Overall, the fundraising managed to collect about Shs880m, which will go towards sustainability of the Makerere Rotary Peace Centre.
Music, art and sport are a very important part in conflict resolution and peace building.
Through songs and sport, different cultures have come together and brokered peace deals – this was probably at the back of the mind of the organisers of the Africa Peace Concert that took place at Nsambya Gardens on Friday.
The fourth edition of the annual do was organised by Rotary Uganda in partnership with Rotary International Foundation with the aim of raising $500,000 (about Shs1.8b) to support peace building and conflict resolution.
To get this rolling, the organisers sought services of art, music and dance; curating a concert that brought together Diego Carniero, the Ghetto Kids and the original Blu*3.
Blu*3 have been on a roll since they reunited for a concert last year and since then, they have been sought after artistes for shows such as Blankets and Wine and Obafest that it was not surprising when they were tapped for the Africa Peace Concert.
However, the surprise was Diego Carniero, a cellist; not really new to Uganda, who was in the country in 2024 to collaborate and talk about climate conservation. The result was an amazing concert with Albert Ssempeke and various traditional instrumentalists.
Diego brought his A game to Nsambya, even when his music seemed a bit alien to some people.
Backed by three Ugandan players, he gave the audience a memorable string performance and his animated face with every key, was one thing that one could not miss. He was dedicated and seemed to enjoy every minute of the performance.
The band with old rotarians from Rotary Club of Muyenga was indeed a surprise and their rendition of old songs was something the audience did not know they needed.
The ghetto kids gave an electrifying performance as usual filled with their acrobatic dance skills. The performance also highlighted different aspects of promoting peace and conflict resolution. The main performance was Blu*3, and the beauty about the group, 20 years after its formation, is that they are all bonafide superstars. Hiring them is bringing three different artistes thus there is always more to enjoy.
Lilian Mbabazi hit the stage first, took the audience through some of her biggest songs. She was followed by Jackie and later Cindy Sanyu.
Now it was time to take the audience down memory lane. From Frisky to Nsanyuka Naawe, the ladies seemed to get people not only out of their sits but relieving 2004 when some of this music was released.
And of course, the place was buzzing, with people singing along to the anthems.
The event brought together different Rotary Clubs but it was the one from Muyenga that had the biggest representation. They were awarded for it.
They were closely followed by Rotary Clubs of Kampala Metropolitan.
Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick extended her gratitude to the Rotary communication in Uganda, noting that peace is at the core of Rotary’s mission.
Overall, the fundraising managed to collect $239,000 (about Shs880m), which will go towards sustainability of the Makerere Rotary Peace Center.
The Africa Peace Concert was supported by Centenary Bank, Fireworks Advertising, Jjengo and Roke Telkom.
The night ended with a DJ performance of an oldies set.
And the crowd loved it.
