Geoffrey Oryema (16 April 1953 – 22 June 2018) was an internationally renow… Read Full Bio ↴Geoffrey Oryema (16 April 1953 – 22 June 2018) was an internationally renowned Ugandan musician. In 1977 after the murder of his father, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who was a cabinet minister in the government of Amin he began his life in exile. At the age of 24, and at the height of Idi Amin's power, Oryema was smuggled across the Ugandan border in the trunk of a car.
He sang in the languages of his youth, Swahili and Acholi, the languages of the lost country, the 'clear green land' of Uganda, and he also sang in English and French.
Oryema earned his international reputation on the release of his second album, Beat the Border. He had collaborated with Peter Gabriel and others, and was backed by French musicians including Jean-Pierre Alarcen (guitar) and Patrick Buchmann (drums, percussion, backing vocals), touring with WOMAD in Australia, the USA, Japan, Brasil and Europe. In 1994 the band performed at Woodstock 94 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the legendary festival.
Gabriel's record label, Real World, helped with the first three of Oryema's albums, before his move to Sony International, a label established in France, where Oryema had lived since his exile.
In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall, and with 1 Giant Leap at the Live 8 Edinburgh concert.
Discography
Exile (1990)
Beat the Border (1993)
Night to Night (1996)
Spirit (2000)
The Odysseus/Best Of (2002)
Words (2004)
From The Heart (Released on Long Tale Recordings) (2010)
He sang in the languages of his youth, Swahili and Acholi, the languages of the lost country, the 'clear green land' of Uganda, and he also sang in English and French.
Oryema earned his international reputation on the release of his second album, Beat the Border. He had collaborated with Peter Gabriel and others, and was backed by French musicians including Jean-Pierre Alarcen (guitar) and Patrick Buchmann (drums, percussion, backing vocals), touring with WOMAD in Australia, the USA, Japan, Brasil and Europe. In 1994 the band performed at Woodstock 94 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the legendary festival.
Gabriel's record label, Real World, helped with the first three of Oryema's albums, before his move to Sony International, a label established in France, where Oryema had lived since his exile.
In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall, and with 1 Giant Leap at the Live 8 Edinburgh concert.
Discography
Exile (1990)
Beat the Border (1993)
Night to Night (1996)
Spirit (2000)
The Odysseus/Best Of (2002)
Words (2004)
From The Heart (Released on Long Tale Recordings) (2010)
Lapwony
Geoffrey Oryema Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Geoffrey Oryema:
Hard Labour Next to the parking lot Stood a man in uniform He heard…
Land Of Anaka In this land of Anaka They called us Payira In this land…
Listening Wind Mojique sees his village from a nearby hill Mojique thinks …
Magical Stone If you were born in heaven, girl, I'd understand so…
Makambo Ngibathe Ngicelu Xolo Ngatholi nzondo Ngibathe Ngecelu thand…
Market Day -Anlat! Neden sürekli düşünüyorsun? -Sevgilim kendinle alıp …
Nomad The other day I looked at myself In the mirror Do not h…
Piny Runa Woko Mojique sees his village from a nearby hill Mojique thinks o…
Sardinia Memories Ka atamo piri Lapal cwinya iya weng maada An apo ikare ma…
The River Paint me a picture of a river And let it flow Just…
Tyena Rem I really know that you are my love Awinyo tyena rem Your…
Ye Ye Ye Na ma kanguwe O na ma kanguwe O na ma kanguwe Ni na…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@awake3362
The dad of Geofrey Oryema was called Eronayo Oryema, he was the first Inspector General of Police in a post independence Uganda. He was murdered by dictator Idi Amin. My dad was his driver. That is how he ended up in exile in the1970s in France where he lived until his death.
@davepowell7168
Thanks for sharing your insights of this history which l fascinating.
Condolences to the bereaved and disaffected
@ireneakbar7513
I am writing this in July 2022 as I have just discovered this man after watching a kenyan film on Netflix and Geoffrey Oryema is doing the main sound track called Market Day, the most beating sound I have heard in a long while. I am sad that I never heard of him before. I am now hooked to his songs which are all beautiful as I can understand the swahili bits of them. Now I am hooked to his songs. So sad that he died. May his soul still continue to make such sweet melodies in heaven ❤
@davepowell7168
Fascinating insights lrene, thanks for sharing them
@jeannemariemellor8764
Hello, so glad to connect with you. Geoffrey Oryema is my absolute favorite musician of all time! But I just now discovered these priceless videos of him performing here on YouTube. Oryema’s father was beheaded during the reign of the ruthless dictator, Idi Amin. Oryema was smuggled, still a youth, out of Uganda in the trunk of a car and found exile in France until his death in 1965. His music heals me. My fiancé was a Tutsi from Rwanda. His family was
exiled in Uganda since he was 3 years old. Gasana was brutally murdered on the front fighting the Hutu army during the genocide against the Tutsi people in 1994. ❤Oryema’s music heals my shattered heart!
@brianwahome5789
SAME! Absolutely lvoed that song!
@kelebumasereka4633
@@jeannemariemellor8764 Thanks for the insightful though emotional history! Today 16th Feb is Archibishop Janan Luwum's day! Same day Geofrey father was murdered with the Archibishop in 1977! So sad history
@uplandtvuganda1275
Which Kenyan film is that? I may want to try
@otemamoses496
He died before our generation could discover him fully....he was the definition of a legend
@fredodongkara7109
As a person from Anaka, the land Geoffrey sings about in this song, I feel as though this song is connected to my soul in a way I can not explain