RITRF2- The Return Of The Funky Monkey


After waiting what seemed like eons for the second edition, it was finally time for ‘Rhythm In The Rainforest 2’!  The anticipation had almost KILLED me, but I managed to function as a relatively normal human being for the days leading up to #RITRF2, as we’d tagged it on Twitter.

The excitement built when I heard that Kaz Kasozi, renowned guitarist and singer was headlining the event and the amazing Evon was hosting.  When Kaz contacted me and asked me to perform with him, I damn well near blacked out, but the less said about that the better. 

I'ma make Siima an offer she can't refuse...

After Tweeting and Facebooking ourselves into oblivion, those of us who had been at the first event and a whole new batch of excited music fans met at Lugogo, the collection point for the bus taking us to the Rainforest Lodge, Mabira.  Once Rachel had checked us all off (miraculously, this time around, Hakeem was one of the first people on the bus) we set off.  The rowdy crowd at the back, comprised of Xfm’s Rudende, KK, and yours truly, among others, did their best to entertain the rest of the bus with anecdotes and other beguiling tales of debauchery. 

The bus was weighed down by the madness at the back


 Before we knew it, we had turned off the main road and entered the rainforest.





It wasn’t my first time there, but I was stunned into silence by the sheer beauty of the forest, and sobered by the thought that it was almost destroyed on a whim.  We were met as usual by the friendly Rainforest Lodge staff, who showed those staying to their rooms and the rest to the main area i.e the bar.

I went to change and calm my nerves- as soon as I saw the stage the customary jitters set in and I felt slightly daunted by the fact that I was going to be performing with Kaz and his band.  Once I rejoined the crew, I relaxed and got into the swing of things.  Lunch was served… and what a FEAST! I won’t mention those who went for second, third and fourth helpings (Xfm’s Rudende was a prominent figure at the buffet.  Ushering the other guests, of course) but who can blame them?  Rainforest Lodge put on a veritable banquet.  I don’t normally eat before a performance, but I confidently made my way to the buffet and grabbed a plate.  Perhaps it was the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) but I didn’t want to mess up and miss out on the food.  Not after seeing the way Rudende was guarding, sorry, USHERING, everyone to serve themselves.



Emily of Geo Lodges welcomed everyone to the event.  She thanked the media houses present, namely Vision Group and a team from Africa Magic, for taking the time to witness this incredible concert.

Evon, dressed elegantly in green, officially kicked off proceedings by asking the crowd to WOOP-WOOP, and BDM-BDM… BDM being our attempt to mimic drums.  Rhythm, drums, geddit?  Nevermind.  Anyway, interesting noises were made.  I kept following Evon around and asking her if she was going to sing.  She did eventually. I hope it was because she wanted to and not just because I bugged the hell out of her.

Finally, Kaz hit the stage.  Don’t let his small frame fool you.  This guy morphs from a guitar playing, skat-talking, funkadelic brother to an MJ-impersonating performer as soon as the music starts.  We couldn’t keep up with him! The band kicked off at a gentle pace but Kaz, alternately serenading and growling at the crowd, threw out such energy it was impossible not to be swept up in his performance.

One of the hash tags on Twitter was #JungleBoogie- an apt description of what was taking place.  Kaz even had us doing the ‘Funky Monkey’- an impromptu hand-jive had the whole crowd with their hands in the air. 

Before I could say ‘Funk In The Forest’, I heard Kaz calling me onto the stage.  Doing my best not to trip down the stairs in my heels, I made my way to the stage.  As the opening strains of Abdullah Ibrahim’s ‘The Wedding’ began, I closed my eyes and just went with it.   I’ve never performed in such perfect settings before.

I'm not nervous. I'm just pretending the crowd isn't there. Honest.


Kaz put his guitar down and began to dance… and he wasn’t the only one.  We saw several dances performed- Gatimo was inspired and danced Maganda, Rudende and Ghill kicked off on perhaps one of the most unique ‘shuffles’ ever seen, which included a moonwalking cameo by the one and only Jony Wardley.  


The band played well into dusk- it was dark by the time the final note was played and STILL there were calls for ‘more! More!’

But it was time for the crew heading back to Kampala to get on the bus and hit the road.  After saying our reluctant goodbyes to the Geo Lodges crew who had looked after us so wonderfully, and other friends, old and new, who were either staying or driving back to the city themselves, our motley crew clambered back on the bus.  We sang songs all the way back to Kampala, and parted ways at Lugogo where we had met up just a few hours before, promising to meet up for RITRF3… whenever that will be.

Til then, keep listening out for a Rumble In The Jungle...

*No monkeys, funky or otherwise, were harmed during this event.

Comments

  1. Kanyindo19 September 2012 at 12:24

    Special mention to www.willboase.com for the pictures of me and Kaz!!

    ReplyDelete

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