Geoffrey Oryema

Geoffrey Oryema (16 April 1953 – 22 June 2018) was a celebrated Ugandan singer-songwriter whose music fused Acholi and Swahili with English and French. He grew up immersed in traditional culture, mastering the nanga, guitar, flute, and thumb piano. In 1977, after his father—a minister under Idi Amin—was assassinated, Oryema escaped exile hidden in a car trunk, first to Kenya and later to Paris. His critically acclaimed debut album Exile (1990), produced by Brian Eno and released on Real World Records, launched an international career. He toured globally, performing at WOMAD, Woodstock ’94, and Live 8, collaborating with Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno. Oryema continued to record until his death in Paris and was laid to rest in his ancestral home of Anaka, Uganda.