GEOFFREY ORYEMA – No Ballads Ballad

Geoffrey Oryema (1953–2018) was a Ugandan musician. In 1977 after the murder of his father, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who was a cabinet minister in the government of Idi Amin, he began his life in exile. At the age of 24, and at the height of Amin’s power, Oryema was smuggled out of the country in the trunk of a car. He sang mainly in Swahili and Acholi, the languages of his lost country, the “clear green land” of Uganda. He also sang in English and French.

Oryema earned his international reputation on the release of his second album, Beat the Border. He collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno and others, and was backed by French musicians including Jean-Pierre Alarcen (guitar) and Patrick Buchmann (drums, percussion, backing vocals), touring with WOMAD in Australia, the USA, Japan, Brazil and Europe.

In 1994 the band performed at Woodstock 94 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the legendary festival. Gabriel’s record label, Real World, helped with the first three of Oryema’s albums, before his move to Sony International, a label established in France, where Oryema had lived since his exile. In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall, and with 1 Giant Leap at the Live 8 Edinburgh concert.

He resided in Paris, France, until his death. His ashes were delivered to the town of Anaka, in Uganda.