The Ker Kwaro Acholi cultural institution is mobilizing musicians in Northern Uganda to join hands and use their music to create awareness within the local communities in the North about the urgent need for environmental conservation.
Speaking during the launch of the Music in Space festival in Gulu city the Deputy Prime Minister of the Cultural institution Martin Okumu said that musicians have a huge impact in the daily lives of people.
"You can embed messages of environmental restoration and conservation in your songs that would be a good implementation of the mission of music in space festival and I am glad that this is happening in Gulu because there are people in Uganda or around the world who still believe that Gulu is very dangerous" he said.
Prior to President Museveni's executive order number three of 2023, widespread charcoal business had depleted forests and vegetation cover in Northern Uganda.
Bjorn Vido who is leading the Music in Space activities in Gulu says "If eight billion people changed their habits just a little bit, the world would change dramatically very fast".
He is worried that the Sahara deserts is gas approaching Uganda through South Sudan and urgent solutions need to be put in place to curtail its possible catastrophic damage.
"We are looking for a new way to reconnect. With ourselves, with nature and spreading love".
Laxzy Mover a Gulu based musician says the music in space project will also help export the local Acholi culture.
He is among the headline artists for the three day festival which is scheduled for 4th to the 6th of July 2025 at Pece War Memorial stadium in Gulu city.
On the otherhand Polite Mosko believes "this is a very good initiative, a part from performing we are also learning".
The first phase of the frstival line up will be headlined by Vampino, Eeezy, Eddy Wizzy, Polite Mosko and Laxzy Mover.
The event is expected to host artists from 6 continents, including some of the biggest Amapiano stars from South Africa like Zee Nxumalo and Boohle and the duo that invented Amapiano - Keygee and Bizizi and home grown talents such as Eezzy, Laxzy Mover and Eddy Wizzy.
While addressing journalists in Gulu city on Friday afternoon, Bjorn Vido emphasized that "We started this project by playing a concert for the penguins at the South Pole. It went viral around the globe. So we have already covered all 7 continents".
Bjorn who hails from Danish capital of Copenhagen continued to acknowledge the importance of music in creatings awareness .
"Now Together, we are creating a show. Across borders, religion, skin tone, language and cultural differences, that are gonna be even wilder. The show is bringing a new perspective. We are sending a weather balloon straight up in the air - 45 km up carrying a clear signal from Gulu to the world: Let’s raise climate awareness and take action - now," he said.
Michael Tebere from Kijani forestry who have partnered with Music in Space says they are planning to plant over million trees, "and we are planning to work with the communities on restoring communal land into forests".
The Music in Space festival will run for 3 days in July 2025 focusing on stopping the advancing desert from the Sahara and creating the need to plant over a million trees in the region.
