Shine Omukiga turns up things at Zone 7

Kabale-born luminary Shine Omukiga performing at Zone 7. Photo by Edgar R Batte

What you need to know:

  • The Kiga ‘take over’ was preceded by Janzi’s offering where Pages led the band in entertaining revellers with their originals and popular cover songs from a spectrum of music genres.
  • Two song got patrons break a sweat, as many got off their seats to sing and dance to the band’s rendition of Tswang Tswang Tswang by Dr Victor & The Rasta Rebels and fallen African reggae star, Lucky Dube’s I got you babe.

There is a joke born out of stereotype that if Bakiga had their way, they would use some energy when swallowing food. It is bent on emphasising how energetic the Kiga people are.
Recently, Kabale-born luminary Shine Omukiga brought some of her musical energy on stage as the guest performer at Janzi Band’s weekly performances at Zone 7, in Mbuya, near Kampala.
For the start, she ‘chased’ the band members off stage much to the amusement of the audience who expected something funny was to come out of the mouth. However, when she started performing, her delivery was smooth as she did song across genres and in a mix of Lukiga and English. As the tempo rose so did energy both on stage and in the crowd.
There were fans who couldn’t contain their enjoyment on the ground and so they switched up the rhythm with a display of Ekitagururo, a popular dance characterised by jumping into the air in sync to the rhythm.
For a moment socialite Allan Kanyike couldn’t measure up so he found his way to a seat but seemed challenged so he stood up and joined a white lady on stage with whom he did his usual ‘cyclic’ dance that involves wounding his hands in an energetic manner.
The Kiga ‘take over’ was preceded by Janzi’s offering where Pages led the band in entertaining revellers with their originals and popular cover songs from a spectrum of music genres.
Two song got patrons break a sweat, as many got off their seats to sing and dance to the band’s rendition of Tswang Tswang Tswang by Dr Victor & The Rasta Rebels and fallen African reggae star, Lucky Dube’s I got you babe.
Then Janzi did Eddy Grant’s upbeat and politically laden Gimme Hope Joanna, the song that brings back memories of the advent Dstv in Uganda. It played as movies of Bad Spenser and Terrence Hill were screened on mute television to entice and prompt more Ugandans to subscribe to the pay television.
The proprietors of Zone 7, the Kaggwa brothers (Gonza, Tendo and Gaetano) ought to part their waiters and waitresses on the back for the quick service because, unlike some bars, you don’t have to first frown to get your cold and sweaty beer served to you.