Background

Pearl Rhythm Foundation (PRF) is a Ugandan music and grassroots creative organization created in 2012 and incorporated in 2015 under the laws of Uganda, to champion the cause of marketing and popularizing Indigenous music and instruments through art while linking it to its original indigenous grassroots cultures. Our mission is to see a vibrant culturally rooted music industry in Uganda with artists that showcase a true Ugandan brand.

The Pearl Rhythm Foundation (PRF) has been on a quest to document the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Uganda with keen attention to Indigenous minority groups of Uganda. As a way to continue with this objective Pearl Rhythm Foundation will continuously document and popularize such cultures on The Art Archive- a virtual Museum that will store and promote Ugandan Intangible Heritage to artists, scholars, and the public at large as a source for entertainment, reference, research and collaboration and inspiration.

The Art Archive is our contribution to the safeguarding of endangered music belonging to vulnerable groups like Indigenous Minorities of Uganda by working with community cultural custodians and musicians to record and document such Intangible heritage like instruments, styles, and associated knowledge in order to increase the literacy of audiences with regard to Ugandan culture and create access and value for such cultural asset.

Vision statement:

To feed art with indigenous culture from its original, organic, and natural context found in the rural setting with grassroots communities.

Mission statement:

To identify, Nurture and expose Indigenous Ugandan artists so that they authentically contribute to a Ugandan identity and pride within our grassroots

Objectives:

Create platforms for Indigenous art for artists and grassroots communities
Interface with Indigenous communities to identify potential talent that can be developed into unique Ugandan brands
Work with artists who are in the creation stage of their careers to realize their full Indigenous potential
Link artists who have Indigenous art to various opportunities

DISCOVER

Spotlight

BATWA

The Batwa are an indigenous tribe who originally lived in the forests of Mgahinga and Bwindi which were both gazetted as National Parks in 1990s with an aim to protect the mighty mountain Gorillas. They are now referred to as “Conservation refugees.” The Batwa lived a lifestyle of hunting and gathering of fruits and plants mainly for food and medicine. They never practiced farming, deforestation, or forest fires. They coexisted in harmony with all creatures in the forest including the Mountain Gorillas for so many years. As a result, most of them were left landless and needy.

Spotlight

KEBHU

Kebhu people love music. In their free time, they like to entertain themselves with various activities. When they get excited to play music, they organize a meeting where preparations for the day for the music will be done. In this meeting, the date for the music is fixed, drinks are prepared, and people from other clans are invited. On the eve of the day for, one specialist goes to the site of the music to plant a charm (Eukpa) at the site. The next morning, a post called the KAZAKI is placed to mark the place of the music. This site is guarded very well.