Decolonising Uganda’s primary musical arts teacher education through analysing the indigenous amayebe musical practices

Abstract

Indigenous African education in precolonial Uganda thrived on community-based systems of knowledge transmission. However, missionary-led schooling delegitimised Indigenous knowledge and skills (IKS). This study critiques the Colonial Matrix of Power within Uganda’s Primary Musical Arts Teacher Education (PMTE), which remains trapped in a Eurocentric, examination-oriented structure. Despite its cultural significance, there is hardly any documentation on IKS embedded in various Indigenous traditions and their transmission practices. These practices can inform school-based musical arts education and losing them impacts the quality of teaching of musical arts in schools. The Decolonial Theory underpinned this research while analysing the Amayebe musical tradition of the Basoga as a catalyst for reform. Four objectives guided this study: (1) to explore the cultural significance of Amayebe tradition, (2) to investigate the knowledge and skills transmitted through the tradition, (3) to analyse Indigenous methods of transmission, and (4) to develop a decolonial framework for re-centring Amayebe epistemology within the PMTE. Adopting an interpretivist epistemology, the researcher utilised his Locus of Enunciation as a cultural insider to conduct an ethnographic case study. This was done by navigating to the natural Amayebe transmission contexts through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, focus group discussions, and document analysis. The respondents included 3 Musical Arts Teacher Educators, 5 Amayebe master musicians, 19 Amayebe apprentices, and 2 Busoga Kingdom Officials. Participants’ consent, confidentiality, and anonymisation were observed. The researcher applied Inductive thematic analysis by iteratively generating the themes and triangulating results to enhance credibility. The study revealed that while the Amayebe musical tradition is a vital symbol of identity, history, entertainment, and social critique, it has declined significantly. The reduction is due to the scarcity of Amayebe (Oncoba spinosa) pods, the reluctance of the youth to associate with Indigenous culture, and the Western-dominated nature of contemporary schooling that has relegated Indigenous musical traditions and practices to the periphery of its curriculum. Data analysis further revealed that Amayebe transmission is a holistic process that aims at producing abakugu (exceptionally multi-skilled individuals) who master several musical and generic skills, which are transferable to broader academic and social contexts. These Indigenous practices rely on Legitimate Peripheral Participation, where knowledge is generated through inquisitorial observation and communal hands-on learning (yega nga bw’okola), and transmitted through participatory learner-centred approaches. Unlike the individualistic and lecture-heavy PMTE syllabus, Amayebe pedagogy utilises peer scaffolding, team teaching, and performance-based assessments within a fluid open-theatre environment. The study proposes the Amayebe Epistemology as a decolonial framework to transform PMTE by repositioning Indigenous practices as a legitimate foundation for learning outcomes and content, to foster epistemic justice, teacher agency and cultural responsiveness. Ultimately, this research provides a blueprint for a hybrid curriculum where the decolonised teacher acts as the catalyst for a culturally responsive education system that aligns with Uganda’s Vision 2040, SDG4, and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This ensures that musical arts education becomes a tool for meaningful coexistence and global competence.