Taking a piece of Uganda to China

A young Chinese boy dances with one of the Ffumbe troupe performers during one of the troupe’s shows in China. Courtesy photo

What you need to know:

  • The troupe plans is to start performances/ shows in Uganda that are specifically tailored for Chinese audiences in Uganda.

Often times, foreign tourists in need of experiencing the Ugandan culture have to pack up their bags, buy visas, air tickets and come to Uganda.
However, gradually as geographical and cultural boundaries loosen up, cultural tourism exportation is being appreciated, as Ugandan deliver their culture almost to their doorsteps. Ffumbe Culture Communication is among the few cultural groups doing that in China.
“We first went to China in 2009, after a wife to John Ssenyonyi, a friend of mine, connected me to her friend who was seeking Ugandan cultural performers,” Brian Magoba, the troupe’s manager, says. Gathering a few friends from different commercial troupes such as Ndere Troupe and Rhythm Africa, Ffumbe finally travelled with a team of 10 people.

“Our entire shows are built on selling items unique to the Ugandan culture. For instance we ask our audiences to imitate us when we are ululating during our performances,” Magoba says.
Different Chinese tourism agencies give the troupe contracts. And each time the troupe travels, they stay in China for about seven months.

A chinese woman enjoys the rhythm of the African drummer.


Each performer fetches about $400-500 (about Shs1.7 million) in allowance every month. This is subject to negotiation by different agencies. However, accommodation, feeding, work permits, medical cover, are catered for by the agency that has hired the troupe.

Culture promotion
One of the moments the audiences love is when they are challenged to a dance. “We usually use the Runyege-Ntogoro or the Agwara dance/Otwenge from West Nile, as we give ethnographic information related to the dances,” Magoba says.
Luck was on Magoba’s way in 2013 when he won a contract with the State Troupe of China, Dongfang Gewutuan which wanted to commission something African for their ‘Around the world one hour dance show’. “I taught them a collection of some Ugandan dances. Dongfang Gewutuan being a state sponsored troupe that goes everywhere the political machinery of China goes, they travelled with this show for about two-and-a-half years, showcasing purely Ugandan dances and drum ideas,” Magoba recalls.
As a result of this, many people started coming to Ffumbe troupe’s performances owing to the fact that wherever Dongfang Gewutuan went, they distributed flyers about them, creating awareness.
“We had a theatre show with a group of Chinese last year. We acted a Chinese storyline in a drama called ‘Dream in a Jungle’ and the fusion of the two cultures was impeccable,” Dennis Kasamba, a group member, says in Chinese as Magoba translates.

Challenges
“One of the challenges we had in our first year was that our audiences were used to performances by Zimbabweans and West Africans, so they expected us to do the same. But we insisted, that we have our own unique dances,” Magoba asserts. The troupe plans is to start performances/ shows in Uganda that are specifically tailored for Chinese audiences in Uganda.