Rhythmic passage to Africa

Hyderabad: AT A rough estimate there are 500 African students pursuing various degree and diploma courses here, many of them in computers. Admits Sabuni: "The IT buzz has brought me to India. Everyone in my country are talking about it and I wanted to check it out."

The US was the obvious destination yet Sabuni chose India as he didn't want to join the bandwagon and has not regretted his choice. "It is a different country alright but I am familiar with the Indian way of life. I have several Indians as my friends in Uganda," he says, adding "they are a powerful community back there".

Hyderabad, for him, is a home he has never left. "Even my grandmother who visited me last year felt the same. People here are very friendly and hospitable. You can knock on your neighbour's door and seek a glass of water which you cannot imagine happening in other places like Mumbai, for instance."

In his early 20s, Kamal has come here three years ago and is in the final year of his computer applications course. "Education system here is quite flexible and the social scene is just about picking up....," he says. The African students have their own small parties in their houses or in some resort where they get to do their own thing.

"Music is an intrinsic part of our lives. All our gatherings have music. It is called `Ujama Swahi' (together with music) which is to motivate ourselves to face life's hardships. I feel Indian music has an African heart, very rhythmic," he describes.

Sukhbir, Bally Sagoo and others have popularised Indian music in his country and Sabuni feasts on Bollywood movies and songs. "People here like rock and do listen to Bob Marley and the likes. But, I would love to expose them to the large diet of our music." Baby Face, Faith Evans, Lauren Hill, Puff Daddy, Shaggy, Santana, Chaka Demus, Aliya, etc, and a host of forms like `Cayo', `Lingale', `Chandheer' and so on would appeal to our music senses, he's sure.

Kamal has been part of a music band in his college which, he boasts, had the four best bands in Uganda. "I love performing. All my close friends were DJs there. You have to derive energy from the party crowd, understand them and play what they freak out on." "A good DJ is a person who can make anyone leaving the party turn back and say, `Maan! He played my kinda music'," he chips in.

Changing track to the situation in Africa, he says, "things are changing, but there is a lot of negative publicity about the region". "No one acknowledges that raw materials and raw talent emerge from there," he bemoans. "Black people world over are not shying away from accepting that Africa is their homeland". Incidentally, Sabuni's father was a foster brother to Idi Amin. "Situation was horrible a few years ago as one stepped out of the house after dusk at his own risk. With democracy taking roots, there is a sea change."

He agrees the young are restless. But he gets philosophical: "If one does not forgive there will be no light at the end of the tunnel".

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