What makes the Nyege Nyege festival tick

When it comes to crossing things off a bucket list, attending the Nyege Nyege festival is well worth the experience. 

Held on September 5-8 this year, it was the ultimate fiesta. It’s now so popular, so anticipated and so willing to offer everyone who is determined to travel from their countries to Uganda with the best experience of the year. 

The annual festival, held at the Nile Discovery Resort Beach in Njeru, Jinja, is about many things: non-stop music and dance, captivating art, eclectic fashion, diverse cultural representations and the famous Ugandan snack rolex. 

Despite last year’s near cancellation as well as the event’s main partner MTN pulling out of this year’s festival, one thing was for sure: the festival would still be one of a kind.

Thousands congregated the fifth edition of what the organiser described would be “The Best Party on Earth” in an attempt to experience a musical adventure by the River Nile. 

Kenyans, as would be expected, arrived in droves and would eventually dominate the showcase with their ceaseless “Wamlambez, Wamnyonyez” chants. 

Different cultures are represented at the festival. Music is a universal language that all the artistes present aim to discover and redefine

THE PRE-PARTY

Well, before the actual party, there was a range of activities that acted as a build-up to the main fiesta. 

In Nairobi, the Nyege Nyege warm-up party was held at the Muze Club four days before the opening, showcasing work from some of the acts who made the festival’s line-up. 

A day before the opening of the festival, a number of party buses and trucks transported Kenyan revellers to Jinja.

AD Family Music Group president Musau Mumo, who organised one of the party buses, emphasised on the importance of revellers travelling and creating fun with close friends before the actual fete. 

“Kenyans know how to throw a party and have fun, and it’s only reasonable to travel to the festival in a bus full of friends and partygoers,” Musau said.

Kenyan rapper Boutross Munene, who was among the artistes who intermittently entertained revellers on the party bus, understood that it was about keeping the energy levels up at all times. 

“For me, it’s not about entertainment. It’s more about doing what I love and, therefore, once in a while I would leap up, bust a move or even drop some bars for the crew I was travelling with,” Boutross said. 

THE LINEUP

What Nyege Nyege provides for artistes at a certain point in their careers is the chance to overturn assumptions or preconceived notions about their work, to assert themselves as worthy innovators and to claim their own freedom of creation. Its lineup is quite rare, with appendages in nearly every genre there is. 

Kenyan artiste MC Yallah, who made the lineup this year, agrees that the most noticeable aspect about the event is the ability to meticulously put together a festival without any A-list artistes.

“I’m one of the Nyege Nyege artistes who has been working with them since 2015. The organisers have devised a mechanism of identifying talented and good artistes who don’t feature in the mainstream scene,” Yallah said.

Looking at the schedule, it would be difficult to draw a sweeping conclusion on what to expect at the festival. But from a lineup that may have seemed unpredictable, a sense of spontaneous thrill would rip through the festival every time an underground act would perform. 

Boutrouss Munene, who was part of the 2018 lineup, revisited memories of his performance with his fellow collective members on the mainstage. 

“Last year, we had an amazing experience as we got to experience another level of professional setup and workflow both on and off the stage. That’s something we don’t get to see often back at home,” he said.

This year, acts were drawn from East Africa as well as the rest of the continent. In order to complete the entire experience, there was a careful selection of international acts. 

THE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

At Nyege Nyege, the wonderful grounds opened to give away a diverse playground for culture, visual art and performance. You could find eclectic delights in every corner that you roamed. 

The festival began on Thursday afternoon, September 5, and lasted until Monday morning, September 9.

Over the course of the four days of non-stop music, Nyege Nyege exhibited quite a variety of exciting activities.

“Different cultures are represented at the festival. Music is a universal language that all the artistes present aim to discover and redefine,” Musau said.

While most revellers might be used to the intimate setting that was offered by the main stage’s live performances, there were other sets that really got you appreciating the festival experience. 

The external disco was indeed the electronic music hotspot, where revellers drank beers and cocktails, dancing happily with each other as various DJs from around the world played their sets.

Kenyan media specialist Zooki shared how the same energy could be felt across all stages, with groups enjoying the commercial hits at the Bell Jamz Stage, reggae tunes at the 154 Stage and death growls, heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars at the Dark Stage. 

“It’s quite impressive to witness how different stages at the festival attract a reasonable crowd at all times. This is a step in the right direction for the organisers, who have ensured every attendee is entertained,” Zooki said.

For those who preferred not to book mansion-sized AirBnbs or luxury hotels, the Nyege Nyege festival offered a proper and secure camping experience right next to the entire showcase. 

Dutch national Pieter Buikema expressed that the camping is truly part and parcel of the ultimate Nyege Nyege experience.  

“You can either bring your own tent or hire a tent and become part of the huge 'Bedouin Tribe' in a field with tents almost as far as you can see," he said.

"The camping is basic, but luckily fellow nomads provide you with breakfast and coffee to get you ready for yet another day or night at Nyege Nyege."

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

For the artistes, the festival provides a chance to build their networks and push their art beyond their boundaries.

MC Yallah acknowledged the resolve by the organisers to scout for underground artistes and place them on a major platform that they never imagined. 

“The opportunities are quite many. You get to work with international DJs, collaborate with artistes from different countries and perform on international platforms, including Europe,” he said.

It was during the 2018 festival that the AD Family developed a strong bond with South African rapper Sho Madjozi, a relationship that has developed to a musical project that was recently launched in the Thrift Social event.  

“We met promoters, musicians and deejays from various countries and had discussions of possible collaborative efforts in future,” Musau said.

For the residents of Jinja, it is probably the only time in the year when they can make a killing from music tourism. 

All in all, if you possess the spirit to party and overcome the difficulties caused by less sleep and fatigue, then Nyege Nyege is the finest installation for a perfect weekend getaway. 

Edited by Tom Jalio