Decline and significance of Amayebe musical tradition: Implications for Primary Musical Arts Teacher Education
Abstract
Indigenous musical practices provide numerous benefits; however, in contemporary society, African musical customs have been relegated to the background. This situation is not unique to Uganda, but it reflects a global crisis in the preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). This crisis highlights a need to appraise Indigenous practices, considering the past, present, and future. This study aimed to explore the decline and significance of the Amayebe musical tradition among Busoga communities in Southeastern Uganda and analyse its implications for Primary Musical Arts Teacher Education (PMTE). Employing an ethnographic approach, data were gathered through participant observation, semi-structured interviews with five master musicians, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with the master musicians and nineteen apprentices. Findings attributed the sharp decline in Amayebe performances to the scarcity of materials for making Amayebe instruments, a loss of interest among the youths, low community recognition, its historical reservation for royal functions, the impact of Westernised schooling, the passing of master musicians, and a perceived lack of support from ministries in charge of cultural preservation. Despite its decline, Amayebe serves multiple vital functions: welcoming and entertaining the Kyabazinga (king); expressing solidarity and celebrating the deceased during the last funeral rites; and educating and counselling during traditional marriage and other social ceremonies; and denouncing wrong societal acts. Strategies to revitalise Amayebe include increasing public exposure through festivals and mass media, mobilising new members into performing groups, ensuring sustainable availability of raw materials, and integrating the Indigenous practices embedded in different traditions into PMTE curricula. The study concludes that addressing colonial mindsets, documenting Indigenous practices, and supporting cultural bearers are crucial for preserving this heritage
Downloads
References
Agbaje, O. (2023). Curriculum reform in African higher education: solving society’s problems and meeting its needs. Curriculum Perspectives, 43(1), 141–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-023-00206-x
Akinola, A. O., & Matlosa, K. (Eds.). (2025). African Union and Agenda 2063: The Past, Present, and Future (First ed.). University of Johannesburg (UJ) Press.
Bhuda, M. T., & Gumbo, M. T. (2024). Developments Towards Integrating African Indigenous Knowledge in South African Universities. June, 0–2. https://doi.org/10.25159/UnisaRxiv/000082.v1
Coleman, P. (2021). Validity and Reliability within Qualitative Research in the Caring Sciences. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 14(3), 2041–2045.
Cooke, P. (1996). Music in a Ugandan Court. Early Music, 24(3), 439–452.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (Sixth ed). SAGE Publications Inc.
Government of Uganda [GoU]. (2013). Uganda Vision 2040. Government of Uganda.
Government of Uganda [GoU]. (2025). Report of the Education Policy Review Commission: Education for Values, Innovation, and Transformation.
Guanah, J. S., Anho, J. E., & Dalung, R. (2020). Communication components in a dance performance: Analysis of Ema Royal Dance of Ughelli Kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria. West Africa Journal of Arts and Social Sciences (WAJASS), 1(1), 125–140.
Human, R., & Akuno, E. A. (2024). Indigenising music education: The cross-cultural transfer of African Indigenous concepts and practices. In T. O. Rakena, C. Hall, A. Prest, & D. Johnson (Eds.), Decolonising and Indigenising Music Education: First Peoples Leading Research and Practice (pp. 88–107). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003288923-7
Isabirye, J. (2012). Bigwala Music and Dance of the Basoga People. 1–37.
Isabirye, J. (2019a). Nurturing Identity, Agency and Joy-Filled Passion through Revitalising Indigenous Music Education Practices: Learning in and from a Cultural Revival Project in Busoga, Uganda (PhD Thesis). Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.
Isabirye, J. (2019b). Sustainability of the Bigwala Musical Heritage of Busoga Kingdom, in Uganda (Master’s Dissertation). Kyambogo University.
