Katokye (UGA)

An a cappella musical chronicle with a spiritual dimension

John Katokye: vocals, Rujeru Samuel: vocals

Katokye made their European debut at the legendary Le Guess Who festival. This year they are returning to Europe, bringing this unique vocal ensemble from Uganda—a region of cattle herders—to Prague.

In Uganda, the word “singer-songwriter” has a slightly different meaning than it does here. Katokye blends epic stories, improvisation, and spirituality into a single whole. His singing is accompanied not by instruments, but by one or more human voices. As a child, he reportedly ran away from home, traveled through western Uganda, collecting local stories and melodies, and today he is one of the most popular singers in his homeland. He released his first album as a veteran artist just before his sixtieth birthday. His work represents a unique musical form. A solo voice sings a phrase, an accompanying voice responds to it, gently elaborating on it and thereby confirming its validity. Katokye follows this with another line. The whole draws you in hypnotically thanks to the delicate balance between repetition and inventive variations. The musical landscape transforms into a winding path with peaks and resting places. Although this is a unique style, it employs methods similar to those found in Christian, Jewish, or the trance-like songs of Islamic Sufis. This is not a fusion, but rather the historical foundation of later genres.

Western Uganda is a region of cattle herders, a fact that has influenced the local musical style. Although parallels can be drawn with American cowboys or Colombian llaneros, each of these three regions offers a distinct style. For example, the song “Ekyeshongoro Kyabakazi” is a celebration of life in the village of Karengo, located in the heart of the Ankole region, where Katokye lives with his family. In the song, Katokye adds dark sounds to his vocals, mimicking the breath or lowing of cows grazing on the grassy hills surrounding his home. To say that people from these regions have a deep bond with their cattle is an understatement. Their culture and concept of beauty are defined by an aesthetic entirely different from our own. For the herders, the soothing sight of calves and the delicate taste of milk, which accompanies family gatherings and friendly get-togethers, are symbols of perfection. Critics compare the structure of Katokye’s songs to a chain of Japanese haiku triplets, whose lyrics combine small impressions of the countryside, local history, and the experiences of the cow herders.