A doctor who speaks fluent music, Fr Namukangula deserves flowers

Rev Fr Dr JOSEPH NAMUKANGULA is an enigma in the traditional and classical liturgical music.

A composer of more than 1,000 hymns, he has inspired and mentored several generations of priests and musicians. Interestingly, he prefers to live a modest life as his works continue to do the talking.

In this special tribute, Elvis Kintu Nsonyi recollects the immense influence Fr Namukangula has had on the Catholic church liturgical landscape. In his famous song Basiima Ogenze, musician Jose Chameleone poses a great question; why do we praise people after their death and not while they live?

Perhaps it’s because in our day-to-day lives, we grapple with a lot of stuff and great attention is paid to only a particular few individuals in death. After the recent demise of Msgr Expedito Magembe, a catalogue of Catholic hymns of his composition went viral. People were quite stunned by the scope of his work.

Prior to his death, many actually never recognized that he was the originator of the hymns they had sung, hummed and chorused since childhood. In June of this year, it was a moment of deep personal joy when Masaka diocese held an event to honor its liturgical composers.

One of the living giants of Catholic liturgical music in Uganda is Fr Dr Joseph Namukangula from Narozari parish in Masaka diocese. I have the privilege of hailing from what one would term as a stone’s throw away from Kitovu cathedral, where my admiration of Fr Namukangula began as a child. My memories of him cruising into the diocesan offices in Ddungu wing in his signature white Suzuki 4×4 remain etched in my mind, as fresh as if they happened yesterday.

However, it was not until I joined Bukalasa minor seminary that I came to appreciate his true magnitude in full measure. At Bukalasa, Fr Namukangula wore multiple hats. He was the vice rector, head of the Music department and overseer of the seminary farm.

Despite these responsibilities, he remained one of the most approachable and amiable administrators, affectionately referring to every student as “kasajja,” meaning young man.

His music classes, held in the lazy heat of the afternoon just after his siesta, were a highlight of the seminary itinerary. He often came with a traditional drum in hand and a passion for rhythm that was infectious. In fact, his most famous nickname was derived from the sound of the drum.

To this day, every seminarian who passed through his hands still remembers the musical term ‘crochet’ which is engraved into our memories. Whenever seminarians stepped out of line, this including dozing during his afternoon classes, the standard reprimand was well known and he would pronounce it there and then.

“Kasajja, 20 baskets of busa”, literally meaning; young man, go to the seminary farm and collect 20 baskets of cow dung. These were to fertilize the banana and sugarcane plantations. What seemed like punishment then has become a nostalgic memory of formative discipline.

Doing manual work is a formal part of seminary training to date, typically carried out every Monday and Friday evenings. Fr Namukangula’s musical expertise was honed in Germany, at the College of Catholic Church Music and Musical Education in Regensburg, where he pursued formal music education.

His fluency in German occasionally impacted his English, but he made up for it with a universal language which is music. He communicated with precision and passion, often turning his head toward the pianists during mass to correct an off-note with just a glance. He never compromised on anything when it came to perfecting music notes.

During the band or choir practices, we would repeat sections over and over until he was fully satisfied. Then with a pleased smile, he would exclaim; “Ach so”! (which we fondly heard as Azo). We later learnt that this is a German interjection for ‘Alright’.

A memorable moment in his illustrious career was in the year 2000, when Masaka diocese animated Uganda Martyrs day at Namugongo, with Fr Namukangula as the principal choir conductor. His leadership and musical direction were central to the spiritual resonance of that national celebration.

He has also been instrumental in building and safeguarding the Bukalasa minor seminary brass band, a precious historical gem of liturgical and ceremonial music within the diocese.

This man of God has close to 1,000 hymns in his name but key to note, he also composed the Masaka city anthem after the polity’s elevation to city status. Over the decades, Fr Namukangula has mentored a generation of musicians and liturgical scholars, including Dr Nicholas Ssempijja, Jude Luwaga of the Cherubim chamber chorale, Dr Joseph Wasswa, Herbert Muyomba, Fr Thomas Sserwadda to mention but a few.

We ought to celebrate not only his remarkable talents and works, but also the kindness and care that made him unforgettable. Many young seminarians chose him as their spiritual director, not just for his wisdom, but for the simple joy he brought, including offering them roasted groundnuts whenever they gathered for spiritual meetings.

His charm was contagious. On several occasions during band practices, he would generously offer Shs 200, which was just enough for two doughnuts at the time. For us, it wasn’t the amount that mattered, but the joy of his signature comical and exaggerated send-off; “Kasajja genda ofe ebindaazi” literally meaning “Young man, go and spoil yourself with innumerable doughnuts.”

During one of the Old Boys’ reunions, Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo fondly shared how Fr Namukangula recognized and nurtured his gift in Fine Art. Though Bukalasa Seminary lacked a Fine Art teacher at that time, Fr Namukangula arranged for one from the neighboring St Theresa Girls Secondary School, Bwanda by paying the teacher so that the celebrated cartoonist that today’s Spire is could be tutored.

This simple act of personally sponsoring a Fine Art teacher speaks volumes about his belief in the potential of young seminarians. He didn’t let institutional limitations get in the way of nurturing someone’s gift.

Even outside of music classes, his influence endured. Many of us remained devoted members of the Seminary band and choir as conductors long after dropping music as a core lesson. Whenever he traveled to Germany, Fr Namukangula returned not only with musical instruments but also with soccer boots and jerseys for the seminary football team.

St Augustine, the famous theologian and bishop of Hippo centuries back, stated it best when he said; “He who sings prays twice.” It is with no doubt that the music of Fr Joseph Namukangula continues to be a double blessing in praise and prayer.

Of course, special thanks go to Bishop Henry Ssentongo and Bishop Adrian Ddungu, whose discernment and guidance helped shape him into the man he is today. Let us develop the culture of recognizing, celebrating and honoring our legends while they live, rather than only after they are gone.

Let’s thus celebrate, recognize and honor the work and life of Rev Fr Dr Joseph Namukangula, an enigma in the traditional and classical liturgical music.

elvisnsonyi@gmail.com

The author is a practitioner in human rights, dialogue, mediation and conflict resolution