Created by Vini Mercy, this body of work which is a combination of paintings and music is a celebration of Moyo District, located in Northern Uganda and the Madi people, her people. These paintings are not only a celebration of the dark skinned femme who is often placed in the North, but also the landscapes, and traditions which according to Vini, reflect dignity, strength and grace.
Vini describes her music as a soulful exploration of rhythms and melodies that allow her to share her language with the rest of the world.
We delve deeper into her creative process in an interview below:
Q: The album is titled Nile’s Jewel—can you tell us about the significance of the title and its connection to the themes of the album?
A: The title was very hard for me to come up with. I knew it had to correlate with the artwork and when I researched about the different ways of making reference to where I come from, I found that the area I come from was called Nile’s Jewel. So I wanted to bring my home into my work and I also didn’t mind being remembered by that name; The Nile’s Jewel.
For context, I’m from Moyo in the North of Uganda. We are sort of cut off and yet still a part of Uganda. The River Nile separates us from Adjumani as you exit the West Nile region. So in order to reach Moyo, you have to cross the Nile on a ferry. Because we are surrounded by water, we are also very big on fish and can have it several ways because of its abundance. There’s so much that I believe makes us special and the themes in this body of work give everyone an introduction to who we are. I wanted to spark curiosity with this body of work
Q: How did the idea for this project come together? What inspired you to create this particular body of work?
A: I wanted to sing and paint. I wanted to do them together. It took me about two years to complete. So, I started with the music and then shared my vision with people that I trust who encouraged and challenged me to stretch myself as an artist.
Q: What was your creative process?
A: I learnt quickly that I had to have a vision for the work I wanted to create. For the paintings, initially, I just wanted to keep to my small canvas and make small paintings. In fact, these feature in the exhibition. I maintain, I also just wanted to paint but when people started asking me about the black figures in my paintings, I started thinking about the significance of those black figures to me. I remembered how I was often complimented for looking light skinned considering where I come from and I always thought that to be a strange compliment. So I decided that I wanted for people who viewed the paintings to know without a doubt that I was painting people from the North. I also wanted the black figures to embody a soft feminine style; one where the women look proud to be, and that’s why they look relaxed and are wearing all this jewelry despite the backdrop of work in the paintings. I wanted them to look like they’re always getting ready to go somewhere.
For the music, the whole album was a journey. I wanted it to feel like a wave in the arrangement and it was also very much how I was experiencing life at the time. The first song I wrote was Butterflies and then I wrote Yes. I was in a situation-ship at the time and I remember when I recorded it my brother commented about how vulnerable I was. So even though I was, I figured many other people have probably gone through what I’ve been through in their own way. Paris Break was one of my favorite songs to record. When I received the track, I knew I wanted to sing, but I also wanted to rap. So when I recorded it, I knew I had finished the album and I just knew the project was complete.
Q: Can you walk us through how you typically start a track? Do you start with lyrics, melody, or something else?
A: It’s easier for me to write when I have the beat. So the producers, Ric Keys and Isaac Kalema who I worked with gave me the beats for the different songs which I listened to and created the melody while I composed the lyrics.
Q: Was there any specific song or track on the album that challenged you the most to create? If so, why?
A: It was definitely Free Slave. It just felt difficult to record. I can’t seem to find the language to explain why, but I really just dreaded going to studio to record it even though I knew it had to be done.
Q: Who or what are some of your main musical influences? Did any of those influences manifest in the sound of Nile’s Jewel?
A: I really enjoy listening to artists like Tems and Daniel Ceaser because they sing about pain in a way that’s so cool. They make vulnerability look safe and I really admire that about them. So I guess in many ways, that inspired me to be vulnerable with my music on this EP. Little Things is one of the other songs where I found myself especially vulnerable. It was difficult for me to record because I had a lot of self doubt but I realized that I had to admit to myself that sometimes life is like that, we give ourselves many excuses to remain in places we don’t like so I wanted to echo that in the lyrics.
Q: Did you collaborate with any other artists or producers on this project? How did those collaborations impact the final product?
A: It was important for me to be the only vocalist on my project because until now, I’ve only featured on a couple of songs. So I only sought out collaborations that pushed me to achieve my vision for the project. My mentors for the visual work were the people at Vodo Art Lab and Society; Wamala Kyeyune, Puto Kikomeko, and MF. For the EP, Abaasa Rwemereza was a great sounding board for me. It was interesting how sometimes I’d go to the team at Vodo for feedback on the sound of the EP, and then to Abaasa to steer me back to my vision for my artwork. My mentors played a very big role in keeping me focused on the authenticity of my music and artwork.
Q: How do you think this album has been received? How does that make you feel?
A: When I released the album, I had a lot of people from West Nile reaching out to me who were really excited about the sound. More than anything, they were excited about the song Countdown because it’s not common that we hear our language like that in that format. I was even invited to perform at the Nilotes Connection which celebrates the culture and heritage of Nilotes in Uganda. There were also a number of producers and writers of music who commented that they didn’t know that they could use their language in music like the way I did. So I’m excited that my music has influenced many people from West Nile particularly to want to infuse our culture into their creativity.
Q: What has releasing this work done for you?
A: Being Madi raised in the Central region, I realized from a young age that not knowing or speaking Luganda meant that I got excluded a lot of the time. So even though it was slightly challenging, I wanted to pay homage to the things that have shaped my identity. I like that my work has introduced my heritage to people who knew nothing about it; I like that those who are from where I come from feel celebrated and challenged to bring more of themselves into their everyday lives.
Checkout the highlights from the exhibition opening here:
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