The Kampala Serena Hotel was the place to be on August 30 as Karamoja rhythms fused with modern electronic sounds at the ethno-jazz concert hosted by Milege Afro Jazz band.

The audience was treated to the colourful culture of the Karamojong expressed through their music, dance, song, storytelling and poetry at the concert dubbed Repainting Uganda 2012 and themed “Essence of Colour.”

Milege was joined on the stage by Ugandan music sensation, multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Herbert Kinobe on a guided tour through Karamoja region — Kotido, Nakapiripirit, and Moroto districts — to interact with the Karamojong people.

Among the Karamojong songs Milege performed were “Akadema,” “Nachulu,” and “Ichamitiyo.” Others were “Naku te ba y’omu,” “Akaburwana,” “Afoyo,” “Kankutwale,” “Tribute to Kigali,” and “Nankasa zi wuna.”

Milege also played “Weyo” off their forthcoming album. “Weyo” talks about putting a child to sleep. The child later realises that he is now grown and has lost the dependency status as he is now being depended on.

Kinobe performed his “Yasmin” (while he played the Kora) and accompanied the band on “Nachulu,” and “Latin kok pi ngo” (on the akogo or thumb piano), “Nankasa” (on xylophones) and “Apena” (on Tama, the talking drum from West Africa).

Milege’s team comprised Peter Nkalubo (drums), David Nalwebe (rhythm guitar), Paul Wembabazi (bass guitar), Francis Birabi Manana (lead guitar), and Ariho Muhwezi (keyboards), Gloria Akugizibwe (lead vocalist) and Joanita Katushabe (backup vocals).

Sauti ya Afrika, a quartet of male singers, contributed acapella melodies.

The Uganda National Contemporary Ballet company performed “Yale.”

Milege’s sounds are a fusion of jazz, African pulse, and Ugandan sounds.

Started in January 2009, Milege is a six-man band of youthful and enthusiastic people, all passionate about music. The band gets its name from the Japadhola (Luo) word for a rattle-like bell worn around the ankle for traditional dances, and used to usher in the king.

Every year Milege visits a specific region of Uganda on a quest for unique indigenous talent.

Milege develops materials alongside the locals and selects one female artiste to benefit from Milege’s Artist Education Initiative. This year Milege chose Karamoja and the talented female artiste was Cathy Nawany, who performed two of her songs — “Angella” and “Apena.”

“Karamoja is a marginalised society and within Karamoja, women are a marginalised group. We chose the women of Karamoja to promote the empowerment of the local woman within the confines of their heritage,” Milege executive manager Francis Birabi Manana told The EastAfrican.

Manana added that the group chose Karamoja because of their beadwork, attire, dances, (energetic) their definition of love (tough), their food (blood), and the way they interchange H with A in their speech. And their extremes; they are either very happy or very sad, hardly ever anything between.

“We also want to change the local negative perception that many Ugandans have of Karamoja. Many people know the Karamojong to be poor, beggars on Kampala streets, uneducated... and yet they have arguably the richest, exciting, colourful, unique, diverse culture in the country,” Manana added.