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To donate to this Family Care Foundation Project, please note Project NAME and then click here. RadioActive News
RadioActive Productions (RAP) was invited to collaborate with Ugandan musical icon, Kaweesa, to produce a theme song for the Miss Uganda Pageant. RAP's talented dance-troupe performed to "East Africa, Hakuna Matata" and also sang backup to the hauntingly beautiful "Miss Uganda." The highly successful "NuBeat" program, the music produced in the RAP studio, and their involvement in various charitable programs have been showcased in numerous newspaper articles and in television and radio interviews. Their reputation for encouraging and promoting local talent has generated positive response to and interest in their ministry, as the following article supports:
NuBeat Plays Uganda Tunes Speaking of radio institutions promoting local music: RadioActive Studios, on their weekly show NuBeat, recently did a special Ugandan artists only program. If you listen to NuBeat (And if you don't, you don't know what you are missing. It's not that hard to find, seeing as it is run on no less than six radio stations in Uganda: Voice of Toro, Voice of Teso, Radio Paidha, Radio Uganda and both CBSs) you would know that the variety music show features songs specially made by RadioActive for NuBeat. On this week they featured the best of what they have done with Ugandans: Alex Mukulu's "Woowe", Kaweesa's "Spirit of Africa" remix, Rachel Adyeri and Lillian Kyeyune's "Cry of a Continent", Barbara Kayaga's "Never Too Late", and more.
Click on brochure above to enlarge Community Service
The Healing Touch of Art Mulago Hospital is the main government hospital in Kampala, where FCF Project RadioActive Productions is based. A visit to the pediatric ward reveals cribs, as many as could be squeezed in, lining the rooms. Parents and caretakers of sick children lie on mats on the floor in between the cribs; some huddle over their babies trying to quiet their screams. The frightened crying of babies and children attached to IV drips soon blend into a crescendo, which further contributes to an overall depressing atmosphere. "Two American women doctors from the pediatric ward called, asking if I could visit to see how the conditions could be approved, perhaps through simple murals for the children", begins Nyx Martinez, a volunteer with RadioActive Productions. " They said they didn't have much funds to actually hire a painter, but when I told them I would be willing to do it free of charge provided they could sponsor the paints and materials, they were overjoyed." "There were so many walls to paint that I called up different friends who had been interested in doing some hands-on volunteer work. The project took on a life of its own as we all came together in a united team effort to change this section of the ward." Following are excerpts of what Uganda's leading daily published about the project: "These pictures have a healing effect on our children. They are relaxing," said Christine Karungi, sitting by the bedside of her 6-year-old grandson who was admitted two weeks ago with severe malaria.
Staring down on Karungi and her sick grandson in bright colors is a newly painted mural. It shows an angel protectively watching over a sick child, who is lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by his family. The angel's strong wings depict protection while the boy's widely open eyes portray hope. "As an artist, I feel compelled to do work that will bring about positive change in society and restore hope to those who need it," Martinez said. This is not the kind of art that we usually see. But its power to heal and console the young cannot be underestimated. Broadcast News Four members of RadioActive Productions, Chris, Celly, Robin and Ben traveled up to the North East of Uganda to visit a remote tribe called the Ik. With us we had 40 hand-cranked tape players, plus 3 hours of Gospel-based stories in the Ik language. These had been translated by one of the only educated Ik tribesman, John Mark, and recorded in our RadioActive Studios in Kampala. It was the first time the Ik language had been recorded on tape. It was also one of the first projects in our newly equipped audio studio, thanks to a generous grant from the Family Care Foundation.
The Ik tribesmen were thrilled with the tapes and the recorders. It was the first time outsiders had visited them in many years. For a thousand years, the Ik have been living in an area dominated by warring tribes of Karimojong, who continually raid each other’s cattle. Whereas they used to be armed with spears, bows and arrows, the Karimojong warriors now carry AK 47s. The Ik tribe, who are peaceful agriculturalists, are often set upon by their feuding Karimojong neighbors and their settlements burned, food stolen and tribesmen killed. When we arrived in the area, we were told that a few days previously there had been a major cattle raid by the Dodoth against the Kenyan Turkana tribe. Many Turkana had been killed. The area where we planned to visit was right in the middle of the two tribes, and one of the Ik villages had been burned. We prayed for confirmation that we should continue our mission in light of the security situation in the area. In fact in the whole vast Karamoja region remains largely outside Government control. We reached the Ik at a desperate time. There had no been rain for seven
months, and the ground was parched. Water and food were very sparse. We
visited three different locations where the Ik have settled. Runners were
sent to the various villages in the surrounding mountains to announce
our arrival. In each locality we held a prayer meeting with whoever was
able to attend. The tape-recorders were demonstrated and presented to
representatives from the surrounding Ik villages. Over 3 days all 40 tape
players were distributed.
A Jesuit priest evangelized the Ik some 60 years ago, so they practice a simple form of Catholicism. Then in 1996 an American missionary visited them and helped to develop a written language for the Ik and, with the help of a ministry in the U.S., oversaw the translation of Gospel-based stories into the Ik language. Looking for a studio to record the tapes in Uganda, they located us through the FCF website, which was how we first became involved with the project.
I enjoyed reading through the letter and magazine that
you sent in response to my letter. It had all our answers to the best
issues I had thought of. Sometimes we face some hardships and turmoil
and problems that make us to despair and we ask ourselves that question
– who will roll away the stone. I would like to thank NuBeat for the contribution they have put forward my life. It was during a NuBeat Show I started realizing that some of the things that I was doing were bad. Then I asked Jesus in my heart and nowadays I am very fine because I know how good kindness and loving is. The only problem is our land where we could settle is occupied by rebels and so we have to rent within the town areas so we could be safe from them. I have seen people in the villages really suffering, who have spent their nights in the bush. --Oyoo Denis Peter, Bweyale, Masindi P.S. Enclosed is a poem I wrote entitled “City of
Love”. Oh, when will I reach that place? Oh! Love, may you lift me to your city Oh! Love lift me to your city Dear love, help them forever. I need so much to reach the city
CD Dedicated to Peace Considering the world situation, especially in the Middle
East, we compiled “One God” Verse 1: Chorus: Verse 2: (Repeat Chorus) Verse 3:
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--New Vision article, "The African Soldier
Boy"