The World Music day was initiated in 1982 by then French minister of culture, Jack Lang, when he realized through a study on the cultural habits of the French that five million people, one child out of two, played a musical instrument. He began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets.

And later that year, on June 21, the first Fete De La Musique was held in the streets of Paris. That was the beginning of the Fete De La Musique festivities that have since spread to become an international phenomenon. The day is celebrated in more than 700 cities in 120 countries, among which are the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Italy and Germany.

In Uganda, the first edition of Fete De La Musique or World Music day was celebrated in 2014. Like the original, the local version started with street performances by Sandy Soul, Giovanni Kremer Kiyingi and the Undercover Brothers, among others.

This year, the celebrations took off at the National theatre earlier, on June 18. Jose Maria Queiros, the director of Alliance Francaise, a French cultural society, which is one of the organizers, said the decision to have the celebrations June 18, rather than June 21 was because they wanted a weekend, not a weekday when people are all engrossed in their work.

This year, the street performances were rescheduled, and they started from the French embassy at 2pm, proceeding to the Constitution Square, junction between Colville street and Kampala road, and finally at the IPS building on Parliamentary avenue. The main performances happened at the National theatre.

All the stage performances were classical, courtesy of the Kampala Music School. However, those at the theatre were a collection of genres such as Afro zouk, rap and classical music, among others. The main stage will be graced by Kampala Symphony Orchestra, Brass For Africa, Lawrence Okello, Ruyonga and Kojack, and a band from DRC.

Faisal Kiwewa, the director, Bayimba Foundation, another partner in the celebrations, says what they did with the orchestra on Saturday was a challenge to the performers to see how they  use such a space for the unlikely kind of music and how they fit it in. The street performances started at 2pm while the stage showcases at the theatre gardens began at 7pm.

[prepared by Newsnet intern from press note]

  Africa, Uganda, World Music Day