Fans, relatives and media welcomed famed Acholi musician Geoffrey Oryema at Entebbe International Airport almost 40 years since that 1977 day at the age of 24 when he was smuggled across the border in the trunk of a car from Uganda; this was after the death of his father who had been a cabinet minister. Oryema then went on to have a very successful music career in France.
He is back home on the invitation of Faisal Kiwewa, Director Bayimba Foundation to headline the inaugural Bayimba Honours ceremony slated for the 17, Dec, 2016 at Lohana Academy.
ALSO READ: Geoffrey Oryema returns from exile decades after Amin murdered his father
After his Friday arrival, Oryema who could grasp his emotions said: “Today am crying tears of joy because when I left 40 years ago, these tears were soaked in me.
“This is a new beginning for me because I have crossed a chapter and opened another one so it is a new beginning.
“My message to all Ugandans is a message of peace and together. We have to get together as one.
The legendary singer says he never had the courage to return home even after Amin was gone
“For all the love I have for my motherland, I didn’t come back when Idi Amin was overthrown because I didn’t want to become a refugee for the second time. It was because of the hate for the politics that led to my father’s death. Uganda was still very unstable.”
The inaugural Bayimba Honors ceremony will be recognizing Arts and creative industry philanthropists who have invested time, resource and sometimes their own money and effort, consistently towards the promotion and growth of the industry.
Geoffrey is perhaps the greatest and most known living Ugandan musician in world music. For 8 years, Oryema’s song YE YE YE has served as a signature tune for a cultural talk show, on FRANCE 2 (one of the biggest TV channels in France). Up to this day, the song is on the setlist, and the band shall be playing it for the audience in Kampala.
Tickets have been on sale at the National Theatre of Uganda, Que Pasa Kampala, Afriart Gallery Kampala, Alliance Française Kampala, Goethe-Zentrum Kampala UGCS, Shell Bugolobi, Jinja road and Kiira rd while for for online purchases, www.easyticket.co.ug is still available at 100,000/=, 200,000/= for VIP and UGX 3M for a table of 10 people. READ ALSO
http://theugandan.com.ug/geoffrey-oryema-returns-exile-decades-amin-murdered-father/
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