We are on hallowed turf ladies and gentleman. It is the exact same feeling one gets as they set foot on a shrine. Indeed, on arrival at this most famous of landmarks on Dewinton Road, in down town Kampala, the sense of history is apparent. Today more so,for here is where the celebrations to mark the golden jubilee of the Uganda National Cultural Center begin. In the foyer, the welcoming committee supervised by Joyce, the Educational Officer, have done a great job of reminding us where we are. It is not only that we are in the shadow of the Parliament of Uganda, apparently the British Colonialists liked nothing better than a spot of theatre after a debate, but it is also the portraits of the past Art Directors. Names that roll off the tongue, such as Okot p' Bitek, Elly Sendi, Walakira, Kalundi Serumaga.All luminaries of a local and global stature.The latter just happens to be standing in the foyer looking at a collage of images from the past , no doubt bringing back memories. We exchange a few words including about his up coming court case , he seems confident enough about going up against the government in the courts of law and winning. Moving on, flyers promoting great works of art by legendary theatre companies such as the Negro Angels' "Gampisi" and "Oluyimba lwa Wankoko" by Byron Kawaddwa's Kampala City Players, Alex Mukulu's "30 years of Bananas" leave us in doubt about the illustrious company we are keeping.
All pretenciousness is laid to waste when we recognise, Honourable Ken Lukyamuzi, Member of Parliament and leader of the Conservative Party of Uganda as well as Fagil Mandy, published author, teacher and great actor in his own right, all in attendance. Slightly curious is the low turn out for an event of this magnitude, not to mention the absence of youth in the ranks. We put it down to the heavy weather. The celebrations are meant to last until World Theatre Day in March 2010 and there are a whole host of activities in store. Beginning with a dialogue between former Art Directors and Members of the Board of Trustees for the UNCC.
The discussion starts late and as expected the Mr Walugembe the Art Director blames it on the rain. The speakers in order of apperance are Mr Kalundi Serumaga,Proffessor Katama, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ms Sarah Birungi also a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the former Art Directors, Mr.Elly Sendi, Mr Walakira and Mr Steven Rwengyezi. Each speaker by turns favours the use of anecdotes to give the audience by now filing in nicely and assuming a youthful character, an insight into the role of art in society. The difficulties of dealing with authoritarian regimes that exist to stamp out individuality and creativity under the guise of dissent are well documented. For instance, Elly Sendi recounts the dark day when the forces of Idi Amin stormed the theatre and picked up Byron Kawaddwa Art Director and playright whose body was later discovered in a forest.The speakers also shed light on how each addressed the problem of funding which is perennial. Stephen Rwengyezi former Art Director and holder of a degree in Economics, exhorts the art community to be organised and lobby for more funds by showing that they are a political force.Politics imitates theatre as one observed. Mr Rwengyenzi illustrates his point further by recounting how he invited the President to the theatre and had him sit on a faulty chair that collapsed undeneath him. This forced the President to recognise the sorry state of disrepair the theatre was in at the time. All in all this dialogue left us with a clear sense of purpose and mission to make art relevant to our society.
"You put the hue in human"-Talib Kweli-Knowledge of Self Determination
