19 “Ssematimba and Kikwabanga”

Sserwanga remarks how “Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” comments on reciprocity as a practice of mutual growth and overcoming rather than a matter of give and take. That is, the value that two people place on each other can mold into a unified appreciation. His remarks also affirm an eminent relationship to the present, acknowledge the risks of everyday experience, and embrace gratitude while simultaneously critiquing cyclical violence.

Bisaso’s performance of “Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” begins with inchoate ramblings on the bow harp (ennanga), which quickly gain momentum and settle into an intricate pattern of plucking. Like previously discussed performances featuring the bow harp, the instrumental part of “Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” consist of two complementary melodies played by either hand of the performer in an interlocking fashion. The bow harp part, performed in triple meter, sets the song’s rhythmic framework. Soon after the establishment of this instrumental part, Bisaso’s vocals commence in a slightly timid way, which continues throughout the performance. He maintains a balance between the instrumental and vocal parts. The rapid rises and falls in intonation portray the conversational quality of the vocal part, with some sections sounding more like dialogue than melodic lyrics. The overall structuring of “Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” is a reminder that multiple musicians can perform the song in a call-and-response style. Sometimes Bisaso employs repetition—for instance, mentioning the two brothers’ names, Ssematimba and Kikwabanga, at the end of every vocal phrase. Although he performs the song at a fast tempo, the piece is generally somber and reflective. His low, quiet mood, which the buzzy timbre of the bow harp instrumental enhances, brings out the sentiments of the song’s lyrics. So does the performer’s slow lyrical delivery and overall sorrowful tone, which bestows a sense of sadness and regret to his performance. After a few minutes, Bisaso’s performance unfurls into a nonmusical banter as swiftly as the music stops. Bisaso sings the following lyrics:

“Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” highlights the distress of the singer, who, reeling at the thought of death, begins to contemplate his life. Beyond the goats that Ssematimba and Kikwabanga raise but cannot enjoy, the lyrics portray the distress of losing one’s kin and dying alone. The singer describes this separation as being jilted, as a rejection by his beloved brother that reverberates beyond his own life to impact his child. Repeating the phrase “Those who tether goats you do so in vain” (lines 2, 5, 8, 13, 20, and 24), he recognizes death as a leveler, emphasizing that one’s earthly plans no longer matter once death arrives. (Here, “tether goats” could also refer to raising and accumulating the animals.) However, the singer does not necessarily despair at the concept of death itself but at the thought of dying alone. This sorrow about being alone implies that the quality of Ssematimba and Kikwabanga’s bond was not one of individually conceived lives but of a mutual strength that they found in each other.

“Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” emphasizes that we are always surrounded by risk and uncertainty in both war and quotidian life. In the case of the brothers in question, they assume they will survive the battle, and thus they choose to postpone enjoying the goats. However, they both die and lose the opportunity for a final meal. With this point, “Ssematimba and Kikwabanga” becomes a narrative about reaffirming one’s commitment to the present moment. Rather than thinking that we subsist through the expectation of future success and planning accordingly, we should live life wholesomely and grasp opportunities in the moment. In other words, we should not put things off.

These ideas tie in to expressing gratitude. As Sserwanga earlier explains, valuing others is more than simply appreciating them for their provisions, as one must reciprocate their efforts. In this instance, “valuing” refers to the various ways individuals might exchange with one another, giving and taking until one reimagines one’s “values” in the framework of the other’s already preexisting set. This applies to twenty-first-century Uganda: whereas the conflicts of the precolonial past no longer torment them, people must now overcome the issue of exploitation among their leaders. Thus, Uganda’s issue today might depend on reinstating this logic “valuing” that includes reciprocity, as some of the analysis in the following section demonstrates.