DAILY MONITOR
23 January, 2006

UGANDAN WINS BRASS BAND WORLD AWARD

David Mafabi

After I heard the news, I looked up to the sky and worshipped God and said ‘thank you God for helping me reach this far’."

Crowds of youths had gathered around the offices of Foundation for Development of needy communities (FDNC) - an NGO that also runs a skills development centre for girl-child school drop outs, orphans and other needy children at Natondome village in Mbale district office - to practise. They could hardly understand the unexpected excitement that their boss, Mr Sam Watulatsu was engulfed in.

WINNERS: Part of the brass band during practise in Natondome village in Mbale district. Photos by David Mafabi

Speaking in Lugisu, Watulatsu whispered and said that he had been awarded with the noble prize for the prestigious Brass Band World Award and had also been invited with his band to tour UK.

Almost shedding tears of joy, Watulatsu, the director of FDNC, explained to the crowd that had surrounded him: "Finally, after a long struggle, the world all over is beginning to recognise my efforts and your efforts through the Brass Band reward and God is paying our sweat greatly, the struggle continues," he said.

Although many did not understand what he meant and what the award meant to them, they all clapped and cheered when he mentioned that he had joined the Brass Band World records as one of the winners for 2004/2005.

Watulatsu is the only African name to have gone into the records of the prestigious Brass Band World (BBW) award for 2004/2005 according to the end of year feature, and to attain the Order of Brass Band World (OBBW) award. He becomes the first Ugandan and African to win the prestigious Brass band award.

Sam Watulatsu, who has been awarded with the noble prize for the prestigious Brass Band World Award

Watulatsu formed a young people's band in Mbale, Foundation Youth Band (FYB), with a number of positive objectives in mind but he had never thought he would win a world prize in a ceremony to be presided over by Her Majesty the Queen later this month in England.

Through Care and Share Foundations based in Wales in the UK, Watulatsu and 18 members of the youth Band travelled to UK on October 22, on their first international invitation and performed in various cities; Mathera, Reading, Frodeshal and Pontypridd.

A DREAM COME TRUE
Born in 1970, Watulatsu is a holder of a Social Sciences degree from Makerere University. The pioneering brass band player in Mbale says he is not a musician and his ambition has never been to be one. His initial motive was to make a youth band that would work for the community and raise money for the essential charities, and to tap the talent of the idle youth. Watulatsu formed the Youth Brass band in Mbale in 1999.

He says he was inspired by FDNC where orphans, needy children and street children who had dropped out of school were. He wanted them to obtain music skills and have their lost hope rekindled by either going back to school or continuing to play with the band and earn a living.

His desire was to develop a skills centre at Natondome where youths would be trained in carpentry, tailoring, building and concrete practice, secretarial studies, musical skills (brass band), home management and institutional catering.

He says that just as importantly, the musicians would themselves benefit by having direction and purpose brought into their lives.

Today, the music is effectively being used to bridge the gaps in their society and to help people communicate and learn from each other.

This youth brass band travels all over Eastern Uganda and performs at big occasions, festivals, presidential visits, political campaigns, weddings, sports galas and schools' day celebrations. It employs over 72 young formerly street girls and boys.

The European celebrities to be honoured with Watulatsu during the ceremony are; Mr David Armitage, the chief executive of Sellers International, Mr Robert Morgan, the chairman of the British Federation of Brass Bands, Prof. Edward Gregson, the principal of the Royal Northern College of Music, Ms Smith Marie a teacher and brass band trainer who started playing a cornet when she was three, Mr Chris Wormald of Smith Hills School Band, Mr Jones Morgan who is a blind, an amputee and hemiplegic and Mr Raf Van Looveren the Brass Band Willebroek's principal cornet player.

The Brass Band World's (BBW) critic, Mr Vernom Briggs writes; "This year, Great Britain celebrates the work and contribution made by eight remarkable people. All the names listed for the prestigious award represent integrity, exceptional achievement and appropriate modesty. Her Majesty the Queen will be pleased."

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
Watulatsu has been praised by the awarding committee as "a source of inspiration for the Brass Band Music for everyone in Uganda and Africa as a whole."

John Onyango, 18, one of the brass band players says since childhood, he had the ambition of being a musician but this was shattered when he enrolled in schools that did not offer music practicals.

He says that at the Youths Brass Band, his talent has been rediscovered and that he will pursue it to greater heights. "In fact for me at the Youths Brass Band, I am at home, my talent is rediscovered and my ambition will be achieved," says Onyango.

One of the youngest players, Edith Musumeti, 12, says that she sees herself as one of the best musicians in the next five years.

"This is what I wanted to be and I see myself in the next five years as a great musician in the world," she says. Band guide, Beatrice Nabushawo says the band offers a lot of opportunities for young talented musicians whose talent had not been utilised when they dropped out of school.

Watulatsu says currently, the band members play brass, woodwind and percussion instruments donated by Camberley Youth Wing Orchestra based in the UK.

He says they also perform indigenous folk music and dance with traditional instruments. His target is to have the youth begin to learn string and keyboard instruments to begin a youth orchestra in Uganda and spread the brass band movement in Uganda.

Watulatsu describes his youth band members as self-motivated, committed and interested young men and women with great potential in music.

He says the target is to restore hope and sense of direction in the girl-child and boy-child and to promote poor communities literacy levels by sensitising and reinforcing communities’ through appropriate means.

The BBW noble prize awarding committee praised him for taking "a holistic approach in working for the community and raising money for essential charities that has seen many a child who had dropped out of school go back."

BBW continues to praise Watulatsu for striving to actively promote the productivity, innovativeness, and self-reliance of the disadvantaged people living in undeserved communities using the Brass band and FDNC.

Watulatsu says his band has also got itself an invitation to tour some cities in Germany next year. He believes that the brass band under FDNC, is particularly sensitive to the needs of the youth, orphans, street children, women, the girl-child, and other vulnerable groups especially those infected and affected by HIV/Aids.