| Sebunjo Joel was born on 20th August 1985.He comes from the Buganda kingdom whose history dates back as far as the 17th century.Til todate it is one of the strongest kingdoms in the Greatlakes region.Sebunjo hails from the madfish clan which is the largest since time immemorial.He was born in kampala and later taken to his maternal uncles in bulemezi when he was four years, here he started learning how play traditional instruments with his grandfather who was a village court musician.He later moved to kampala for his elementary education.He says,"before i left bulemezi my grandie struck me because i had destroyed his papaya tree to make flutes in kampala."When he joined high school his insipiration as a folk musician went to the peak.Here his zeal to learn was noticied by Busulwa a court musician.Busulwa says,"Sebunjo came when was very young,i think 13 years!But when i critically anlysed him,i realised that he had the gift of music in him.He could play music men older than him couldn't.There for as an elder i was amazed by his charisma and hence embarked on training him more and more uganda traditional folk!"In Uganda it is thought that Folk music is supposed to be played by the oldmen,but Sebunjo has gone past the odds!He is always sighted in folk court ensembles with the court elders playing his endongo with alot of expression.He says the Endongo (bowlyre) is his favourite of all and he plays it in typical kiganda style.However he plays a diverse range of instruments which include the Engoma(connical drums),Amadinda(xylophone),Akogo(thumb piano),Tubefiddle(Endingidi) as well as folk vocal.It is really amazing how this young man interchanges these different vibes during his solo perfomances,"it is a concert i will never forget and to day it still rings in my mind "says Jacobsen.Sebunjo says that folk music is him and he is folk music.....wow!"It is very difficult for me to sleep before i play my lyre or flute."He says the secret lays in the message the music contains and though most of the lyrics are in his mother toungue"luganda",he asserts that the text doesn't matter alot but the feeling and emotion which the music embades in the audience.Some of his epic songs like kikwabanga,nandere,serukera convey aline of tales that prevailed in his homeland,time back.The greatest thing of all, joel says he loves to perform for charity inorder to change the lives of the unprevileged and him being a youngman he believes that it is his duty to awaken the world of the tragedies befalling his agemates."i know that through music i can do alot to change this realm for us the young people.Actually Music is the baest way of communication which dates back as far sa the biblical time."
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