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Cultures-Uganda

SUZAN KERUNEN (ALUR QUEEN)

SUZAN KERUNEN (ALUR QUEEN)
Principal country concerned :

Career Profile …
 
A double nominee for the Best East African and African Artist 2008/09 Kora All Africa Music Awards 2008-2009  
 National Tourism Ambassador -UTB  
Best folk Pop artist PAM AWARDS 2010.  
Flag Bearer West Nile Region Centenary 2014  
Suzan Kerunen is a Ugandan world music singer who writes and performs African Contemporary music in the local Ugandan language of Alur (her mother tongue) as well as in English, Swahili and other world languages.
 
A Ugandan singer, who writes and performs African Contemporary music in local,
Ugandan languages of Alur-Jonam (her Luo mother tongue), Kiswahili, English and
other world languages. Suzan Kerunen started her career as a young girl with her two sisters in an all girl group Soul of Africa She later went on to launch her solo career with her debut Album NIMEFIKA a Kiswahili term meaning "I have arrived" As described in the press
"Suzan Kerunen is a musically great and arguably one of the most respected world music artists in Uganda"-- the Daily Monitor Newspaper
Nimefika her maiden album is made up of rich African sounds fused together to come up with what the artist describes as African Soul, though largely qualifying it as African contemporary music under the World music genre. With a mix of Njige, Agwara and Ndara drums from her Alur-Jonam (Central Luo) people of Nebbi District in the West Nile sub-region of Northern Uganda, located on the north-western shores of Lake Albert, western banks of the River Nile, and bordering north-eastern DRC.
 
Kerunen's premier album Nimefika has earned her a double nomination with the
KORA ALL AFRICAN MUSIC AWARDS www.koraawards.org in the Best East African and African Artist 2008/09 Ngom the nominated song is one of her Afro pop single which talks about judgment and stigmatization in African societies. Suzan's music and performances have earned her great reputation in Uganda and better still in the Diaspora with her recent KORA AWARD nod.
 
"Kampala's new voice" The East African News paper
 
Suzan Kerunen's second album "LEK" meaning "Dream" celebrates African diversity and freedom of expression. It explores sounds like the Talking drum(Tamur) from West Africa, African Marimbas(Akogo),Tube fiddle(Ndingidi),Wind instruments and Guitar played by talented artists like Kinobe Herbert, Michael Ouma, Hakim and Jude Mugerwa of Soul Beat Africa the internationally acclaimed Ugandan band
 
SUZAN KERUNEN'S JOURNEY
2005
 
Suzan co-wrote and produced Amani (Peace) an African Opera set in Gulu of war ravaged Northern Uganda. An African Opera which is simple and uncomplicated, in the typical style of children, explores hard questions like, "Why are the grown-ups really fighting?" It is a question the grown-ups themselves are neither eager to ask nor answer.
But the children are as the greatest casualties as the grown-ups shoot each other and burn down villages.
 
"The stories I tell are those shared with me by the children I met at the World Vision [returned child soldiers] camp in Gulu. I was touched by the way the children in the camps laughed and played, and the songs they sang, despite the sad stories attached to their lives. This led me to write the opera in order to tell the story of Gulu through the eyes of a child.
The 'Amani' Opera is in English. 'Amani' means 'Peace'. Its aim is to tell a little of the story of what life is like for children living amongst the LRA conflict in Northern
Uganda - including those who are ex-combatants as well as those who weren't abducted but have otherwise suffered. Although I present many of the atrocities, I
have aimed to do so in a way that leaves the viewer feeling positively compassionate rather than overwhelmed; and I have also aimed to show the beauty and innocence that remains in children even in the worst of circumstances....."Suzan Kerunen
 
2006
 
POWER of HOPE CAMP 2006, KAMPALA
-Suzan used music in form of therapy and meditation to facilitate a retreat during the
Power of Hope Camp; Kampala 2006 with the major theme "Building Community to
Living Healthy and Powerful Lives" was conducted in order to address some of the challenges faced by adolescents at the PIDC, Mulago Hospital.
-Performed in the East African carnival alongside Suzzanna Owiyo of Kenya
 
2007
 
LIGHT A CANDLE FEED THE CHILD
Suzan worked with children living with HIV-AIDS, from the Infectious Diseases
Institute (IDI) in Mulago Hospital, Uganda, in a special pre-festive season concert to raise funds for nutrition and other basic needs over the Christmas season.
 
