Kampala. However, beneath it, lies a sewer line that transports sewage, garbage and other forms of waste from Makerere University, Wandegeya Trading Centre, Mulago Hill, Mawanda Road in Kamwokya, and Kololo on Acacia Avenue to the Bugolobi sewage treatment facility.
The sewer line has, however, been abused by locals, who throw everything they can into it, including dead bodies, when they have an opportunity to. Without immediate intervention, the sewer line below the golf course could become another Kiteezi waiting to happen.
The concert, which will feature the Kampala Jazz Orchestra alongside Maurice Kirya, is meant to highlight this. It is the reason the show is taking place on the green to highlight the importance of the golf course to Kampala’s environmental eco system and the city dwellers, even if they don’t play the game.
The first edition of House of Jazz at Latitude 0 featured Sauti Sol’s frontman Bien Aime Arusa performing some of his known songs and many from his former band. The plan initially was to have the artiste collaborate with the orchestra, but that did not happen.
Bein performed with his band and the orchestra performed classicals too, themselves. For this year’s edition, Maurice Kirya will collaborate with the orchestra and revellers have an opportunity to listen to a large number of his catalogues sounding different, but still majestic.
Maurice Kirya’s catalogue spans more than 20 years with singles such as Stop, Beera Nabo, Boda Boda, and Njagala Gwe. He has also released formidable six albums, which over the years have defined a generation of Uganda’s Afro-soul.
Maurice Kirya will be joined by Polycarp Quincy Kyagulanyi, who will lead an orchestra. Kyagulanyi is a prominent figure in local music scene and a lecturer at Makerere University. In the past, he has hosted jazz shows at the National Theatre and composed music for both theatre and film.
Jackie Kaluletwa-Kakiza, co-founder of House of Jazz, says she stumbled upon Kampala Jazz Orchestra’s performance by mistake at the National Theatre. She strongly believes that the primary reason for hosting such a show is not solely due to the jazz music, but rather to provide an opportunity to appreciate all the artistes involved.
“I had no idea that we have Ugandans doing jazz music so well. When I went for the first performance of the Kampala Jazz Orchestra, my expectations were not high. When those curtains opened, I was blown away. It is not about the jazz, but the commitment to the craft. We have many vocalists who get a lot of attention, but not the instrumentalists,” she says.
She adds that the show is more than just a musical show, but a statement: "Orchestra in the City goes beyond just music. While our core goal at House of Jazz is to showcase local hidden musical talent, we also want the event to serve a greater purpose: celebrating the beauty of Kampala and the urgent need to preserve its green spaces for future generations," Kaluletwa says.
In an effort to get policymakers to pay attention, she says is it important to get them in a relaxed setting to talk about the issues at hand outside the boardroom. In the same breath, Roy Ronald Tumwizere, UBL's national advocacy manager for reserve brands, emphasised that, like the theme of the show, saving the lungs of the city, Johnnie Walker also sponsors the same cause.
"After more than 200 years of perfecting our craft, the harmonious relationship between wood, water, earth, and all living beings is vital to our world. That is why we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint from 'grain to glass," he stated.
Established in 1908, Rukundo says the golf course initially sat on more than 300 acres, stretching from Wandegeya to the Centenary Park. However, today, it has been encroached on by real estate, and only 130 acres of that are left.
