INVITATION:
The Dean, School of Education under the College of Education and External Studies (CEES), cordially invites you to the PhD Public Defense of the following candidate:
Name of the Candidate: Mr. Erisa Walubo
Title of Thesis:
Decolonizing Ugandan Primary Musical Arts Teacher Education through Exploring the Indigenous Amayebe Musical Practices
Date: Thursday 5th Februrary 2026.
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Venue:
AVU Conference Room, College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University
ABSTRACT
This study examines Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and transmission processes within the Amayebe musical tradition of the Basoga in eastern Uganda, with the aim of contributing to the decolonization of Uganda’s Primary Musical Arts Teacher Education (PMTE) programme. While precolonial Ugandan education was grounded in community-based Indigenous knowledge, colonial and postcolonial education systems marginalized Indigenous epistemologies, leading to the decline and under-documentation of traditions such as Amayebe.
Guided by Decolonial Theory, the study adopts an interpretivist, ethnographic approach involving semi-structured interviews with five (05) master musicians, focus group discussions with nineteen (19) apprentices, and participant observation, complemented by audio-visual documentation and field notes. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that Amayebe plays vital cultural roles in royal ceremonies, funerals, and communal gatherings, serving functions of identity preservation, historical narration, moral education, and social critique. The tradition transmits musical competencies including performance, composition, improvisation, dance, and instrument-making as well as transferable values such as humanistic conduct, self-reflection, and self-confidence.
Drawing on these findings, the study proposes the Practitioner-Pedagogue-Andragogue (2PA) model, which integrates Indigenous and global perspectives to support culturally responsive, holistic, and reflective music teacher education. The study advocates for the systematic integration of IKS into PMTE through collaboration with Indigenous culture bearers.
Supervisors:
- Dr. Ssegantebuka Julius
- Dr. Ssekalegga Lawrence Branco
- Prof. David Gabriel Hebert
Your presence and participation will be highly appreciated as we support the student in this important academic milestone.