Milege
| Milege | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kampala, Uganda |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Associated acts |
Milege World Music Festival Afrigo Band Undercover Brothers Ug Giovanni Kiyingi Suzan Kerunen |
| Website | milege |
| Members | Manana F. Birabi Joanita Katushabe Gloria Akugizibwe Paul Owembabazi Alison Nadunga |
| Past members | Muhwezi Ariho Allowo Elaine Obbo Ahuura Andrew Gerald Mbuya David Mugumya |
| Milege Acoustic Project | |
|---|---|
| Mission statement | "Promotion of Talent by graduating talented individuals to the stage" |
| Commercial? | No |
| Type of project |
|
| Products | Free live music, Open Mic, Story telling, Bonfire, games |
| Location | Makerere University Guest House, Kampala |
| Owner |
|
| Founder | Milege |
| Country | Uganda |
| Funding | Self |
| Status | Ongoing (Thursday Evenings) |
| Website | Milege Acoustic Project |
Milege Afrojazz Band, commonly known as Milege, is a world music band from Uganda, made up of young talented musicians from Uganda whose enthusiasm is derived from the diverse cultural music traditions of the different tribes of Uganda into which they fuse contemporary elements to express the likeness of Uganda’s people in a more current context. As of 2015 Milege's members are; guitarist Manana F. Birabi, vocalist Joanita Katushabe, lead vocalist Gloria Akugizibwe, bassist Paul Owembabazi and violinist Alison Nadunga as a seasoned member. The band was popularized by their unique signature song Nankasa Zi Wuna and the Milege World Music Festival. The band has also shared stages with some of the biggest names in African music history including Zimbabwean Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, Maurice Kirya from Uganda, Mame N’Diack from Senegal and Uganda's oldest band, Afrigo Band.
Milege started in 2009 playing folk traditional Ugandan music using both modern and traditional music instruments. The guitar, the ankle rattles and the traditional drums made the first sounds of the band. The band later managed to acquire more music equipment that enabled it to keep running. Milege derives its name from a milégé, a Japadhola word meaningankle rattle whose sound symbolizes the coming of the chief or king.
Milege started exploring the beauty of different ethnicities in Uganda by doing music from different regions of the country. They have made music in Luganda, Runyankore, Luo, Karamajong, Lusoga, Lugisu, Kinyarwanda and English. This helped them to achieve one of their goals which was to promote national unity.
According to Manana F. Birabi, the founding member of Milege, Milege was started up to spearhead the creation of World Class Music rooted in Uganda’s cultural heritage
In 2010 Milege Partnered with Uganda Heritage Roots during their Repainting Uganda Tour to head hunt the best original traditional musicians in Uganda. This was aimed at promoting talent and Ugandan culture. Milege also started up a nonprofit project, Repainting Uganda, which is geared towards promotion of heritage arts. The project headed by Alison Nadunga has fed a number of street children and beggars through mosaic art. Repainting Uganda brings music with fashion, design, art, language, poetry etc.
In 2013 Milege started organizing their own festivals which saw their first ever festival, Repainting Uganda – World Music Festival 2013 sprout at the Lake Victoria Serena Resort. The second festival, Milege World Music Festival 2014 “Repainting Uganda” was held at the Botanical Gardens in Entebbe which became the new home of all the future annual World Music Festivals organized every November.
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Wikipedia