Kampala: For the seventh time, Doadoa came with a bang and succeeded with an attendance of high placed people in the arts industry from Uganda as well as all over Africa and beyond.
Doadoa is an East African Performing Arts Market that brings together creatives of all spheres, to share ideas and concepts on how to develop their professions and crafts and their arts platform. This year’s event showcased fifteen pieces in total which were held at the Uganda National Museum.
The number of activities that were available to the guests included: conferences, workshops, live recording studio sessions, exhibitions, networking sessions, a symposium as well as music performances by various musicians from different parts of Africa.
According to Herman Kabubi a.k.a Slim Emcee, the Programs Director Bayimba Cultural Foundation, this year’s Doadoa event had a South African act showcasing their work, a new development that hadn’t been witnessed before in previous years.
Music was at the centre of this year’s Doadoa. The first evening of the three day event was officially opened by the Director of the Bayimba Cultural Foundation, Mr Faisal Kiwewa, as he welcomed the revelers to the musical celebrations that would follow thereafter.
Corporates, Slay queens, idlers and other people near and around the museum, were all taken away from their various activities at hand and pulled towards the museum’s gates by the beautiful sounds of Berita, a multi-award winning, gold selling and afro-soul singer/songwriter from South Africa.
Among the many performances was also Siti & The Band, an act from Tanzania that played music carried with a mixture of Arab, Turkish, Indian and of course African influences. The night was closed with a thrilling performance from House of Talent a Ugandan act that specialized in great indigenous African expressive art forms.
The other days came with new freshness and never was there an opening performance like the one we received from Spot Lite Crew & Nilotika Cultural Ensemble.
These two groups well known for their intense performances sent the crowd into a frenzy with their experimental dance, crafted from the fusion of its group members and their influence from the different parts of Uganda.
Perhaps, theirs was a signal from mama about the next performer Shifah Musisi who got everyone on their feet as they swayed and staggered in rhythm with her music off her first studio album “Olugendo”.
The night also saw the mighty Shamsi Music-a jazz & afrojazz band from Kenya work the crowds followed by a number of other great musicians entertained the people in attendance.
The Headliner and most anticipated show of all the performances came on Saturday evening when the legendary Afrigo band stepped on stage and played their timeless hits like they never did before transporting many back in time, before auto-tune and hip-hop were considered music as well.
Jackie Akello, another gem from Uganda, still managed to hold up a fantastic performance even after the legendary Afrigoband.
An after party with electronic music from Pseudopolis (U.K.), Lewis Lowe (U.K. ), Fya Leboof (UG) among many others marked the end of the festival as many danced in the historical setting of parked vehicles long driven by the former presidents of Uganda, with beer & cocktails.
At the close of Doadoa everyone in attendance was invited to the upcoming Bayimba 2018 Festival of the Arts at their newly bought island Lunkulu on L. Victoria from the 2-5 August.
