Samite Mulondo: an underrated artist

Over the past five years Uganda's music scene has been witness to an incredible revival. During that time, Jose Chameleone, Ngoni, Mesach Semakula and Juliana Kanyomozi have become household names. Their success is not for maught: their songs have compelling lyrics and captivating melodies, but their popularity has obscured other great talents whose sounds may not be quite as lucrative for clubs and radio stations. It is for this reason that most Ugandans have not heard of Samite Mulondo.

Background

Samite was born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute. Recognizing his talents, a high school teacher in Kampala put a western flute in his hands putting him on the path to become one of the most highly acclaimed flutists in East Africa.

In 1982 he fled to Kenya as a political refugee, where he played with the Bacchus Club Jazz Band and the popular African Heritage Band, before performing solo at the Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nairobi. In 1987, he immigrated to the United States and lives in Ithaca, New York.

Although he lives in a country with a remarkable appetite for the mainstream, Samite has maintained a remarkably unadulterated sound for over 20 years. He continues to sing in luganda, his mother tongue, even though this has undoubtedly limited the market for his music. He is also a known enthusiast of instruments and rhythms from the traditional African music scene. His albums feature several original compositions played on kalimba (finger-piano), marimba (wooden xylophone), litungu (seven-stringed Kenyan instrument) and various flutes; traditional and western.

His Sound

With his musical skills and harmonious vocals, Samite's sound is often compared to that of a younger Geoffrey Oryema on Exile, but it is very much his own. Whereas Oryema experimented with rock and other genres, Samite has kept doing what he does best, and found enough success to keep on going:

Navigating the Music Industry

With 6 of his 7 albums on iTunes, it is quite possible that Samite reaches a wider international audience than any artist topping Uganda's pop charts today. He also has an online presence that is unusual among Uganda's musicians. His website, for instance, is well designed, regularly updated, has a concert calendar, and a press kit. He also maintains a page on MySpace. This means that if he needed to, he could create an online marketing campaign for his music in a way that very few of his contemporaries can.

Samite also seems to understand the music business and how it is changing. More to the point, he is doing a good job of finding markets for his music in that changing landscape. This is important because, for all of his talent, he will never get a crowd jumping in the way that Bobi Wine or Bebe Cool can, which means that touring is not quite as profitable for him. Also, album sales are no longer a reliable source of income, even for big name acts. Illegal music downloads have eroded many of the profits expected from album sales, meaning that artists have been forced to find other ways of making a living with their music. For Samite, the answer seems to lay with the film industry. Some of his songs were featured on the soundtrack of War Dance, a documentary about music and the conflict in Northern Uganda. He is also working as a music composer on a documentary on the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Wangari Mathai of Kenya.

Activism

But it is not for his music alone that Samite should be respected. In 2002, Samite founded Musicians for World Harmony, a nonprofit organisation that introduces music to African orphans, and sponsors musicians to visit and perform in refugee and IDP camps. In spite of his activism, Samite is yet to be nominated for a PAM award. This is a real pity. He has been an ambassador for Ugandan music for 20 years, performing with skill and passion before audiences that might have cared less. If for nothing else, he deserves some recognition for that.