‘Ku kyooto’ is a Luganda phrase that translates to ‘at the fireplace’, and this is where the audience of the recently concluded musical theatre production Ku Kyooto by Ngoma Z’Africa was first welcomed. The pre-show was hosted around an actual fireplace outside the Uganda National Theatre, where theatre lovers gathered in a circle to listen and connect through stories.
Among the people who attended the fireside pre-show was Owek. Ssalongo Robert Sserwanga, a representative from the office of the Katikkiro of Buganda who reminded audiences of the historic role of the ‘ekyooto’ in Buganda society before colonial rule. More than a place for warmth, the fireside was where stories were shared, information passed down, children educated, and young people disciplined. It was the original classroom, parliament, counselling room, and community stage.
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Afterwards, the audience was ushered into the theatre where they stepped into a different world. On the stage was a modern-day living room where an ageing father (Blair Koono) and his son (Trevor Mangeni) were seated in earnest conversation. As the father passed on information to the son, we were taken back through time to the father’s own youth and the lessons he received from his own father at a fireplace through music, poetry and dance. The stage morphed into a communal fireplace of earlier generations, where elders counsel the young and the community gathers in fellowship.
The grandfather (Gilbert Byamugisha) emerged as both storyteller and moral compass, recounting how he met his wife (Sheila Karungi) and offering guidance on love, marriage, and the respectful treatment of women. In an era where conversations about masculinity and violence are urgently needed, these scenes carried relevance. His words to later generations, never to beat one’s wife or children and always to protect one’s family, landed with clarity and purpose.
The production’s visual world was one of its strongest assets. Performers appeared in beautifully curated traditional costumes featuring barkcloth, beads, tribal-inspired makeup, and expressive hairstyles. The stage pulsed with colour and heritage, creating images that felt ceremonial yet alive. Beyond its entertainment value, Ku Kyooto explored themes of tradition, legacy, domestic violence, fatherhood, and the education of the boy child. It asked, what kind of men we are raising, and what kind of inheritance we leave behind.
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Originally written as a poem by Mathew Kisa, Ku Kyooto was adapted for the stage by Joy Alisanyukirwa Matovu, directed by Camilla Alina and produced by Victor Namakajjo of Ngoma Z’Africa. The play was the first for both Camilla Alina and Victor as director and producer, respectively.
“Being a female director for such a male-centred script was quite interesting,” Camilla shared. “Though the cast and crew were largely male, the story was about how to treat women right, and I loved that.”
Victor Namakajjo, an actor, dancer and the founder of Ngoma Z’Africa, was elated about how his first production was received.
“I am happy about how it all turned out. People loved the shows, and most importantly, no one is demanding me any money,” he joked
“In hindsight, what I could have done differently is that I would have partnered with the Uganda National or used my ITI member privileges. I could have saved money,’ he added. Music and dance were central to the storytelling of Ku Kyooto. The musical piece embraced Uganda’s cultural diversity, cleverly weaving together dance forms from across the country, including Banyankore, Baganda, Acholi, and Basoga tribes. Different languages were also used to add to the cultural vibrancy of the play. Actors performed and sang in Luganda, Rutooro, Runyankore, and English, which all reflected the multilingual beauty of Uganda.
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Ku Kyooto also highlighted the communal life from traditional African settings from way back then. There were enthusiastic children at play, men bonding over games like omweso, women tending the home, girls shying away from boys, poets and griots offering truths through spoken word and song. These moments gave the production texture and gave the play with a serious message room to exhale.
After the grandfather passes on, the play returns to the present-day living room, where the now elderly father prepares to join the ancestors, too. His son, who now has a wife and a son of his own, listens intently before he translates his newfound wisdom through a dance performance. In one of the production’s most moving moments, the son receives the same wisdom once passed down to his father, and he, in turn, begins teaching his own young boy, completing the circle of knowledge and legacy.
Blair Koono, who played both father and son in the show, expressed how privileged he felt to have a relationship with his father and how having that guidance shaped him growing up.
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“The story made me appreciate having a father in my life because I realised later on that not everyone had that strong foundation,” said Blair. “I have seen how differently my peers who didn’t have a father figure approach life, and I try to understand them because many had to figure life out for themselves.”
In the final sequence of the show, all the ancestors gather at the fireplace and pass on a symbolic letter from the earliest forebearer to the youngest son. This enduring image was the heartbeat of the production, and it reminded the audience of the power of values, responsibility and legacy.
In an era where modern life often scatters families and weakens intergenerational bonds, Ngoma Z’Africa‘s Ku Kyooto was a much-needed reminder that some of our oldest spaces still hold the answers to our burning questions.
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