WOMAD

Pedson Kasume

From Uganda

Born into a clan of musicians and dancers in the rural Mt Rwenzori area of Western Uganda, Pedson Kasume was proficient at dancing and playing instruments by the age of six. He was sent to join the Ndere Troupe – Uganda’s top dance company – and performed with it throughout Africa, the UK, USA and Japan, presenting the music and dance of many of different Ugandan tribes. He mastered instruments including the harp, fiddle, xylophone, drum and other percussion, as well as singing, and was named the troupe’s Artist of the Year in 2003.In early 2007, Pedson started his own music and dance company Xpera Uganda – a group of young Christians who use Ugandan traditional musical instruments to perform Gospel and traditional music, and more than 20 traditional dances from the multi-ethnic tribes of Uganda. Joining Pedson at WOMAD 2008 will be Xpera Uganda troupe member Rodgers Ssekyewa, a dancer, singer and musician who plays Ugandan harp, fiddle, xylophone, panpipes and drums. At the festival, they will lead a percussion and dance workshop on stage and host workshops on the grass with a magnificent hand-made embaire, a large wooden instrument like a xylophone.