2007/2008
 
HEART SOUNDS IN UGANDA "ENKUBA YOMUTIMA"2008
Done in the United Kingdom with a replica visit clinic in Hackney London visiting
Uganda in September 200 to highlight Mental Health in Uganda, The project raised awareness of mental health issues in the community, reduced community stigma and discrimination, and empowered sufferers of mental illness by promoting and improving mental health services in both countries.
 
2008
 
Suzan Kerunen performed in the International Jazz Festival alongside Mama Africa Miria Makeba (RIP), Oliver Mutukutzi, Third World, Kinobe Herbert backed up by Soul Beat Africa.
 
-The International Bayimba Festival in Uganda
 
-KORA ALL AFRICAN MUSIC AWARDS in Benin, where she performed alongside Chaka Chaka, ASA and other Diaspora artists
 
2009
 
The CHOGM celebrations in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago
 
2010
 
Suzan Toured West Nile AND THE Northern district of Uganda in a Tour Dubbed  DOK PACU in LUO meaning "the return" a tour dedicated to the larger north war ravaged villages.
The tour encouraged and supported the youth who have been through several years of night commuting, child soldiers, former abductees abductions, and other evils that that the war brought.
 The concert was in the districts of Nebbi, Arua, Gulu, and Apac respectively in (November/December)
 
CINEMARENA TOUR December-January
 
Suzan toured with the Italian Cooperation and the Italian embassy in a cultural tourism tour which lasted one month. The tour was in collaboration with ministry of health, Native travel film festival, Cinemarena and the Italian Embassy to Educate people in West Nile about critical health issues on a malaria and HIV AIDS.
 
Appointed National Tourism Ambassador to promote Cultural Tourism
 
"ACHER ACHERA" Singing for life Concert in May 25th 2012
On the 25th of May 2012, Suzan Kerunen will team up with Rotary in a fundraising concert for the Prevention and occurrence, later managing the effects of cervical, Breast and Prostate cancers in Uganda. "ACHER ACHERA"  Suzan's third album means  I have resurrected in Luo, a gift that she and Rotary together with all the other supporting partners wish to give to women and men of Uganda.
 
 
Famous Quotes
 
1. "Suzan Kerunen is musically great and arguably one of the most
Respected world music artists in Uganda," the Daily Monitor
 
2. "In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right
Thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
 
"Look beyond the waves and see what shakes the sea"
 
 Career Profile …
 
A double nominee for the Best East African and African Artist 2008/09 Kora All Africa Music Awards 2008-2009  
 National Tourism Ambassador -UTB  
Best folk Pop artist PAM AWARDS 2010.  
Flag Bearer West Nile Region Centenary 2014  
Suzan Kerunen is a Ugandan world music singer who writes and performs African Contemporary music in the local Ugandan language of Alur (her mother tongue) as well as in English, Swahili and other world languages.
 
A Ugandan singer, who writes and performs African Contemporary music in local,
Ugandan languages of Alur-Jonam (her Luo mother tongue), Kiswahili, English and
other world languages. Suzan Kerunen started her career as a young girl with her two sisters in an all girl group Soul of Africa She later went on to launch her solo career with her debut Album NIMEFIKA a Kiswahili term meaning "I have arrived" As described in the press
"Suzan Kerunen is a musically great and arguably one of the most respected world music artists in Uganda"-- the Daily Monitor Newspaper
Nimefika her maiden album is made up of rich African sounds fused together to come up with what the artist describes as African Soul, though largely qualifying it as African contemporary music under the World music genre. With a mix of Njige, Agwara and Ndara drums from her Alur-Jonam (Central Luo) people of Nebbi District in the West Nile sub-region of Northern Uganda, located on the north-western shores of Lake Albert, western banks of the River Nile, and bordering north-eastern DRC.
 
Kerunen's premier album Nimefika has earned her a double nomination with the
KORA ALL AFRICAN MUSIC AWARDS www.koraawards.org in the Best East African and African Artist 2008/09 Ngom the nominated song is one of her Afro pop single which talks about judgment and stigmatization in African societies. Suzan's music and performances have earned her great reputation in Uganda and better still in the Diaspora with her recent KORA AWARD nod.
 
