Geoffrey Oryema

Geoffrey Oryema
Geoffrey Oryema during a concert in Mainz, Germany, 13 March 2001
Geoffrey Oryema during a concert in Mainz, Germany, 13 March 2001
Background information
Born
Geoffrey Oryema

(1953-04-16)16 April 1953
Soroti, Uganda
Died22 June 2018(2018-06-22) (aged 65)
Lorient, France[1]
Genres
  • World music
  • Afro-pop-rock
OccupationMusician
Years active1990–2018

Geoffrey Oryema (16 April 1953 – 22 June 2018)[1] was a Ugandan musician. In 1977 after the murder of his father, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who was a cabinet minister in the government of Idi Amin, he began his life in exile.[2] At the age of 24, and at the height of Amin's power, Oryema was smuggled out of the country in the trunk of a car.[3]

Background and education

Oryema's parents were Lt. Col. Erinayo Wilson Oryema who was the first Inspector general of police in Uganda from 1964 to 1971 and Janet Manjeri Acoyo.[4][5]

Career

He sang in the languages of his youth, Swahili and Acholi, the languages of his lost country, the "clear green land" of Uganda,[6] and he also sang in English and French.[7]

Oryema earned his international reputation on the release of his second album, Beat the Border. He had collaborated with Peter Gabriel,[8] Brian Eno and others, and was backed by French musicians including Jean-Pierre Alarcen (guitar) and Patrick Buchmann (drums, percussion, backing vocals), touring with WOMAD in Australia, the USA, Japan, Brazil and Europe.[9] In 1994 the band performed at Woodstock 94 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the legendary festival.[10]

Gabriel's record label, Real World, helped with the first three of Oryema's albums, before his move to Sony International, a label established in France, where Oryema had lived since his exile.[11]

In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall, and with 1 Giant Leap at the Live 8 Edinburgh concert.

He resided in Paris, France, until his death from cancer.[12][13][14][15] His ashes[16] were delivered to Anaka.[17][18][19]

Personal life

Oryema was married to Regine and left her with three children, Ajoline, Chantal and Oceng.[11]

Discography[20]

  • Exile (1990)
  • Beat the Border (1993)
  • Night to Night (1996)
  • Spirit (2000)
  • The Odysseus/Best Of (2002)
  • Words (with Melanie Gabriel) (2004)
  • From The Heart (Released on Long Tale Recordings) (2010)

See also

  • Abu Mayanja
  • Miria Obote

References

  1. ^ a b "France Based Ugandan Music Legend Geoffrey Oryema Dies at 65". Kampala Post. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Oryema on his music and ghost of Idi Amin - The EastAfrican". www.theeastafrican.co.ke. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  3. ^ Lubangakene, Caesar (2016-12-18). "Geoffrey Oryema, The Legacy, A True Heritage of the Acholi People of Uganda". Medium. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  4. ^ Kaggwa, Andrew (2016-12-22). "I've come home to close a sad chapter – Oryema". The Observer. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  5. ^ Babatunde, Mark (2017-02-07). "After 40 Years in Exile, Ugandan Musician Geoffrey Oryema Returns Home". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  6. ^ Kaggwa, Andrew (2016-12-16). "Oryema to perform in Uganda for first time". The Observer. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  7. ^ Team, The Observer (2018-06-24). "Ugandan music legend Oryema dies at 65". The Observer. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  8. ^ "Peter Gabriel pays tribute to Geoffrey Oryema". Music In Africa (in French). 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  9. ^ "Oryema's musical odysseys, from rooftop bar to stardom". Monitor. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  10. ^ "Reflections on Geoffrey Oryema". Monitor. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  11. ^ a b Serumaga, Kalundi (2018-08-01). "A tribute to Geoffrey Oryema (1953-2018)". New African Magazine. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  12. ^ "Internationally acclaimed Ugandan artiste dies in France". Monitor. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  13. ^ Ruby, Josh (2018-06-23). "Veteran musician Geoffrey Oryema dies in France". MBU. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  14. ^ Reporter, Vision. "Musician Geoffrey Oryema dead". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  15. ^ "Tribute: Singing Pacifier Geoffrey Oryema Leaves the Stage :". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  16. ^ "Music Legend Geoffrey Oryema's Body Cremated :". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  17. ^ "French police to escort Oryema's ashes to Uganda". Observer.ug. Archived from the original on 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  18. ^ Larubi, Pat Robert (2018-06-29). "Acholi Traditional Leader Furious Over Plans to Cremate Dead Singer, Geoffrey Oryema". SoftPower News. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  19. ^ "Acholi Chiefdom Reject Cremation of Geoffrey Oryema :". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  20. ^ Kaggwa, Andrew (2016-12-21). "Oryema the cherry on top at Bayimba Honors". The Observer. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
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