"Sandra K is the nightingale of our souls. Her clarity, sheer talent, and joy send you out beyond the stars with her beautiful, original songs. Listening to her, I knew I was listening to history being made. You will just love her, as I do now."
To write Part II of our 1 on 1 with Sandra Karigirwa I met up with Sandra in person in January this year. She was as beautiful in person as I had seen from her images. She clearly embraces her being Ugandan, having moved here at a younger age. But at the same time she is well aware of her Rwandese roots. In addition Sandra seems to be a driven fearless young woman... with so many dreams. Being orphaned by the Rwandese genocide, sad as the situation is, has only given this young beautiful woman an inner strength to deal with whatever challenge that may come her way. She is destined for greatness.
Sandra Karigirwa.
As we sat down at an Indian restaurant on the roof top of Kampala's Garden City Mall, we talked about her recently released album Nyina Wumuntu. At this stage she was working on a new video for her song Katika. We talked about this, other songs on the album and her upcoming performance at the UNAA convention in San Fancisco in August 2007.
Peter: In our last interview our main focus was on you growing up and your earlier recordings like
Malaika, how different is Sandra now that you are in your early twenties?
Wow... there is a big difference.
Okay...
I've changed. Not just physically... but with everything that I am doing. Like with music... I have changed totally here. When I was young I used to do classical music. So before I was learning the skills of how to become a musician and now, at this present stage in my life I'm trying to become a single musician... A musician who does not depend on other people. Well... not personally. Of course you always need people to help you. What I mean is that for example I compose my own songs, I go to the studio and record them and I make sure that I am very much involved in the promotion of my songs.
Sounds like a lot of work at such a young age.
(laughs) It's not easy. It's not easy but I make sure that at least I do what I feel is right with my music. But before it was not like that because different people like Frank Katoola and Gordon (first mentioned in Part 1) and others used to cater for me.
Sandra Karigirwa.
So you play the piano...
Yes I do.
Hmnn... interesting. And what is your song-writing process?
It simply depends on whatever I am feeling. I get an urge to express it. For example, when I wrote the song Nyina Wumuntu. This song... You see I don't have a mother... I am an orphan... But according to how I felt I should have a mother's love, and how that love should be, is how I brought out the song. Whoever still has a mother; they should love her and take care of her because she is somebody very important in one's life.
Nyina Wumuntu Video
So I get this feeling in me and then I start composing.
Who is the second girl in the video?
Her name is Jane. Then the guy is Olivia. The woman is a very special friend who I treat as my mom... someone I look up to.
Great... Now we can better understand the video to
Nyina Wumuntu. How about
Katika... tell us about Katika.
Hah... Katika... (Sandra gets excited... clearly she loves this song)
The video is very simple... very...
Nope... don't talk about the video (the first video). (laughs)
I know the video was recorded by your adopted father while you were sick from Malaria...
The First Katika Video
Yes I was sick... but another video is in the making.
Well I think the video's simplicity is an asset in that it does not steal from the music and it leaves a lot of room for growth... a teaser of sorts. The song itself is very entertaining.
With everyone producing videos, the market in Uganda requires me to do another video of the song. People here have "critical minds." Katika is not bad... I like it too. When I listen to it I start shaking my head. And that is why I want it to have a stronger video.
The direct translation of Katika is "to break up."
New Katika Video
Tell us about the other songs.
There is Naramakunze. (She starts singing the song so that I could remember it from the CD I had left in DC)
That is a love song. I composed it for my Dad. He loved me when I didn't know him. He really loved me so much that I had to even call him my Dad... my real dad. So I had to compose that song. It's in Kinyarwanda... its saying that "I loved him."
But when people in Kigali or Burundi listened to it... actually one radio station in Kigali... La Radio Dix(in a sudden French accent)...
The what?
(laughing at me)Radio Dix... Radio Ten is the English translation.
I know... Je parle aussi un petit peu du franais.
(All laugh.)
D'accord. The thing is I went there when these guys tried to make me admit of having a boyfriend. I told them that even though I don't have one I get these feelings too. I don't have a boyfriend but I get inspired. But I guess everyone can interpret the song in whichever way they want.
Tell us about another song.
Ntugire Intimba... (she starts to softly sing the song). "Don't get lonely... I'll be there to comfort you.... To be by your side."
Then there is Pamoja. Both Pamoja and Katika were done with a Ugandan artist known as Bishop. Bishop Kizza is a brother to a famous musician here known as Mr. Mosh. The song is done partly in Swahili.
You only burst onto the scene late last year and already you among one of the singers to
perform in San Francisco at the UNAA convention. How did you pull that off?
Oh my God... that was such a big surprise. This was the time when I was working with Julie from MusicUganda... the same time I made contact with you. They got all my info from her. So one day, some time in November 2006, I got the phone call from Mr. Kalemba... he is among the organizers. I was relaxing... sleeping... when I got the phone call. I did not know much about the event and Julie had to educate me and she encouraged me to grab the opportunity.
I have tried numerous times to come to the United States to visit my Dad and they have often denied me a visa. Hopefully I will have no problem going there to perform.
Who do you give credit to where you are at today?
Apart from crediting myself... I give credit to my Dad. He has put in a lot of time and money into my career. My Dad has contributed so much... from videos to being able to pay for studio time.
Actually I call myself a luck girl because I see so many people being held behind. But thank God everything is happening to me... do much and so fast.
So where do you see yourself at the end of 2007?
When I come back from San Francisco I would like to begin starting something up in Rwanda with the help of sponsors and people to help me. I studied Drama at Mr. Katoola's place. It was not easy to understand it until I reached Rwanda. In Rwanda we the young generation are suffering inside. There is nothing to let out what we truly feel.
We are not given chances to express ourselves.
So when I get some money and get sponsors, I want to go back to my home village in Rwanda where I was born. I would like to get some children aged 15 and below and start some sort of Drama school. I would like them to grow not knowing that there is a Tutsi, there is a Hutu or there are the Batwa. I want them to grow knowing that they are just one.
Sandra Karigirwa.
First published: July 24, 2006
About the Author Peter Allen Kigonya is the founder of UGPulse.com
