17 “Baamunaanika Hill”

In his narration of the historical context of “Baamunaanika Hill,” Semeo Ssemambo Ssebuwufu (ca. 1959–2015), a former page of King Muteesa II (r. 1939–1966), also elaborated on how the king reciprocated the effort of his young pages at Baamunaanika:

Sserwanga’s remarks confirm that the king supported musicians within spaces like the Baamunaanika court in a mutually beneficial fashion. He provided for their needs, and they informed, entertained, and advised him. Similarly, apprenticeships within the court were not simply extractive or transactional relationship; instead, they were mutual exchanges, with experienced court musicians providing their knowledge and skills, while their apprentices provided the opportunity for their mentors to sustain and grow their craft while serving the king. Ssebuwufu’s observations recall how the king occasionally moved between his musicians’ shelters within the court. With this context, the creation of Baamunaanika Hill is not a single event but an ongoing process of preparation that continues as long as the king continues moving. For Sserwanga and Ssebufuwu, “Baamunaanika Hill” relates to their personal connection with King Muteesa II. Although they focus on different aspects, their commentaries emphasize similar themes. For instance, in Ssebuwufu’s version, he does not describe the pages’ role of cleaning the court ahead of the king’s arrival as unquestioned service to the king; instead, he qualifies it with lyrics such as “He has a lot on his mind, the one of Mmengo.” In this way, Ssebuwufu’s variation gives “Baamunaanika Hill” another meaning, indicating that the king did not receive the labor of his pages carelessly. Instead, he reciprocated their effort by thoughtfully leading the kingdom and fulfilling his responsibilities to the best of his ability.

Sserwanga opens his performance of “Baamunaanika Hill” by softly bowing the tube fiddle (endingidi) to produce a melody of rapid notes in triple meter. After briefly introducing this instrumental material, he begins to sing lyrics loudly in a chanting style. For the most part, he sings in the higher end of his vocal range, occasionally reaching the highest pitches with his head voice, sounding like roaring cries. Most of his vocal phrases differ from one another, and he punctuates them with pauses of instrumental material. Sserwanga’s tube fiddle playing grows more frantic as the piece goes on, until the end, when it mellows out into silence. In the course of his performance, he brings out the song’s joyous lyrical content with his energetic playing, only staying on a couple of notes and alternating between them to create a healthy balance of tension and release. In addition to the song’s cheerful instrumentation, the vocal part is equally impassioned, given its exploration of high notes. Such an energetic performance reflects the love that the singer feels for the king. Sserwanga’s lyrics appear below:

The lyrics of “Baamunaanika Hill” show how celebrating the site in question comes from the composer’s love for the king: because the leader is there, the hill becomes the object of his praise (lines 1, 3, and 18–19). The singer also praises the king because he is great and generous, describing how when he is there, the food is plentiful (line 5) and the work is pleasant (line 6). “I have never had to cut down reeds” refers to collecting materials for constructing and maintaining the court enclosure, which is traditionally made of reeds. The song repeats that the singer will stay at Baamunaanika (lines 8–9), implying his loyalty to the king and recognizing how he benefits from serving him. During the performance, it becomes clear that the singer is not merely a subordinate to the leader but a type of equal. The king’s service to the people is not simply to rule over them but to guide them, to handle matters “carefully” and to rule with wisdom (lines 33–35). In response to the king’s generosity, his subjects and the court musicians must give back with their own loyalty and dedication (line 32). The latter part of the song focuses less on the people’s duty to the king, prioritizing the leader’s service to his people.