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The scavenger who found a brass symphony

Growing up on the streets of Kampala, Ronald Kabuye fell in love with the trombone. He never imagined he'd one day play alongside some of the world's top musicians.

Ronald Kabuye grew up in the Katwe slums of Kampala, Uganda, scavenging for food and trying to sell scrap metal for cash. One day in the street he saw a performance by the M-Lisada marching band, a group made up of children from a local orphanage. Ronald was enthralled. He joined the band, took up the trombone, and learned to read music. Performing gave him an escape and ultimately the opportunity to travel the world and play with some of the world's most influential musicians.

Ronald became a music teacher for the charity Brass for Africa. One of his pupils was Sumayya Nabakooza. She had to overcome tough opposition to become one of very few female tuba players in Africa. They both shared their story with Outlook's Anu Anand in February 2021.

Presenter: Anu Anand
Producer: Katy Takatsuki

(Photo: Ronald Kabuye. Credit: Brass For Africa)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 11 Sep 2022 22:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 10 Sep 2022 08:32GMT
  • Sat 10 Sep 2022 23:32GMT
  • Sun 11 Sep 2022 08:32GMT
  • Sun 11 Sep 2022 22:32GMT

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