Nyamaganda (A children's counselling song of the Bugungu people from Uganda)
Language: Lugungu
Nyamaganda is an interactive growth-mindset play song fused with traditional wisdom about life, relationship and family to inspire positive virtues and values such as contentment, gratitude, moderation, generosity, confidence, honesty, sharing and happiness among children.
Usually involving four children or more, sited in a twilight sunset or under a bright moon, stretching their legs in a circle shape to face each other, responsibility is taken voluntarily to become the lead singer who in the song, questions colleagues, one after the other about their recent visit to the village called Kityanga; what they ate during their visit and why they didn't share. They repeatedly sing together and the person who is touched at the end of the song, folds their legs one after another until all are done and the last person is assumed as food and eaten in jollity.
In the wisdom of our fathers, children were not supposed to move away from home without the consent of their parents and were never supposed to eat away from home especially after having a meal. This was intended to guard children from being poisoned by bad people through food.
This song was further used to test cognitive abilities of children especially the ability to remember and to pay attention.
Luganda Text is translated into English by Mr M. Wabyona
Mr Milton Wabyona transcribed and arranged this song in 2020 for Jiwe Publisher