20 “Poland”

Edward Ssebunnya Kironde further explained the historical context behind “Poland,” as well as the creative liberties that its composers took when writing it:

Contextualizing “Poland” in World War II, Deziderio presents the song as a response to the British colonial government’s decision to draft Ugandans to fight in the war effort. From this perspective, the song speaks to the hapless violence of colonialism that result in such injustices as the conscription of Ugandans to fight in World War II. The context that Deziderio offers demonstrates the role court musicians have in explaining and making sense of current events within and beyond Buganda. They can distill any sort of political event into a common theme that the Baganda people might witness daily. This practice allows listeners to craft imaginaries between more localized, indigenous regions and European nations, which tend to garner most of the popular focus of the international stage.

Kironde’s account also recalls the process by which global politics can filter into Kiganda court music traditions. The commentary reshapes our understanding of what might be “relevant” to these musicians. It also speaks to the musicians’ involvement and presence under the colonial rule of the British and highlights the irony of Britain’s decisions to claim the moral high ground against Germany while they were conscripting Ugandans to fight in the war. With this background in mind, we come to understand how the lyrics of “Poland” can implicate colonial hypocrisies, even when the performer abstains from explicitly mentioning them.

Deziderio opens his performance of “Poland” with a short instrumental section featuring gentle bowing of the tube fiddle (endingidi). Each melodic phrase starts on the same pitch, blossoming upward into higher notes before falling back down into lower pitches as the next measure begins. These phrases also end on the same note. After this opening excerpt, the vocal accompaniment begins. Deziderio repeats several vocal phrases, each one similar in melodic form, rhythmic framework, and overall duration. This repetition of similar melodies evokes the cyclical, redundant nature of violence in political dynasties. The texture of the piece, with the lead melody sung over the accompanying tube fiddle line, remains heterophonic throughout Deziderio’s presentation. Toward the end of the performance, he sustains a lyrical phrase of much longer duration without pausing. Shortly afterward, the performance ends abruptly with a final lyric. The tempo and key remains the same throughout Deziderio’s brief performance as he sings:

Michel Foucault has observed that warfare is not prevented by the rule of law; rather, systemic rules enable the violence that they are supposed to protect against.3Foucault 1977, 151. Thus, colonial systems of thought may be responsible for creating a tendency for civil war, just as they justify the subjugation of peoples. As a rejection of this colonial mindset “Poland” explains that the Europeans fighting in Poland should be left to their sovereign pursuits, knowing that their conflict will eventually pass (lines 4 and 7); “rest” and “tire” imply that the fighters will ultimately resolve their battle. In fact, the wording of the lyrics suggests that such fighting is inevitable and that even comradeship has the chance of dissolving into such animosity (line 6). To borrow Beverley Diamond’s framing, the song does not merely mark a historical event but in addition is a testimony.4Diamond 2013, 160. Deziderio sustains a complex phrase toward the end of the song to bring it to an emotional climax. He states, “What seemed to be like peace talks result in shafts” (line 5), where “shafts” means fights. This line and the next one, “You see, even the friendship of men culminates in shafts,” demonstrate the eventual yet futile nature of war—that conflict arises, but it is never worthwhile to make a war out of it. Directly after this climax, he repeats the final sentiment—“Let them fight also, they will eventually tire” (line 7)—and the song ends abruptly, leaving the listener to ponder its message.

In the lyrics of “Poland” resides a discourse on the power of neutrality as an option for engaging in conflict. It suggests that conflict is inevitable, a natural part of living that arises on both large and small scales, between friends and enemies alike. Accordingly, one can accept this truth and choose to avoid feeding into the mindlessness that turns conflict into war. Rather than seeing conflict as something to fight or avoid, the song imagines it as a wave of energy that can be managed. When we learn to manage these waves, we avoid inflicting senseless damage.