Anne Nassanga alias Afrie
When Anne Nassanga, popularly known as Afrie, told her parents she was trading dental drills for microphones, they understandably panicked. Music was not on the roadmap they had imagined for their science-loving daughter. But for Afrie, it was not just a passion, it was a purpose. Today, when she is not only directing short films or commercials, she is advocating for girls’ education as an African Union CIEFFA ambassador. Her documentary Little Faith won Best Documentary at the Uganda Film Festival. “My parents saw music as a path they could not mentor me through, and above all, their concern was sustainability,” she recounts. “‘Can this thing feed you? Will people take you seriously?’ But over time, they realised it is not just a phase , it is a purpose. They support me and I am grateful.” Both Afrie’s parents are doctors, and most of her extended family are in traditionally respected professions, which explains how she ended up studying dental technology at university.
“It had to be a science course, no matter what and my lovely parents were firm about it. Any African child may easily understand,” she says with a smile. The artiste clarifies that her parents did not force her into the sciences. It was a complicated admissions process as her application letters went missing , and she was left with only two science-based options to choose from. “Knowing I still had to get a degree either way, I chose dental technology, even though it was not my initial course of preference,” she shares. She only practiced during her internship, rotating through dental laboratories such as Denture Care Centre and Pan Dental in Kampala and Bombo. “My internship was rather short, but I met skilled practitioners and I am grateful to them for holding space for me,” she adds.
Asked why she invested all those years in a field she did not continue with, the Yodi Yodi singer reflects,“Time spent in the wilderness of life is not necessarily time wasted if it is well harnessed to mature you for your calling. I would consider those three years part of that time.” Though she graduated in Dental Technology in 2018, Afrie shifted focus to music immediately after university. She says music had always been her therapy. “Once I got depressed, and singing was the only way I could deal with my emotions. It made me feel better. It was therapeutic, and I settled for singing in 2018 after I graduated,” she says. With music, she gets to be herself — and more. “I get some money, and I get to travel,” she adds. Her recent album Ggulu joins her EPs Afriedom and Sunflowers in Sahara in exploring identity and transformation.
Impacting lives through music
Afrie uses music and film as platforms to champion education. As AU CIEFFA Ambassador for the Africa Educates Her campaign, her song Let Her Know became the campaign’s official anthem. She also founded The Kalaverse, a social enterprise that trains female creatives and leverages the arts to improve education outcomes for girls in underserved communities such as Karamoja. In January, her team partnered with Dr Faith Nangiro, a girl-child advocate and an activist against child marriage and female genital mutilation, and one of Karamoja’s first female doctors to bring more than 40 teenage Karamojong girls on their first school trip to Kampala. “We called it the Runaway Runway. Its purpose was to combat the lack of exposure that these girls faced while learning.”
Afrie’s documentary Little Faith tells Dr Nangiro’s story, challenging harmful traditions such as early marriage and female genital mutilation.
Dentistry isn’t a closed chapter
At 30, Afrie says choosing music was about finding purpose. But dentistry is not fully behind her. “Rather than settle for music, I chose to pursue my God-given calling. Wherever that river leads be it dentistry or music, I will follow. There is no longer a difference to me,” the advocate says. She is no longer boxed in by the idea that one must be either scientist or artist. “A fellow artiste, Sam K!mera, once said as human beings, we don’t have to be either , or we are both, and more. And I agree with his philoshophy.” While she does not know how much she would be earning as a practicing dentist, she acknowledges that health professions have more structured pathways.
“A dentist may start earning from internship before graduation. For creatives, that is not always accessible. But this evolving world belongs to problem solvers, regardless of profession.” Afrie says she wanted to complete her course for the sake of honouring the journey, especially for her parents. “I won’t lie, it was very difficult. It is truly only by God’s grace and the support of my classmates that I graduated , shout out to Cyrus Mukisa.” Whether through dentistry or storytelling, her mission remains the same: to restore the smile. “Music is a tool in my box just like dentistry once was. If I can improve the education outcome of a Ugandan girl, whether through a song, short film, denture or campaign it depends on the season I am in.”
