George Wilberforce Kakoma (27 July 1923 – 8 April 2012) was a Ugandan musician who wrote and composed "The Pearl of Africa", Uganda's national anthem. Kakoma's composition was first played publicly by the Police Band conducted by Mr. Moon on October 9, 1962 during Uganda's Independence Day Celebrations. He received a personal token of sh2,000 from the Prime Minister Dr. Milton Obote for his work.[1]
The Ugandan national anthem, which Kakoma wrote and composed.
Prior to Uganda's independence, three sub-committees were established to deal with creating Uganda's national symbols. The sub-committee for the creation of a national anthem encouraged Ugandans to submit their proposals.
"The compositions had to be short, original, solemn, praising and looking forward to the future. They had to be harmonised in the usual four parts-soprano, alto, tenor and bass," said Kakoma in an interview.[3]
In July 1962, the committee chose Kakoma's composition. It had taken him a day to compose the music and write the lyrics for "Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty".
Kakoma is a recipient of numerous awards, including the National Independence Medal in 2010. Apart from the National Anthem, he contributed to the composition of the East African Community Anthem in 2005. He also composed the Uganda Wildlife Authority anthem.[1]
^"Archived copy". newvision.co.ug. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
