Fun as Bayimba festivals take over Mbale streets

Barbra Mdibalekela entertains fans who turned up for the Mbale Bayimba regional festival last Saturday. PHOTO by Arafat Ndugga

Early this month, the Bayimba Festival of the arts, set camp in Mbale Town for a two-day fete. Naboa Road, which is the busiest street of the town, was closed to motorists, creating the perfect environment for a street festival.
The event that aims at promoting performing arts started with a visual art workshop on Friday July 5, where different contemporary artists exhibited their works.
Local films were screened on the streets later in the evening and Bivuga Troupe staged an exciting performance of traditional cultural dances, most significant of which was a fusion of kadodi, a Gishu dance and contemporary strokes.
The following day, the bazaar got more entertaining when the street was turned into a dancehall. The organisers engaged the talented natives in showcasing their skills. Comedians from Mbale took to the stage and cracked some ribs, with other jokes in Lugisu, the local dialect.

Other performances
There were also performances from the Modern Artist Band, Skid Major, Mr Brief, Dream House Uganda, Ajambobable, Mdibalekela Babra, Rexy and Skin Tosh.
Kadongo Kamu artiste Fred Ssebale crowned the night. He performed three songs and with each going for about 15 minutes, his performance lasted a full hour.
The festival ended at a few minutes to 1am.