Saturday the 16th of December 2023 saw Mc Nsonga, an artist, community activist, percussionist, song writer and martial artist, from the renowned Nilotika Cultural Ensemble hold the debut launch of the long-awaited Reggae album dubbed ‘Waka’.

About the album

Themed around the African consciousness, the ‘Waka’ album embraces roots and cultural concepts spread across the different songs on its catalog.

Drawing inspiration from Luganda and other local languages, ‘Waka’ symbolizes the common concept of home, belonging and connection. Through his culturally themed lyrics and soul-stirring compositions, Nsonga takes you on a captivating musical journey, where each track feels like a fresh perspective around a core theme.

Collaborating with a stellar lineup of producers, including the creative prowess of Nostrain Pro, Elton Pro, and B.I.T Pro, J.T pro, Moyez, Natural Calamity, Soro Yanky, ‘Waka’ is a true masterpiece of sonic craftsmanship. The 17-track album is an effortless blend between percussion and modern sound.

Click to buy album

The Show
The show started at approximately 3pm with a drum circle.
Mcees of the day, Corp Zak and Mcee Nicki Bat handled the line-up of opening acts and directed the overall energy of the show, while Just-a-hub DJs punctuated it with samples, scratches and mixing.

The Nilotika Cultural Ensemble took stage and put on a climatic performance headlined by percussion drums and string instruments adapted from different regions in Uganda. Such instruments like Acholi harp, percussion drums, flute, ‘endingindi’ were used on a set of cultural dance songs, much to the appraisal of their audience. Ensemble dancers did much to entertain the guests with melodious cultural tunes, eclectic dance forms. The martial artists kept the viewers at teeth-biting tenterhooks with a versatile showmanship of spinning kicks and demonstration of other martial skills

Between 9 to 10pm, the main artist, Mcee Nsonga, stepped on stage much to the exhilaration of the fans. The emcee introduced his performance with ‘Tolwanira Ennyama’, a popular tune that warns against the dangers of living a material life. He then performed ‘Waka’, a soulful and rhythmical song, an ode to rediscovering the true meaning of home, immersing fans in a magical blend of reggae, hip-hop and folk. The album title is adapted from the song.

The artist performed other tracks like ‘Nutty Bwoy’, ‘Mabanja’ and ‘Nakayaga’.
With each track, Nsonga’s storytelling made fans appreciate his musical excellence. He laid out thought-provoking narratives, shedding light on social issues, love, and personal growth. The artist blended tastes of reggae, hip-hop, folk, and R&B, a proof of musical diversity.

Together with the crowd, he performed ‘Bandinzire’, the last song, accompanied by cow dancing originating in Ankole region.

‘Nsonga is a new breed whose soulful vocals give his art an appeal different from most artists and he does reggea, I need to seek out and listen to more from this album!’ Katakwi, a reveler, exclaimed after the show.

This November 2026, the artist plans to do a reboot of the ‘Waka’ album launch. Check out his socials @Nsonga_dias to keep updated.

Watch ‘Waka’: