​“I am having fun meeting new people, fresh faces and learning a lot about art and culture,” said Mathius Onen at the end of the 9th annual HipHop For Society event on Sunday at Sharing Youth Centre, Nsambya.
 
“Hiphop is really inspiring when it is packaged like this, especially with so many youth who are so talented and vibrant.”
 
The sentiments by Onen summarize the mood at the end of yet another successful event organized by Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU).
 
Yet again, the event was a mix of entertaining dance, rap and beat-boxing performances, competitions, and educational workshops and talks by partnering NGOs. 

When one sees people from all walks of life in one place, sharing together and cooperating, it is amazing. I attend the Breakdance Project Uganda events because they are youthful and so full of energy and also because most of my friends are involved in the breakdancing and rap,” said Henry Newman.

The year’s theme was cooperation, and it attracted a mixed crowd of different ages, races, economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. Not only did Hiphop For Society entertain the crowd, but it gave people an opportunity to network and learn from each other.

Sharing hall was filled to capacity for the annual Hiphop For Society, which presented a mix of entertainment and eduction. The theme was cooperation, and it gave people an opportunity to network and learn from each other.
 
Check out #HH4S2016 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to see live coverage of the event

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROGRAM
 

• Free workshops and teaching by Bgirl Teresa from Sweden (dance), Street Lights Uganda (craft-making), Educate! (entrepreneurship), Capoeira Senzala (capoeira), The U.S. Embassy Information Resource Centre, etc.;

 

• Breakdance battles: kids, Bonnie & Clyde (male-female teams), and 5-on-5;

 

• Beatboxing: performances by incredible BPU-trained youth & young-adults;

 

• Rap performances by St. Nellysade, Snooty Fredo, Sylvester and Abramz, Zulu Nation and others;
• Dance performances by: Save Street Children Uganda & EWAKA, People Concern Children’s Project, Flawsome crew of bgirls from BPU, and many cyphers (freestyle dance) by BPU members

WINNERS OF BREAKDANCE BATTLES
 

• Kids: Bboy Ivan from BPU Gulu branch and Bboy Hassan from BPU Kampala

 

• Bonnie & Clyde: Drichiru Key and Naganzwa Eric Sama

 

• 5-on-5: BPU bboys Eric ‘Fullmoon’ Egesa, ‘Mosh Kakole’ Moses, Abdudallah Latif, Kyasi Smith and Kamya Michael

​ADDITIONAL QUOTES
 
…FROM GUESTS
 
“It is my second time to attend this event and from what I have experienced, I know for sure,there will be a third time for me. This event is marvelous and relatable. Everyone here feels at home and is free. This is the real deal!” – Evans Mwebaza, guest
 
“It is my third time attending this particular event. I just love the energy on stage. Everyone is doing their best even the little children who have been very entertaining. I am only waiting for the battles and my day will be complete” – Luweesi Nicholas, guest
 
…FROM ORGANIZERS AND HIPHOP PERFORMERS
 
“It’s always an intense feeling filled with anxiety, excitement, fun, energy, execution of moves. That’s how I feel battling. The event was so remarkable, engaging, full of life and indeed memorable: a great way to start a new year!” – Drichiru Key, BPU member and winner of the Bonnie & Clyde battle
 
“The event went well and we met our goal of mixing education with entertainment and highlighting the positive roles of hiphop in society. The Hiphop For Society event suprises us every year with how much support we get from the artists and entire community, both national and international.” – Mark Kaweesi, BPU administrator
 
“I love Hiphop and I know for a fact that what people like Abramz Tekya have done here is legendary. Here we feel loved and free to share and experience our dancing. We are family.” – Shafik Musisi, dancer
 
“I dance and I breathe hip hop. Hiphop is everywhere and this event reminds us of that fact especially when we see different people gathering here today. There is fun, both inside and outside the hall. The girls are dressed nicely” – Brighten Oty, Marvels dance troupe member
 
“Whenever I go up on stage, I always have a need to inspire, because I know there are so many youth out there who will replace us some day when we are not here. I am a teacher of beat boxing and sometimes I help out with breakdance. Teaching in schools like KISU and organizations like BPU, Save Street Children Uganda (SASCU), Little Light, Kids Africa and others helps me give back to the community, and also I get so much satisfaction and happiness from seeing this hiphop culture grow, seeing as there is still so much untapped opportunity in it.” – Scooter Beatboxer, Breakdance Project Uganda member
 
…FROM NGO PARTNERS
 
“We come to these events to reach out to the youth, because our programs are targeting them. Such events attract a lot of useful attention for the youth and those who attend are those who are willing to have a great mark on society. We want to tap into that audience and teach them entrepreneurial skills so that they can be able to use their available resources and achieve more. Uganda is made up of almost 70% youth and these are the people who are building our society in un-imaginable ways.” – Paul Tinkaman, youth mentor at Educate!

Hiphop For Society Social Media Links
 
Breakdance Project Uganda on Facebook
HH4S2016 event page
 
Breakdance Project Uganda on Instagram: @breakdanceprojectuganda1
 
#HH4S2016 Hashtag Stream on Twitter
 
Hiphop For Society Youtube videos

Hiphop For Society 2014 recap

​Hiphop For Society 2012 recap

First ever Hiphop For Society in 2007

Navio released his fourth solo album ‘The Chosen’ on Dec. 12, 2015, in a social nightclub setting at Panamera in Kampala. The artiste calls ‘The Chosen’ album “a snapshot recording,” most of which was produced within two weeks by Samurae at Talent Africa studio, and mastered at Audio Central by Dawoo, in Kampala.

“It is a clean image of my thoughts right now. As my next album will be all conscious music, I decided to make this an unapologetic snapshot into my feeling right now. It’s the raw Navio of old.”

The reigning king of Ugandan Hip Hop released his album at Panamera bar on Saturday night, competing with several other highly anticipated entertainment events around Kampala. The event attracted a mix of die-hard Hip Hop fans and the general public, and the crowd grew toward midnight, when Navio stepped on stage to reveal his latest music.

Navio performed a mix of old songs and new alongside other collaborating artists, including songs off the new album like Crazy with Keko, You Want It with The Mith, Wine Up Ya Ting with Silvastone, as well as his previous works like Nawuliranga and Glory Road with Ruyonga.
​
Before and after his performance, Navio mingled with the crowd, gave one-on-one interviews with attending media, and spoke with fans about the new music.

“This album release was a different experience for me,” Navio reflected. “We are used to trying to get masses through the door, but we tried something different. It was a relaxed event where I got to interact with the fans and friends about the album. Whether it was one of my fans, friends, special guests or news reporters, I got to interact with people one-on-one. That’s what made the event a success. I could perform brand new songs, then share insight on them immediately – a great luxury.”

The Mith, Navio’s life partner in rap, said of the release party: “it was dope seeing fans who’ve been riding with us from the start of our journey, as well as new fans. It was also dope seeing them react to the new music. The feedback was dope. A good night for #UGHipHop.”

Abramz Tekya, veteran Ugandan Hip Hop artist and MC at the release, said: “The crowd got to experience both the new and the old Navio. His interaction with the crowd both on and off stage made the event special.”

Keko, who performed at the release, said: “The album release was insightful of what the album is gonna sound like. I love the way Navio keeps reinventing himself. Every track on the album sounds different and interesting, which makes for good listening. Very hip, young and fun.”

Break-Fast Jam and Breakdance Project Uganda have partnered with the U.S. Embassy  in Kampala to bring one of the world’s most celebrated bboys to Uganda for the 5th annual Break-Fast Jam Finals, to be held at YMCA in Wandegeya, Kampala, on Saturday the 21st and Sunday the 22nd of November, 2015.
 
The Break-Fast Jam Finals will be 2015’s crowning event following elimination rounds in Eastern and Central Uganda and Kenya. Exceptional dancers have also been invited from DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania. Entrance is 5,000UGX and free for kids 10 years and below.
 
Special guests:
 
Crazy Legs (USA) is a pioneer of breaking from the 1970s as part of New York’s Rock Steady Crew. He featured in the films The Freshest Kids, Beat Street, Wild Style and Flash Dance. Crazy Legs has battled in and judged so many competitions around the world, and he will be offering a free workshop and judging battles at Break-Fast Jam.
 
Bgirl Locca (Switzerland) is part of the Chinese Southeast Crew, and she will be conducting workshops at Breakdance Project Uganda and judging at Break-Fast Jam.
 
J Snuff (UK) is part of the Universal Zulu Nation and will be DJing the Break-Fast Jam event at YMCA.
 
Crazy Legs and Bgirl Locca will judge breaking battles along with Ugandan dancers, and will lead dance workshops for Break-Fast Jam participants. They will also teach during Breakdance Project Uganda’s free classes for the public at the Sharing Youth Centre, Nsambya, on Wednesday November 18th and Monday the 23rd.

Break-Fast Jam is an annual breakdance event held in Uganda and Kenya, which brings together participants from East African countries and the rest of the world. Its overall aim is to cultivate a positively enriching breakdance culture in Africa. This initiative empowers participants socially and economically by elevating them with practical skills, knowledge, inspiration and experiences on a neutral platform. Break-Fast Jam's activities include: workshops, competitions, performances, exhibitions and educational discussions.

Event partners include: Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), The U.S. Embassy in Kampala, NTV, Whitehead Communications, The French Embassy, Newz Beat, Young Artists Exchange Program (YAEP), Infinit3 Studio, Talent Africa, Nile Water, Ezange Ziva Muntuuyo, the Pearl Rhythm Foundation, Top Nation, SUW, and Cypher Code.

For more information please contact:
Anne Whitehead
0741771111
anne@whiteheadcommunications.com

The Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organization (UWOCASO) has kicked off an intensified awareness and fundraising campaign with their annual golf tournament at the Uganda Golf Club on Friday September 18th. Several Ugandan organizations sponsored teams, and the tournament was able to raise 9,000,000UGX in cash, with additional funds pledged for UWOCASO’s programming. The winner of the tournament was Hariss International. 

“On Behalf of UWOCASO I want to thank The Uganda Golf Club, the captain and Lady C for supporting another successful event. Special thanks to your sponsors, Crystal Images for the beautiful trophies, and Margaret for coordinating. We are forever grateful.” - UWOCASO Chairwoman Rebecca Kizito-Mayengo.


The organizations below sponsored golf teams for 500,000UGX each:

Sponsor  ---- # of Teams

Lake Bounty Ltd ---- 4

Harris International (Riham) ---- 3

Case Medicare ---- 2

Bollore Africa Logistics ---- 2

Stanbic Bank ---- 1

Ms  Byarugaba Nabel ---- 1

Topline Investments ---- 1

Vodafone ---- 1

Ultra ---- 1

Pinnacle security ---- 1

Ferdsult Engineering services ---- 1

Asili coatings ---- 1

Crane Bank ---- 1

Owek. Taban ---- 1

Crystal Images Ltd provided trophies

Crown Beverages Limited (Pepsi) provided drinks

The funds raised will go toward: patient support (volunteers assisting those afflicted with cancer to navigate the health care system) outreach (awareness campaigns, cancer camps, providing free screening) and lobbying the government and other stakeholders for proper investment in patient care, as well as covering basic expenses of the NGO, such as transport for volunteers.

This is only the beginning of an intensified 2015 campaign by UWOCASO to encourage people to get tested for cancer, and to support those they know who are fighting the disease. We have been in talks with several great media houses who are choosing to provide coverage to the cancer fight in Uganda, and we are signing on longer term sponsors who will be associating their brands with UWOCASO’s mission. More news of these developments will be announced soon.
 

The following is a press release by Anne Whitehead on behalf of Media Analyst


Uganda’s Assistant Commissioner of the Communications and Information Management Unit from the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, Mr. Patrick Muinda, answered a few questions about the upcoming Innovation Africa conference, to be hosted at Speke Resort in Munyonyo, Uganda from September 30 -  October 2.

Question: The Innovation Africa 2015 theme is "Developing Skills for the 21st Century Africa." What skills in particular do you believe are valuable in Africa now?

Answer: The skills we believe are valuable in Africa now are:

1.     Data Base administration and Development;

2.     Website management and development;

3.     Systems Administration and development;

4.     Networking;

5.     ICT equipment maintenance.


Question: How have ICT skills gained importance in Uganda's economy in the 21st century?

Answer: To mention but a few, there is growth in the energy sector, biotechnology and in the education sector for teaching and learning.  Patterns of work and leisure clearly show how ICT at the work place and in recreational centers has greatly gained importance. This has strengthened the country’s economy through creating income generating ventures by providing better and faster service delivery. Better and faster decision-making is also a result of ICT skills gaining importance in Uganda’s economy through the effective collection, generation, processing, recording, re-management and exploration of information.


Question: Is the Ugandan education system adequately equipping students with 21st Century skills? Please elaborate. What is the Ministry of education doing to develop 21st century skills in Ugandans?

Answer:

1.     The education system is doing its best amidst various challenges;

2.     The Government has introduced compulsory computer studies to secondary schools;

3.     Provision of computers and software to schools is ongoing;

4.     Retooling of science teachers to teach ICT is ongoing every holiday.

 
Question: Can you provide some examples of recent achievements and milestones in ICT skills development here in Uganda?

Answer:

1.     Teachers’ Instructor Management Information System (TIMIS) at Pilot level;

2.     Cyber school (Learning Management System) on going:

The above software was installed in some government schools and not all;

3.     Computer Studies:

These are offered at ordinary and Advanced Secondary level, Universities, teachers Institutions and are examined at National Level.


Question: Does the Ministry of Education have any new developments in ICT education to announce?

Answer: ICT labs have been constructed in over 1,027 schools.  These labs are equipped with computers and learning management systems for the students.  Teachers in science subjects are currently being retooled to teach ICT effectively.  This has had a positive outcome in the performance of science subjects and the application of ICT in some sampled schools.


Question: What does the Ministry of Education expect of this year's Innovation Africa conference, to be held in Uganda? In particular, what benefits and accomplishments does it hope to mark in this conference?

Answer: The Ministry of Education hopes to see more people becoming aware of the importance of ICT for economic growth. We hope to see several top ICT companies coming to Uganda to showcase the latest technologies and thereafter, have several investors taking on these technologies for application in Uganda for better service delivery and economic growth.

We hope to see business partnerships developing between the Government of Uganda and other participating states to enable trade of key technologies to and from Uganda for economic development of the country and for the economic benefit of the participating countries.
 

For more information please visit www.innovation-africa.com/2015

Press Enquiries:
Simon Kaheru c/o Media Analyst
Tel: +256 772 512 131
Cell: +256 792 800 080
Email: skaheru@mediaanalyst.co.ug

The following is a Press Release issued by Media Analyst on Friday September 11, 2015

A selection of Uganda's young and up-coming ICT entrepreneurs will be represented at the Innovation Africa conference's ICTAU exhibitor booth. Some of these exhibitors shared their hopes and expectations for the conference, as well as reflections on the state of the ICT industry in Uganda now, and more details about their companies.

“KAWA expects the Innovation Africa conference to be an eye opener to government and its agencies to spur more ideas on how the people on the grass root especially poor primary school and parents be supported to benefit from ICT in education programmes. We also expect new innovative ways of doing business in ICT industry.

We are looking for an opportunity share what we have done with the participants and also to get partners who can provide a hardware platform on which our platform can run well and reach our clients on a personal basis and in affordable way.

It is a great opportunity to have the Innovation Africa Conference in Uganda. It will address the skills gap and issues youth unemployment caused by learning what we cannot apply in daily life.”

-       Moses Wamanga Wamboga, Executive Director of the Kisubi Associated Writers Agency (KAWA)

The Kibsubi Associated Writers Agency was launched by Hon. Jessica Alupo, Minister of Education and Sports, along with teachers from St. Mary’s College Kisubi and a collection of university professors from Makerere University Business School, Uganda Technology and Management University and Mountains of the Moon University in 2012. It aims to integrate appropriate ICTs through in-service teacher training, the creation of Digital Educational Content and development of teaching materials, as well as use ICT for efficiency in administration at the secondary school level.

“I expect the conference to expose new technologies relevant to the society. I also expect it to be a channel for networking with different players in the ICT world. I am most looking forward to getting more exposure to new technologies, sharing ideas and meeting potential clients and partners. MUBS ICT Centre will be presenting the centre’s programs including some applications developed.

I think that the ICT industry in Uganda is growing really fast. There is an increasing number of individuals (especially the youth) that are interested in ICT applications development. Some applications developed by these youths are already in use and some of them are freely available for download. One such application is the “dharura,” an android medical emergency app developed by a team of students from Makerere University Business School.”

-       Mabel Kemigisha, Makerere University Business School ICT Centre

The Makerere University Business School ICT Centre was launched in 2011 as an outreach unit focusing on ICT training and testing, Research and Consultancy. We provide a wide variety of ICT certifications, diplomas and short courses, as well as a space and mentorship for ICT business incubation. There are a number of emerging ICT projects in Uganda and the world at large. The success of these projects depend highly on the project managers and their teams. Unfortunately, most of the people assigned project management roles in Uganda and most developing countries are not certified project management professionals. This is the main reason for most project failures. At Makerere University Business School ICT Centre, we certify Project Management Professionals (PMP®) and conduct PMP® boot camps that both equip participants with world-class project management professional skills and prepare them for exams.

“At the Innovation Africa conference, e-Learner Uganda expects to extend our network of influential officials who can motivate an e-learning agenda that embraces ICT in Ugandan schools.

The ICT industry here in Uganda is progressing, but progress could be much faster if ICT is properly taught in schools so that the youth can embrace innovations through technology and be more work- and university-ready when leaving school.

We are planning to demonstrate our integrated ICT training solution (known as e-Learner) by primary school children from schools that have deployed our solution. This means that the pupils themselves will be showing the software to the delegates. We are most looking forward to an opportunity to network and liaise with delegates and fellow exhibitors.”

-       Mike Watkins, CEO of e-Learner Uganda

e-Learner Uganda provides e-learning services to the education sector and to commercial organizations. Registered in April 2012, the company provides a formal, structured ICT training programme to the education sector and helps ensure that school leavers are better prepared for the modern work environment. We have recently agreed a partnership with the National Curriculum Development Centre to provide mathematics at primary four level in e-learning format to selected schools across Uganda.

"It is good to see indigenous Ugandan participants side by side with globally recognized brands and displaying the actualization of our potential here. These companies and projects are an inspiration to the rest of us and also show the world that solutions to education can be created within developing countries using technology.”

-       Simon Kaheru, Chairman of the ICTAU

"This is exactly what Innovation Africa is about - showcasing the local solution that can be found to social issues such as the improvement of education. We are happy to create these opportunities and provide a platform for such great innovations to launch themselves onto the rest of the world.” 

-       John Glassey, CEO of lead organizer, African Brains

The Innovation Africa conference will be held from September 30 – October 2 at Munyonyo Resort. Accredited media are welcome to explore exhibitor booths to view the full offering of talent and innovation from Uganda and the rest of Africa.