The New Future

From Sue’s Market, we drove a short ways in the downpour to Bavubuka, a youth center that uses arts and music to get Kampala youth off of the streets. The pride and ownership that the students have over Bavubuka is evident as soon as you walk through the door. The walls are covered with student artwork – traditional African drawings and paintings, other more free-form drawings, and poetry and lyrics. One wall was completely swarmed with backwards traced hands turned butterflies in a rainbow of colors. The door is collaged with photos of the residents and students – it’s immediately clear to whom this house belongs.

We sat in the front room of the house and heard performances by some of the students and then got the low down on the organization itself. The kids were amazing – first, the “representing” girl of about 16 years old rapped in Ugandan, then a group of 6 boys played drums and rapped as well. The highlight was the littlest performer – no more than 7 – who introduced himself as “a rapper” and then did some freestyle beat-boxing in Ugandan with the program director drumming in the background.

After the performances, the kids began to explain the history and structure of their program. Short version – it is awesome and they are doing amazing work. Slightly longer version: A Ugandan rapper named Silas was the first rapper to “make it big” rapping in the native Ugandan language about the issues of living specifically in the Ugandan ghettos. He started Bavubuka to provide a place – and a purpose – for the youth of the Ugandan streets who weren’t finding support elsewhere. They provide arts and music programs, have a music studio, jewelry and t-shirt making shop, and housing for youth who would otherwise sleep on the streets. The program director explained that the overall goal is for students to “come together and DO something” – and do they do! They make and sell CD’s, art, and jewelry and the funding is split between the artists and the center.

Along with drugs and alcohol, something else is banned at the center: negative music. The director explained that since the war with the LRA, Uganda has lost any sort of “community feeling” and that the center is trying to “bring society together again.” He tells his kids, “you don’t have cars or bling, so why on earth would you sing about them? Write and sing about what you know. Share your stories.” With their music, they attempt to fuse hip-hop and Ugandan influences, writing in Ugandan language about real issues facing their generation on the streets in Uganda – war, drugs, poverty, education, AIDS. He explained that as Western influences in Uganda break down Ugandan culture, he encourages his kids to “talk to the people in their language.” The little rapper sat quietly through this whole explanation of the center, playing with a fraying string on his drum. When we had time for questions, we asked him what his song was about: translated, it’s titled “I’m the new future.” And with centers and work like this happening in Kampala, the new future is exactly what he is.

The group is working on getting a website together with help from an outside organization. When it’s up and running, I’ll link to it here!!