© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Embalasasa': Healing Scars of Child Soldiers, HIV

African children who have been forced to kill as soldiers are not a lost generation, according to Ugandan musician Samite. The acclaimed singer and instrumentalist talks about how Africa's child soldiers inspired much of his latest CD, Embalasasa, and about his broader mission to help young African victims of war.

Samite was born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute. In 1982 he fled to Kenya as a political refugee and continued his musical instruction. He now entertains audiences worldwide with vocals in his mother tongue, Luganda, and original compositions played on kalimba (finger piano), marimba (wooden xylophone), litungu (a seven-stringed Kenyan instrument) and traditional and Western flutes.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Derek Rath
You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.