Roderick Ahimbazwe
2 February 2008
Kampala — ALL of us belong to a clan - a social group united by common descent. This - the idea of family - is what was on Yusuf Kaddu's mind when he set out to form the Kika Troupe. Kika is the Luganda word for clan.
Kaddu, a former member of the Ndere Troupe, started the troupe in 2003 together with fellow artiste Peter Kaboda.
Like with most ventures, the beginning was rough. "Some people predicted that we would collapse in a few weeks, but we survived," Kaddu recalls.
He remembers the financial hardships he faced in the beginning and how he will forever be indebted to his father, Eddie Kaddu, for the moral and financial support he gave him when things were going in the wrong direction.
"I used to house the original 16 troupe members at my father's farm in Najjanankumbi," he reminisces.
Visiting their current home in Kirinya, Bweyogerere, you immediately notice how close to one another the troupe members are. They laugh and share jokes as they do their chores at the house where they pay about sh800,000 a month in rent.
The girls do the cooking and the washing at the home, while the boys clean the compound and the dormitories.
Afternoons are reserved for rehearsals. As you watch Kaddu take his protégés though the dance moves you realise that traditional music will always be a part of him.
During their free time, the troupe members watch pay TV. "I installed both DStv and GTV so that the troupe members feel at home, not like they are in prison," Kaddu explains.
Kika comprises 34 members, 29 of whom are orphans. "I don't pay most of these members a salary, but simply cater for their basic needs like housing and education," Kaddu reveals.
The troupe comprises both primary and secondary school students.
The youngest member of the group is Kate Namulondo, 7, who is in P2 at Mother Kevin Primary School. Namulondo, who is an orphan, looks up to Kaddu as a father figure. She says she was initially terrified by the huge audiences, but Kaddu assured her everything would be alright.
Kika performs at weddings, graduation parties, cocktails and national celebrations like Independence Day. In Kampala, one can get their services for sh700,000, although their rates vary depending on how far the ceremony is from the city centre.
Kika are the resident performers at Ridar Hotel, Seeta where they go on stage every Sunday. Their most memorable performances were at the Uganda Tourism Expo in 2005 in Jinja and the East African Tourist Operators conference at Sheraton Hotel in 2005. Last April the troupe went to the US to perform at the East African connection show aimed at bringing together the East African and American cultures.
Kika's breakthrough came in 2004 when two European ladies - Inguild Skage from Norway and Inga Nsubuga - offered the troupe capital of about sh6m.
During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the end of last year, the troupe performed for the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker, wife to Prince Charles at the British High Commission.
However, they have not always performed before a full house. Only three people attended their first show at Ridar Hotel.
"Inga had come along with two friends, and that was it. Nevertheless we put up a show for them," Kaddu recalls.
Their persistence paid off. Today the group is a household name in Mukono.
In June this year, Kika Troupe is organising a concert - "Rhythm Uganda".
"This concert will bring together drums from various parts of Uganda to make one sound," Kaddu says, adding that the main aim of the show is to showcase Uganda's drumming talents.
The troupe does about five shows a month apart from the regular shows at Rider hotel.
Kaddu runs the group with the help of Sylvia Nannono who works as an administrator and 48-year-old Douglas Kisolo who was also once a member of Ndere Troupe.
Kisolo loves working with young children and is very happy that there are still young people who treasure traditional music.
Things are beginning to look brighter for the group. The British High Commission has promised them £3,000 worth of equipment while the Rotary Club of England, through a lady called Tahne Wade, has also offered financial help.
Kaddu says Kika hopes to start a children's foundation funded by the Rotary club of England. No doubt this will go along way in changing the lives of the orphans he takes care of.
Kaddu's passion for traditional music is one he has carried with him right from his days at Buganda Road Primary School.
It is not the only thing he shares with the orphans under his care.
Having studied on bursaries throughout secondary school at Greenville High School, Mukono, Old Kampala Senior Secondary and Budo Senior Secondary, he knows what it is like to be unable to pay school fees.
Asked why he opted for traditional music rather than modern music like most of his peers, Kaddu says traditional music is unique and gives one a sense of cultural belonging.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