Isabirye, J. (2021a). Can Indigenous music learning processes inform contemporary schooling? International Journal of Music Education, 39(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761421996373
Isabirye, J. (2021b). Indigenous music learning in contemporary contexts: Nurturing learner identity, agency, and passion. Research Studies in Music Education, 43(2), 239–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X20954548
Isabirye, J. (2024). Community musicking and musical cognition among adungu music communities of the Acholi people from Awach, Gulu district, Northern Uganda. Research Studies in Music Education, 00(0), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X241261564
Kafumbe, D. (2006). The Kabaka’s Royal Musicians of Buganda-Uganda: Their Role and Significance during Ssekabaka Sir Edward Frederick Muteesa II’s Reign (1939-1966) (Master's Thesis). The Florida State University.
Kaya, H. O., & Seleti, Yonah N. (2013). African Indigenous knowledge systems and relevance of higher education in South Africa. The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 12(1), 30–44.
Kitara Media Group. (2023). Fables and Folklores (Enganikyo) of Bunyoro-Kitara. 1–34.
Koehler, C. (2017). Crucial Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Formal Education Systems. In Handbook of research on social; cultural; and educational considerations of Indigenous knowledge in developing countries (pp. 60–79). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0838-0.ch004
Kyambogo University. (2008). History and Literature of African and Western Music (DMUP/2/1): A Module for Distance Education. Kyambogo University.
Lubogo, Y. K. (2020). History of Busoga. (I. C. Lubogo, Trans.). Marianum Press Ltd. (Original work published 1960).
Mangeni, A. S. (2019). The Marginalization of an Indigenous Master Musician-Teacher: Evalisto Muyinda — 1939–1993 (PhD thesis). Boston University.
Mugenyi, J. (2022). Singing Politics: Popular music, Popular Politics and Contigencies of protest in NRM’s Uganda (PhD thesis). Makerere University.
Nannyonga-Tamusuza, S. A. (2015). Music as Dance and Dance as Music: Interdependence and Dialogue in Buganda Baakisimba Performance. Year Book for Traditional Music, 47, 82– 96. https://doi.org/10.5921/yeartradmusi.47.2015.0082
Ndubisi, E. J. O., & Kanu, I. A. (2021). The Value of African Music: The Past, the Present and the Future. Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development, 89–111.
Ngoma, K. (2024). Towards Decolonising the Approaches of Teaching and learning Indigenous African Music at a South African university: Insights from Pre-service Music Teachers. Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research Towards, 6, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.38140/ijer-2024.vol6.41
Ngoma, K., & Fikelepi-Twani, Z. (2024). Decolonizing the Teaching and Learning of Indigenous Nguni Music Instruments in Higher Institutions of Learning in South Africa. E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 5(5), 578–592. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024552
Ogisi, A. A. (2019). Towards decolonising music education in Nigeria. Journal of Nigerian Music Education, 11, 1–24.
Onwuekwe, I. A. (2009). The Socio-Cultural Implications of African Music and Dance. Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies, 3(1), 171–185.
Pier, D. G. (2009). A Senator National Cultural Extravaganza of Uganda: A branded African Traditional Music Competition (PhD thesis). The City University of New York.
The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda [CCFU]. (2023). Endangered Musical Heritage: A Case of the Albertine Graben in Uganda 2023 (S. Musasizi & A. A. Akiiki (Eds.)). The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda [CCFU].
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics [UBOS]. (2024). National Population and Housing Census 2024 - Final report - Volume 1 (Main).
Tuma, A. D. T. (1973). The Introduction and Growth of Christianity in Busoga 1891-1940. With particular reference to the roles of the Basoga Clergyman, Catechists and Chiefs (PhD Thesis). University of London.
Walubo, E., & Hebert, D. G. (in press). Epistemic decolonisation of musical arts education: Analysis and recommendations from Uganda. Philosophy of Music Education Review.
Walubo, E., Ssegantebuka, J., & Sekalegga, L. B. (2025). Exploration of the Indigenous Knowledge and Skills Transmitted Through the Amayebe Musical Tradition among Busoga Communities. East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion, 8(1), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajtcr.8.1.3486.IEEE
Copyright (c) 2025 Erisa Walubo, Lawrence Branco Sekalegga, PhD, Julius Ssegantebuka, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
