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Mugabi Turya traces the forgotten legacy of pioneering Ugandan composer and scholar Solomon Mbabi Katana, and his place in the wider story of opera in postcolonial Africa.

On July 14 1968, just six years after Uganda gained its independence, the New York Times ran an article headlined, 'Uganda's Opera Success at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ'. 'The Marriage of Nyakato' was written by Katana, who skilfully combined musical elements from his tribal heritage and European classical training, and performed over four crowded nights at the National Theater in Kampala.

It was a lightning in a bottle moment; an international review of a landmark moment at the birth of a new nation. But now, over 60 years later, Uganda's opera scene has seemingly never lived up to that early post-independence promise - and Katana's composition has never re-surfaced.

As Mugabi goes on a global search for the missing work, he uncovers the hidden history of 'African opera', meets the contemporary composers continuing that journey today, and questions the value of cultural legacy for a nation.

Including contribution from:
Lawrence Barasa, opera singer and former member of the Kenyan Boys Choir
Katy Ehrlich, librarian at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Archive
Helen Epega, artist and composer of Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera
David Isingoma, son of Solomon Mbabi Katana
Sam Kasule, professor of Postcolonial Theatre and Performance at the University of Derby
Bongani Ndodana-Breen, composer of Winnie: The Opera
Olabode Omojola, composer and professor of ethnomusicology at Five Colleges, USA
Dave Pier ethnomusicologist from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Producer: Becca Bryers