Pearl Rhythm Foundation (PRF) is a Ugandan music and grassroots creative organization created in 2012 and incorporated in 2015 under the laws of Uganda, to champion the cause of marketing and popularizing indigenous music and instruments through art. The Pearl Rhythm Foundation aims to strengthen the music scene in Uganda while linking it to its original indigenous grassroots cultures. Our mission is to see a vibrant culturally rooted music industry in Uganda with artists that showcase a true Ugandan brand. Vision statement: To feed art with indigenous culture from its original, organic and natural context found in the rural setting with grassroots communities.
Mission statement: To identify, Nurture and expose indigenous Ugandan artists so that they authentically contribute to a Ugandan identity and pride within our grassroots.
PRF Objectives:
• Create platforms for indigenous art for artists and grassroots communities
• Interface with indigenous communities in order to identify potential talent that can be developed into unique Ugandan brands
• Work with artists who are in creation stage of their careers in order to realize their full indigenous potential
• Link artist who have indigenous art to various opportunities
The Pearl Rhythm Foundation (PRF) has been on a quest to document and build and archive Living Heritage of Uganda with keen attention to music heritage from indigenous minority groups of Uganda. As a way to continue with this objective PRF recently developed a virtual portal that will archive and promote Ugandan living heritage and culture to artists, scholars and the public at large as a source for entertainment, reference, research and collaboration.
Our core activities: The Art Archive is a virtual museum that was built by the Pearl Rhythm Foundation with support from the French Embassy to archive living heritage of Uganda, and promote it to various audiences especially the young generation who rarely get the opportunity to truly appreciate indigenous Ugandan cultural heritage. The virtual museum is a sustainable platform that will not only publicize Ugandan culture but also employ some of the true talent holders within Indigenous minority communities, as content contributors which will later give them benefits inform of royalties.
The site will also promote cultural experiences for cultural enthusiasts while making a significant contribution towards community causes such as strengthening eco systems, livelihoods, health and education initiatives. Pearl Rhythm Foundation believes that a community’s heritage is very vital to its existence and continuity of life and humanity in terms of historical, aesthetic, and artistic values. However, in recent times this heritage is being damaged by popular alternative world ideas of art and vandalism. Most of this rich heritage faces a danger of extinction especially within indigenous minority groups like the Batwa, Kebu, Ike and many others. Owing to lack of adequate conservation efforts, it is impossible to protect such heritage and transfer it to future generations with current localized forms of documentation and conservation methods.
However, the Virtual Museum will preserve cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations, and also give users the ability to experience it in the most authentic way without extortion for a long time. The platform will not only publicize these cultures but also employ some of the talent holders within the communities like artists, narrators, musicians or dancers and will make a contribute towards community causes such as education, medical and Agriculture within the respective communities of interaction. Ultimately this initiative will bridge the gap between the urban and rural communities who are far apart yet very vital to each other’s coexistence as Ugandans especially the young generation of artists looking for belonging and inspiration.
The Pearl Rhythm Festival
The Pearl Rhythm Festival is the crowning event of our annual program, set for end of October every year. It happens at the National Theatre gardens from 12pm to midnight. It is the only local platform in the Ugandan music scene that boasts of showcasing new fresh talent discovered, produced and mentored in-house annually. Our artists and performances offer a full representation of the cultural heritage of Uganda. The festival showcases creative, sustainable and distinct music from the Pearl of Africa with strong indigenous influence. The Pearl Rhythm Festival was initiated in 2012 with support of development partners like Alliance Française Kampala, Uganda German Cultural Society, Uganda National Cultural Centre (National Theatre). The stage coach academy Every year, the Pearl Rhythm Foundation searches for young and fresh artists to mentor, to meet our objective of contributing to a larger pool of authentic, creative and original music talent in Uganda. Any artist can audition, and those with the most potential are selected to go through a three-month mentorship program, including studio production and rehearsals, to prepare them for their Pearl Rhythm Festival performances. The Stage Coach artists’ best works are included in an annual Pearl Rhythm compilation CD, which can promote these new acts after their launch at the festival. The academy has produced up to 24 artists whose careers have taken off with most of them featuring on both local and international stage including awards.
Monthly Activations
Pearl Rhythm activations are mini-festivals held at the National Theatre every last Monday of the month from June to September in the lead-up to the main event. They show off the Stage Coach acts, new and old, and give people an idea of what they can expect at the main festival. These activations are free to the public done in partnership with the Uganda National Cultural Centre, and they may also provide opportunities for our other partners to contribute and engage the Pearl Rhythm Festival audience.
Capacity Building through internship programs
Pearl Rhythm Foundation works in partnership with Makerere University in training interns annually before they graduate. They are mainly from the school of performing arts and most of them desire to have practical hands-on training in events, sound production and studio production.
Sound master classes
These are ongoing sessions for both our in-house artists and interns who come through citing a need. It is a skill we believe all live performing artists should have to be able to fulfill the much-needed knowledge of managing their performances on stage and in studio.
Mentorship sessions
The foundations activities include supporting artists with rehearsal space as a way to continually professionalize their art, Voice and instrument training sessions for artists to sharpen their skills. to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Year of accreditation: 2024
Domain(s): (a) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; (b) performing arts; (c) social practices, rituals and festive events; (d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; (e) traditional craftsmanship.
Main Safeguarding measures: a) identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making); b) preservation, protection; c) promotion, enhancement; d) transmission, (non-) formal education; e) revitalization
Main countries where the NGO works: Uganda
Local, national or international level of the NGO: Local
