68 and still singing

Hadijah Namale sings at a local function in Buwama recently. The 68-year-old started singing at 17 years of age. Photos by Sadat Mbogo/courtesy

Her star shone bright in the early 1960s and late 1970s. Today, her music lyrics are still being enjoyed by both the young and old. When one mentions the name Hadijah Namale, 68, the tune of her Mukulike Omwaka (happy New Year) which usually dominates all Ugandan air waves, especially every December comes to mind.

At 68, Namale’s gifted and charming voice still melts hearts of many like it used to 50 years ago, only the venues for her showcase have changed. A battle with diabetes and high blood pressure forced her to quit her career in music two decades ago to concentrate on performing at special functions such as weddings.

“I don’t use anything to maintain a nice voice, but I think it’s a gift I received from God,” she says proudly. Namale is currently engaged in farming, selling herbal medicine, hair-dressing and offering marriage counseling to women at Buwama Town, Mawokota County in Mpigi District.

Unlike many contemporary Ugandan musicians, Namale, can sing in many languages, including Runyankole, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, French, Japanese and English. “Many artistes today feel proud when they sing in English, but during our days, we also used to sing in English and other languages as well,” she says.

Music career and inspiration
The veteran artiste has been ranked among the finest Uganda musicians of all time. Others in this same category include Dan Mugula, Eclaus Kawalya, Dr Herbert Ssempeke, Freda Ssonko, Philly Bongooley Lutaaya, Fred Masagazi, Christopher Ssebadduka, Jimmy Katumba, Moses Matovu and Geoffrey Oryema, among others.

Proud to be associated with Namale, Hajj Abdul Ssembatya, village chairperson Buwama, describes her voice as “soulful”. “This is why we call her queen of melody here. She is indeed among the greatest singers I have ever heard,” he says.

Journalist Michael J Ssali reveals that she was the only popular female artiste during the 1970s. “She is really the best example of how a singer can be an inspiration to millions of people. Thank God she is still alive,” he says.
Inspired by her brother Yusuf Kigambe, who had personal disco equipment in their village, Namale joined the music industry at the age of 17 after divorcing her polygamous husband. “Also Elly Wamala’s “Nabutono” song inspired me to love and enter the field of music,” she says.

She looks back fondly at her hey days when she worked in Bunia, Zaire (now DR Congo) in 1963 with her brother, Samuel Kayongo, a truck driver then. She returned to Kampala in 1966 and started working at White Nile bar in Katwe.

Later, she was linked to Eclaus Kawalya (father to Afrigo band’s Joanita Kawalya), who used to perform at Suzana Night Club in Nakulabye, a Kampala city suburb, as a back-up singer in Suzana band as she was getting more training from Martin Munyenga, father of singer Winnie Munyenga.

“What I wanted at this stage was to acquire more singing skills and confidence to avoid panicking while on stage. Imagine, I was earning Shs300 per month at White Nile Bar, but when I was promised Shs350 at Suzana, I decided to go,” she says.

After a few months, she joined Top10 band and later Rwenzori band alongside Fred Kigozi and Frank Mbalire Kateeteeyi. Namale says she recorded a couple of songs at Kericho studios in Kenya and her first hit was Bbosa followed by Eriza, Zoozo, John, Mukulike Omwaka and Nakiryowa.

“There is freshness in her voice. Her singing has a great depth and in every one of her songs there is magic. Her talent is amazing. We are always overwhelmed by callers who request for her songs. Out of the 25 songs requested by listeners, one has to be Namale’s,” says Adam Nasser Zimula, a radio presenter at Buwama FM.

A lover of late Elly Wamala, Philly Bongooley Lutaaya and a Jamaican legend Millie Small’s music, Namale believes discipline is what takes an artiste places, no wonder she advises current musicians to stop feuding with colleagues in the industry.

“Instead of fighting during concerts and attacking themselves in the media, why don’t they unite and form a development group that can transform them economically? They should stop it,” she says sternly. Her favourite local artistes are Juliana Kanyomozi and David Lutalo because of “their beautiful voices” and discipline.

She trained her only child Jamilah Nansubuga to sing and perform different traditional dances hoping the latter can fit in her shoes comfortably.