Joel Sebunjo: Tackling Africa’s pressing issues through music

Singing. Joel Sebunjo performs at an event recently. Photo by Edgar R. Batte

What you need to know:

  • Inspiration. Joel Sebunjo’s Pan-African interests have inspired him to convey his thoughts, reflections and observation through music, beyond singing about love like most artistes do, writes Edgar R. Batte.
  • His second album is titled Heart of a Griot which he released in 2010 and I speak Luganda, which was released in 2015. He is the leader of ‘Sundiata Band’ which performs both locally and internationally.

World and folk musician Joel Sebunjo has a new album out titled United Slaves of Africa, an eight-track production of sobering lyrical content that largely tackles issues pertaining Pan-Africanism.

The title track cracks Africa, at its soul, questioning the retro route in attainment of a United Africa in the face of glaring challenges such as unemployment and poverty that have driven the citizenry into voluntary slavery in the Middle East and other parts of the world, where they offer labour but are continuously treated in disparaging ways, much to the chagrin of sitting home governments.

Oyoo is the first song on the album. He features celebrated world musician Samite Mulondo, based in New York, USA. The two linked up online.
When he got in touch with Mulondo four years ago, he had heard about his (Sebunjo’s) music.

As a musician he grew up admiring, it was an honour to invite him to feature on his latest album. It was a big step at bridging with what Sebunjo describes as benchmark world music artistes. Such music feeds into growing world music archives.

“When I composed Oyoo, I reached out to him and he asked me to send him my composition, which he liked. He recorded his parts at his studio and sent them back. He put a live flute as one of his main instruments,” Sebunjo explains.
Mulondo sang the second verse on the song too. Much of the song was recorded at Blacksmith Records by Sam Bisaso, who also recorded Sebunjo’s last two records, namely I Speak Luganda and now, United Slaves of Africa.

In the fusion of artistic abilities of the two musicians, you will appreciate a multi-dimensional combination, particularly given Mulondo’s rich talent and Sebunjo’s consistency.
A simple search for Mulondo’s music on iTunes, presents Oyoo as one of the latest songs he has collaborated on. United Slaves of Africa is the second track and doubles as the album title.

It is a motivation by Sebunjo’s Pan-African interests that include literature commentaries. He, therefore, conveys his thoughts, reflections and observation in a musical language.
“We have issues in Uganda as a country, but they are not unique to us. From Malawi to Sudan, there are challenges of unemployment, undemocratic governments, corruption, militants and subduing opposition. We saw it in Burkina Faso, where the army took over the parliament and burnt it. So, for me, the song United Slaves of Africa, is a dream that has been talked about by the likes of Kwame Nkrumah, but we continuously drift away from it,” the musician says.

Going into slavery willingly
It is a challenge further highlighted by realities of Africans failing to find meaningful employment in their home countries and opting to go to Oman, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, among others, where he says: “Africans go into slavery willingly.”

In Africa, people vote leaders who are not declared. The ballot does not count in some countries. That is part of slavery. Then economic slavery where the gap between the poor and the rich is so big,” he says.

“Today, Africa runs on donor money and some have argued that the best way to enslave a country is by lending to them. China is giving us more money. That means we are still enslaved. There is no country in Africa that is economically independent. Somewhere, they have an economic chain attached,” the 35-year-old musician argues.

To him, Africa needs to look for practical solutions such as education. He cites China, which was a third world country recently, but managed to rise out of poverty through deliberate education.

“Education creates character and composure. Imagine if we had good education policies and schools, with targets. I went to school but no one asked me what I was focussed on. The education system needs to be revised to create discipline and character,” he adds.

In Independence, he pays tribute to people who played a part in liberating the continent. He mentions Nkrumah, as the father of Pan-Africanism, Thomas Sankara, Julius Nyerere and Steven Biko, as well as movements as part of efforts to push for liberation of Africans from colonialism to a new cause.

Juxtaposed with United Slaves of Africa, Independence feeds into the motives of the liberators; the need to end ‘White’, colonial rule and stop what was seen as various slavery manifestations.
But then, today, in absence of physical colonialists, black men continue to enslave fellow blacks.

Continuous challenges
In South Africa, forces were against apartheid but we have seen, even after apartheid, the country continues to grapple with a number of challenges.
“During and after the leadership of Nelson Mandela, leaders have left but not peacefully. The same story in Burkina Faso. The Nyereres and Milton Obotes fought against White rule and wanted a black leader for a black country. They achieved that but there is no liberty in many African countries,” Sebunjo further argues.
His observation is that blacks continue to subdue fellow blacks.

Revolutions for another wave of independence are being witnessed where people are pushing out leaders, cases in point being the recent overthrow of Omar Hassan Bashir in Khartoum, in Congo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
Harambe is a reggae tune, a Swahili word to mean unity. Its core is a call for the need for togetherness to cause change.

“The city is full of conmen and streets roam with girls who were vessels of honesty,” he sings, relaying realities of the educated who went to school but conditions have pushed them to fend for themselves in dishonest and derogatory ways.
The solution lies in leaders putting in place working systems and planning for the citizenry. Otherwise, people are looking for greener pastures, some on seas during which they lose lives.

Collaboration
Nalingiyo is the other collaboration on the album. He featured Moses Ssali, commonly known as Bebe Cool.
“I am at a stage of my career where I want to collaborate with other artistes. He is one of the artistes that have a faint idea of world and folk music. This song was recorded more than one and a half years ago, but kept it and added it to this album,” he says.
Nalingiyo is Lingala for ‘I love you’. To Sebunjo, Bebe Cool says world music is the kind he would be doing when he is older.

It is a slow tempo, soothing song with deep literature in its lyrics that would be better absorbed and appreciated with apt attention.
Felabration is a tribute to Fela Kuti and the music he stood for; Inequality, Climate Change, Immigration and Rise Up Africa, celebrate and beckon the continent. In Mulamu, Sebunjo reprises his folk musicality.

The album was mastered at Common Ground Studios in the US. At the moment, Sebunjo works with Okay Music, which handles sound design and music distribution.
“We are not taking chances with image. With the kind of music I do, people expect the best. I spent because I want to release what international audiences can relate to. With world music, we are not making hits but good content,” he observes.

For anyone with artistic abilities, Sebunjo thinks it is a chance to tackle issues beyond love.
“At the end of the day, how shall we have impact if the broadcast media cannot play this music?” he asks.

About the album

For now, the album is available on iTunes, Tidal, Amazon Music, Napster and in music stores around the world. It will be available on CD by the end of the year.
He is also planning to hold a concert soon. United Slaves of Africa is Sebunjo’s fourth album. The other three are Ganda Mande Crossroads, which was released in 2009.

His second album is titled Heart of a Griot which he released in 2010 and I speak Luganda, which was released in 2015. He is the leader of ‘Sundiata Band’ which performs both locally and internationally.