Uganda: UNCC to hold Elly Wamala memorial concert

The concert is organised by the Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC) to pay homage to the late icon as a build-up to the 16th anniversary of his death on 22 August.

Other programmed acts include Sammy Kasule (Ziwuuna Band), Diplock Segawa, Charles Ssenkubuge, Aloysius Matovu and several upcoming artists from the Makerere University performing arts and film department. 

In addition, the memorial event will feature discussions under the theme, Earning From Your Performance, which will highlight Wamala's skills, values and achievements.

"This is a celebration of Wamala's lifelong commitment to knowledge gathering and sharing, which he mainly did through his songs," UNCC public relations officer Robert Musiitwa told Watchdog Uganda. 

"Without a doubt, Wamala's legacy lives on. His songs still get airplay on radio and TV stations. Wamala has received posthumous honours from, among others, the Pope Paul VI social club and the Buganda kingdom."

UNCC executive director Francis Peter Ojede said: "We will get an opportunity to watch and listen to legends and people who worked with the Elly Wamala. We'll have a sneak peek into what they learnt from him during his life and how he impacted on their artistic careers to this day."

Wamala is one of Uganda's most celebrated musicians. He is credited for creating the kadongo kamu genre with the release of his debut song 'Nabutono', which became the first Ugandan single to be released on vinyl.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Wamala received numerous awards including Uganda's Musician of the Century Award in 2001 and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Pearl of Africa Music Awards in 2003. 

The annual memorial concert was first held in 2006, two years after Wamala's death. This year's event will be streamed on the UNCC official YouTube channel at 7.30pm East African Time.