Music, Dance and Sherry Moments as Kenneth Mugabi Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Ndere Cultural Centre was filled with excitement on September 12, as Kenneth Mugabi marked 10 years of his Kibun’omu album and his birthday, with a career-spanning concert powered by V&A Sherry.
The night opened with tributes to Mugabi’s roots with the Uganda, Buganda and Busoga anthems, followed by a tribute to Tooro’s late King Oyo that had the audience on its feet, emotional, with phones raised, to honour his life and legacy.
Cultural dancers set the stage before Mugabi emerged to open with “People of the Land,” drawing the first wave of screams. From there, the hits kept coming: Mumbejja, Abamuzibe, Aka Number, with the crowd singing along to nearly every word, while a choreographed performance of My Woman brought the song to life on stage.
By the time he picked up his Endingidi, the audience had already sung its way through Nambi, People of the Land, and Ijondarire, but the traditional instrument signalled the night was about to climb another gear.
Mugabi slowed the pace to honour his late mother, performing a spoken word piece set to music as a tribute to her memory. “Today, being my birthday, I want to honour my late mother. She supported me and believed in my dream, so to honour her I wrote this poem for her,” he said.
Host Richard Tuwangye gave the crowd a comic break, with performances from Eduardo Kayondo, Eli Songs and Nuel Murungi, who kept the momentum going before Mugabi returned with Kibun’omu, once again handed entirely to the crowd to sing.
The surprises kept coming. Tanzanian-Ugandan Artist Mad Ice took to the stage and performed Nkwagala Nyo Mukwano, before Naava Grey took the stage to a roar from the crowd, performing Nteredde and Ninga Omuloge, and joining Mugabi for their collaboration Owuwo. She then turned the moment into a birthday party, inviting four fans on stage to help cut Mugabi’s cake.
Away from the stage, guests posed for photos at the V&A Sherry backdrop and sipped on the sherry liqueur and its cocktails throughout the evening.
Roy Ronald Tumwizere, Brand Manager V&A, at UBL said, “As V&A, we chose to support Kenneth Mugabi because his music aligns with the values we hold so dear: love and shared moments. So supporting him came naturally for us.”