"Kampala's new voice" The East African News paper
 
Suzan Kerunen's second album "LEK" meaning "Dream" celebrates African diversity and freedom of expression. It explores sounds like the Talking drum(Tamur) from West Africa, African Marimbas(Akogo),Tube fiddle(Ndingidi),Wind instruments and Guitar played by talented artists like Kinobe Herbert, Michael Ouma, Hakim and Jude Mugerwa of Soul Beat Africa the internationally acclaimed Ugandan band
 
SUZAN KERUNEN'S JOURNEY
2005
 
Suzan co-wrote and produced Amani (Peace) an African Opera set in Gulu of war ravaged Northern Uganda. An African Opera which is simple and uncomplicated, in the typical style of children, explores hard questions like, "Why are the grown-ups really fighting?" It is a question the grown-ups themselves are neither eager to ask nor answer.
But the children are as the greatest casualties as the grown-ups shoot each other and burn down villages.
 
"The stories I tell are those shared with me by the children I met at the World Vision [returned child soldiers] camp in Gulu. I was touched by the way the children in the camps laughed and played, and the songs they sang, despite the sad stories attached to their lives. This led me to write the opera in order to tell the story of Gulu through the eyes of a child.
The 'Amani' Opera is in English. 'Amani' means 'Peace'. Its aim is to tell a little of the story of what life is like for children living amongst the LRA conflict in Northern
Uganda - including those who are ex-combatants as well as those who weren't abducted but have otherwise suffered. Although I present many of the atrocities, I
have aimed to do so in a way that leaves the viewer feeling positively compassionate rather than overwhelmed; and I have also aimed to show the beauty and innocence that remains in children even in the worst of circumstances....."Suzan Kerunen
 
2006
 
POWER of HOPE CAMP 2006, KAMPALA
-Suzan used music in form of therapy and meditation to facilitate a retreat during the
Power of Hope Camp; Kampala 2006 with the major theme "Building Community to
Living Healthy and Powerful Lives" was conducted in order to address some of the challenges faced by adolescents at the PIDC, Mulago Hospital.
-Performed in the East African carnival alongside Suzzanna Owiyo of Kenya
 
2007
 
LIGHT A CANDLE FEED THE CHILD
Suzan worked with children living with HIV-AIDS, from the Infectious Diseases
Institute (IDI) in Mulago Hospital, Uganda, in a special pre-festive season concert to raise funds for nutrition and other basic needs over the Christmas season.
 
2007/2008
 
HEART SOUNDS IN UGANDA "ENKUBA YOMUTIMA"2008
Done in the United Kingdom with a replica visit clinic in Hackney London visiting
Uganda in September 200 to highlight Mental Health in Uganda, The project raised awareness of mental health issues in the community, reduced community stigma and discrimination, and empowered sufferers of mental illness by promoting and improving mental health services in both countries.
 
2008
 
Suzan Kerunen performed in the International Jazz Festival alongside Mama Africa Miria Makeba (RIP), Oliver Mutukutzi, Third World, Kinobe Herbert backed up by Soul Beat Africa.
 
-The International Bayimba Festival in Uganda
 
-KORA ALL AFRICAN MUSIC AWARDS in Benin, where she performed alongside Chaka Chaka, ASA and other Diaspora artists
 
2009
 
The CHOGM celebrations in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago
 
2010
 
Suzan Toured West Nile AND THE Northern district of Uganda in a Tour Dubbed  DOK PACU in LUO meaning "the return" a tour dedicated to the larger north war ravaged villages.
The tour encouraged and supported the youth who have been through several years of night commuting, child soldiers, former abductees abductions, and other evils that that the war brought.
 The concert was in the districts of Nebbi, Arua, Gulu, and Apac respectively in (November/December)
 
CINEMARENA TOUR December-January
 
Suzan toured with the Italian Cooperation and the Italian embassy in a cultural tourism tour which lasted one month. The tour was in collaboration with ministry of health, Native travel film festival, Cinemarena and the Italian Embassy to Educate people in West Nile about critical health issues on a malaria and HIV AIDS.
 
Appointed National Tourism Ambassador to promote Cultural Tourism
 
"ACHER ACHERA" Singing for life Concert in May 25th 2012
On the 25th of May 2012, Suzan Kerunen will team up with Rotary in a fundraising concert for the Prevention and occurrence, later managing the effects of cervical, Breast and Prostate cancers in Uganda. "ACHER ACHERA"  Suzan's third album means  I have resurrected in Luo, a gift that she and Rotary together with all the other supporting partners wish to give to women and men of Uganda.
 
 
Famous Quotes
 
1. "Suzan Kerunen is musically great and arguably one of the most
Respected world music artists in Uganda," the Daily Monitor
 
2. "In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right
Thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
 
"Look beyond the waves and see what shakes the sea"
 
 

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Guerrilla Arts
  • HOT
  • Bayimba
  • Uganda Women Writers Association
  • Arts 256
  • 32º East
  • Amakula Festival

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