Empowering communities through music.
A community clean-up event recently took place in Nsambya, Brass for Africa’s local community. The All-Star Band and Nsambya Community Band both took part in the day, playing an important role of mobilising and empowering the community at large and uplifting the morale on the day.
During a recent All-Star Band weekend, some of the members expressed their concern and worry about a lack of hygiene within their communities due to rubbish and waste being discarded improperly. This valid and pressing concern inspired Brass for Africa to take action and organise a community clean up event on Saturday 28th of May.
The community of Gogonya 2 is near the Brass for Africa Centre in Nsambya, and is an area where many of our students live (primarily those from Nsambya Community Band), and it is only a short march away from the Centre. In the community, there is an illegal dumping site for rubbish which has become overwhelmed with waste. Of particular concern is that the dumping site is located next to a water source which is used for washing bodies, and clothes, and for collecting drinking water for approximately 500 people.
To prepare for the day, we purchased shovels, rakes, brooms, gumboots, protective gloves, and fluorescent bibs with “Brass for Africa” on the front and “Community Empowerment – Creating Brighter Futures Through Music” on the back. The event began at the Brass for Africa Centre, with the All-Star Band leading a march down to the site. This encouraged local community members to follow the band and join the crowd. The All-Star Band were able to use the power of their music to gain attention and sensitize on this issue of sanitation and hygiene. Throughout the clean-up, the band played a range of musical pieces to inspire, motivate and lift the morale of the volunteers who were taking part in the clean-up.
Micheal, Music and Life-Skills Teacher and All-Star Band Assistant Conductor, and the Master of Ceremonies on the day:
“We felt really concerned about this community as some of our students live here and can face cholera, malaria, and other diseases due to bad sanitation. The All-Star Band ushered the people to come and attend this wonderful sensitization and the initiative has engaged different people including the community leaders and members!”
The attendees at the event included a core cleaning team of Brass for Africa staff, as well as community members, Counsellors and Local Chairmen. Other notable dignitaries present at the event included the local Mayor and the Minister for Public Health and Environmental Education and Social Services, who also mobilized trucks from the Kampala Capital City Authority to take the waste away.
The Nsambya Community Band also played an important role in the day, including Marching the team back to the Brass for Africa Centre where the day continued with performances and educational speeches.
Angel, Nsambya Community Band Member
“I thank all the Brass for Africa teachers and All-Star Band members for participating in this programme of cleaning our Zone here. Because if it weren’t for them, we would not have been here cleaning.”
The day was hard work but extremely successful and highlighted how music and working together can mobilise and empower communities to take action to improve their situation.
