Milege festival turns chilly Entebbe warm

Photo by Michael Kakumirizi

What you need to know:

Fun packed weekend. The festival had revellers forget about the cold as they enjoyed different musical performances and engaged in various games

What’s more exciting than spending a laid back chilly night in the woods of the Botanical Gardens Entebbe, coupled with fine live music, subtle lighting by indigenous local lamps wrapped in brown paper bags plus a glowing bonfire next to the stage? And how cool can it get when the meat is mouth-wateringly because it is roasted just fine?
Well, that is just part of the fun you missed last weekend at the two-day Milege World Music Festival, under the theme “Painting Uganda”.

Seated on their mats or pieces of cloths (lesus), revellers enjoyed heartwarming performances by cultural troupes as they munched some tasty meat.

Saturday night saw the Watmon Cultural Troupe steal the show with their indigenous Larakaraka dance that got most campers on their feet trying to mimic the dancers. The way these dancers rhythmically moved to the sound that their calabashes emitted upon being hit by a pair of strokes, was epic. The passion this troupe had; from the drummer, to the dancers, to the young girl who whistled to signal a change in the dance styles, was amazing.

While the deejay skillfully spun legendary music like Redemption Song by Bob Marley, Africa by Toto, and Obagaina by Racheal Magoola, among others, campers stuck to their bright smart phone screens updating their friends on social media about what was happening.

And then came Sunday. The campers reminisced the old times by playing childhood games such as Duulu, Kwepena, and Ssonko. It was quite fun seeing grown ups miss the target of the marble during the Duulu session, leave alone the cunning tactics the girls exhibited while dodging a small ball that was aimed at them.

The evening saw the Undercover Brothers open up performances with one of their hottest tunes, Nkisattira. The night got even better with Haka Mukiga taking to the stage and putting up an energetic performance with acoustic songs in Rukiga and Kinyarwanda.

The chilly evening was warmed up by CEO Eka Muziki Foundation Giovanni Kremer Kiyingi, who mixed cultural beats to produce a reverberating feel of house and techno music.

Most revellers’ Mojos were killed after it turned out that The Lantern Meet Poets would not show up to present the finest side of the Queen’s Language.
Also, those who enjoy the bitter liquid (alcohol), were not favoured since it was as hard to find as water in a desert.

About Milege World Music Festival
Milege is a social enterprise birthed by Milege Afro Jazz Band. The festival is an annual live music event, a nonprofit initiative whose main objective is to promote and grow the appreciation of cultural music in Uganda. The event had its inaugural showcases last year on November 30 at The Lake Victoria Serena Resort.