Herman Basudde
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Herman Basudde | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 December 1958 Uganda |
| Died | 11 June 1997 (aged 38) |
| Education | primary level |
| Years active | 1970 — 1997 |
| Known for | Kaddongokamu |
Herman Basudde (1958–1997) was a Ugandan kadongo kamu musician. Basudde was born in Masaka District, in southern Uganda.
Background
Little is known of his early life, but he is supposed to have attended Kibanda and Butenga primary school, and joined a school choir. He was a self-taught guitar player, and he played at local parties. In the mid 1980s, he was picked by Eria Katende and brought to Kampala.[citation needed]
Career
His career guide was the singer Livingstone Kasozi who trained him how to play a guitar, sing and perform live on stage.[1] He toured East Africa countries, travelling to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This tour raised him over 70 million shillings, a huge amount at that time. [citation needed]
Basudde is credited as one of the musicians who revived interest in baakisimba, mixing Western and Kiganda music to appeal to a new audience.[2] He had a husky voice, and sang passionate songs about mischievous love affairs, philandering husbands, and bizarre witchcraft. In a popular song, Ekiwuka Ekyaga Muntamu, Basudde used metaphor to invoke the AIDS epidemic in Uganda. In the song, the narrator dreams of a lizard-like insect invading his home and despoiling life, food and sex.[3]
Basudde died in an accident while travelling to his parents' house in Masaka, south of Kampala. His funeral was a national occasion, and the funeral fund raised 12 million shillings.[citation needed] Some saw Basudde as a rebellious spirit. He had left the Catholic Church to adopt animism and was attacked by certain clergy for forsaking religion in favour of witchcraft. He was accused of sensationalising his music by bringing seductively dressed girls onto the stage and commercialising the Kadongo Kamu singers.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Alinda, Alex. "Walukagga Visits Kadongo Kamu Legend, Livingstone Kasozi's Grave". chimpreports.com. Chimp Reports. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Baakisimba: Gender in the Music and Dance of the Baganda People of Uganda, Sylvia Antonia Nannyonga-Tamusuza, Routledge, February 4, 2014, p. 126
- ^ The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, Oxford University Press, USA, April 27, 2011, p. 170