FILMING BITONE
Bitone Means "Talent"
children and youth heal their lives by learning traditional African performing arts
Thank You Bitone
Way up there in the realm of "Best Life Experiences...Ever" now sits the memory of walking into a small, light filled living room with four worn out couches (evidently from lots of practice sessions), and unfamiliar musical instruments hanging on the walls. Children spilled into the room and organized themselves in choir-like rows behind one of the couches as five young men removed various instruments from the walls- one took a seat behind a carved wooden xylophone, and another beneath what I could best describe as a harp. Neither Ssanyu, Erik nor I were prepared for what we were given and I can't quite put into words how the voices I heard touched me, but I'll try. Imagine a chamber of "stuff," locked away inside your soul, a messy room of suppressed emotion you never knew existed, and now imagine a key opening that door to let in a flood of blinding, healing light...
And then they danced for us. The young men and women showed us a courtship dance with much bravado and took to drumming that electrified the ground. A couple girls were kind enough to teach Ssanyu and I traditional moves from our clan...Thank you Bitone.
****** Pssst. Over here!
Bitone was recently invited to perform for dignitaries entering Uganda at Entebbe airport but could not afford costumes. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to perform so I can't sit well with the disappointment my Bitone homies felt from this setback. Please keep Bitone in mind and listen to the music as Peace & Happiness organizes a structured way to contribute to the purchase of costumes, sound equipment and transportation.
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Special thank you to Bitone Director Branco Sekalegga, who was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and is currently studying musicology at Wesleyan University (serendipity strikes again, Wesleyan is my Alma Mater). And to Grant Buhr the producer, activist, engineer who diligently records the sounds of Bitone and is responsible for the US promotion efforts.
Part of our research into the Rwot Ber Women's Association (the shea nut gatherers organization) led us to the weekly Saturday morning market that takes place beneath a halo of shea trees. The location once served as a rebel camp ground. We went to the market in search of shea oil, a common cooking oil in the region, and after a few hours of filming we sat our tired behinds down for a meal at the Obama Hotel (a round mud structure with a grass roof) for pigeon peas with shea nut oil and cassava.