From the Sunrise website (www.sunrise.ug)
http://www.sunrise.ug/magazine/entertainment/604-bayimba-festivals-on.html
Bayimba Cultural Foundation kicked off its regional festival initiative with a gala in the now peaceful Gulu town on Saturday May 8, 2010.
The initiative was meant to stimulate the arts scene in the Northern region and pick potential acts for the Bayimba International Festival of Music and the Arts that will take place in September from 17-19th , 2010 at the National Theatre in Kampala.
The Gulu regional festival started earlier in the week with a workshop led by Kaz Kasozi meant to equip artistes with live stage performance skills held at Undugu Centre.
After the workshop, artistes like Undugu Band, Jaitee Otim, Asante Africa and Ker Kwaro Acholi showed off the skills learnt on a magnificent stage never seen before in Gulu.
Saturday’s gala started off with a conference at Taks Centre in which singer Julie Sessanga and Arts Journalist Moses Serugo who gave artistes tips on how to market themselves better to their respective audiences.
This was followed by daytime traditional dance performances by Asanti Children’s Cultural Performers, Acholi Cultural Centre and Can-opwonya Women’s Group who did Dingi Dingi, Bwola and Larakaraka.
An art exhibition by Timothy Ocen and Samuel Okot, poetry recitals, stand-up comedy and a fashion show by Sara Aol were some of the other highlights of the day. Other revellers preferred tow watch the two films on offer, War Dance, about pupils of Patongo Primary School in Pader who travel to Kampala to perform the Bwola dance at a schools music competition in Kampala in 2005.
Kampala-based performers like singer Suzan Kerunen, kora-player Joel Sebunjo, AK Simba and The Blood Brothers reggae band also performed at the gala till the wee hours of the morning. The Bayimba Regional Festival will be in Mbarara on Saturday June 12, 2010 and finally in Mbale on July 10, 2010.
