Only one guitar

9 Aug 2009

Only one guitar

Musicians in Southern Sudan lack support to build up the industry

Budding musicians in Southern Sudan face an uphill struggle in an industry suffering a lack of funding, equipment and studios as well as stiff competition from outside performers.

Musicians in Southern Sudan lack support to build up the industry

Budding musicians in Southern Sudan face an uphill struggle in an industry suffering a lack of funding, equipment and studios as well as stiff competition from outside performers.

A major obstacle to the southern music scene was the scarcity of funding from public or private sources, according to Joseph Lagu, president of the Juba-based Freedom Kings and Queens Music Squad, an offshoot of Freedom Boys, one of the most popular music groups in the region.

Musicians needed just a small amount to kickstart their careers, Mr. Lagu said, noting that some music groups were unregistered, as the fee of SDG 2,000 ($840) per group was more than most could afford.

"We are very talented in music, but our talents will remain unexploited because of lack of support," said Felix Lukolo, the chairman of KK Contemporary Music Band.

Lacking money for modern instruments, many musicians were forced to use traditional ones like the harp, drums and local (guitar-shaped) adungu, the KK chairman said. "We are playing our music with only one guitar ... three microphones, no cameras. We have to depend on other video producers, who often charge us highly."

The music industry was also hindered by a limited number of studios, which often suffered power cuts, according to Mr. Lagu. "In this big city, there are only two studios. This forces musicians who can afford to travel to go to neighboring countries to record and produce their music."

Even when musicians had access to a studio, recording was costly at SDG 300 ($125) or about 250,000 Ugandan shillings per song, Mr. Lukolo said. "But 500,000 Ugandan shillings can record up to six songs in Uganda."

Stiff competition from external musicians and lack of support from the local population could also block a musician's climb to success, Mr. Lukolo said. "The negative attitude of the local population for internally produced albums grossly affects us, as the locals prefer buying foreign albums."

Mr. Lagu noted that only a few listeners turned up when local concerts were advertised, but that thousands came when external musicians like Jose Chameleon and Lucky Bosmic were invited to perform.

The local population needed to be sensitized about the importance of enjoying traditional and local music and the positive impact it could have on their lives, he said.

Yei-based musician Kenyi Bam, in Juba seeking sponsorship, blamed the lack of local support on underdevelopment and spotty electricity. "The society we are in has just emerged from war. Lack of electricity is a major obstacle ... when we produce the CDs, local people never want to buy them because they have no power."

Mr. Lagu also decried the lack of local laws protecting musicians, especially during concerts. "Musicians are very often harassed by the local authorities while performing music due to a lack of recognition," he said.

As a further obstacle to southern music, cultural disagreements and tribalism erupt between the several different musical groups, unions and associations, leading to misunderstanding, disintegration, and subsequent fragmentation of groups, said Mr. Lagu.

Many musicians ended up leaving the field due to the lack of incentives to remain, the Freedom Kings president added. Only a few musicians had been able to support their performers through funding the community collects when they were called for a show.

"When we perform shows, I use the money collected to motivate my members so that they can eat and also wash their clothes," he said.

Mr. Lagu himself was helped into the industry by UN Radio Miraya FM, which aired some of his recordings for free after he began playing guitar in 2006.
The station has helped other musicians broadcast and also record their programmes without cost, according to Miraya Radio Presenter Susana Abuk. And they were often invited to speak about their careers on the Miraya Achievers programme, which runs for an hour every week.

Despite the industry's hardships, Mr. Lagu is strongly committed to developing the music industry. "We want to achieve our goal of ensuring that our population is well-informed and entertained. We want to move forward and become like other musicians on the continent, such as the late Reggae star Lucky Dube."