Sandra Nankoma is a soul, jazz, blues, afro, fusion singer: an all-round visual artist who uses art to express herself. The ‘Kaddugala’ singer who launched her music career in 2013, describes herself as ‘a black woman who loves to empower not only fellow black women but also women at large.
From sharing the stage with Grammy award singer Skyler Jett, to winning the Best African Artist for the acclaimed Visa Pour la Creation and ‘Best Female Artiste in African Inspirational Music’ at the 2018 All Africa Music Awards, Nankoma’s list of achievements speaks highly of her prowess in music and using it as a vehicle to inspire social change.
Nankoma is a melanin activist who founded ‘Kaddugala’, to advocate for the rights of dark-skinned girls and urge them to maintain their original skin color and keep away from bleaching. Previous research has linked colorism to smaller incomes, lower marriage rates, longer prison terms, and fewer job prospects for darker-skinned people.
As she gears to hold her maiden concert ‘The Black Dame Experience’, that will take place on October 4, at Protea Hotel in Kampala, we caught up with her for this exclusive interview.
What inspired you to start the Melanin campaign ‘Kaddugala’?
I felt there was a lot of strife, a lot of negativity that surrounded the skin of a black woman, putting her under too much pressure to attain a certain level of beauty that the world has set, a standard that is not actually even true. I was bullied in school because of my skin color yet I wasn’t even that dark but that’s not the point. It wasn’t right and these were fellow black children making fun of me, meaning there was a big responsibility to let other girls know that there’s nothing wrong with their skin color. The world might have a lot to say, to put names on our skin but that does not define who we are. That does not define beauty as being light-skinned. Beauty comes from within before flowing to the outside. Everyone can be beautiful the way they are without changing who they are. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are and that beauty will shine.
What are some of the misconceptions about dark skinned girls in Uganda that you are trying to break?
The misconception that for you to be successful, you have to be light, no that is not the case, that is not true. For you to get married, or find love, you have to be light skinned, no you can still find love in your original skin color. For you to have a following or have friends, you have to be a certain color, it’s not true as well. People will always be attracted to who you are from the inside. For you to be somewhere its actually your integrity, it has nothing to do with your skin color. People think that black girls are not beautiful, that is also not true. I want to parade all the girls that I have met within this time of the campaign with their beauty shots and you will see how beautiful they are. That’s why I do a lot of beauty shots that I post on my Instagram. I have done a lot of shoots that portray a black girl in a different way where you wouldn’t expect it, we try different colors, we try different hairstyles, we try different clothes, all with the aim of showing that actually skin has nothing on beauty, I am beautiful the way I am in my natural skin color and I will not change it.
In Uganda, do you feel that dark skinned women face discrimination especially in the music industry? If so, how can they break such barriers?
Yes, I feel dark girls face a lot of discrimination in the industry. For starters when I was starting my career I had someone tell me ‘there are so many brown skinned women in the industry how are you going to compete with those women, how are you going to get airplay?’ and I replied that I really do not care about what anyone thinks. I am black, bold and beautiful and I will continue to be. If people feel they are not comfortable watching me then its ok, some other people will, I will have my audience.
This problem is getting out of hand. You find 40% to 50% of the people on the street have bleached and you wonder why. Its because of such stupid notions. I believe if we push people in the media and push this message down their throats saying there is nothing wrong with dark skinned girls and black women, they have the same rights as everyone else and they are beautiful and entitled to stay in their original color, the media will embrace it. They already are by playing our music. I am seeing Lilly Kadima getting airplay yet she is dark skinned. I am getting airplay and thousands of other girls that have come up. So I feel this campaign and letting people know that black is beautiful, is getting somewhere to the media and they are acknowledging that even black girls are talented, there’s nothing wrong with them doing whatever they do in their original skin color.
What are some of the challenges you have faced while conducting the campaign and how have you been able to overcome them?
Most of the light skinned women feel like I am attacking them. I am not. I am only saying you are beautiful in your original skin color. Even with your light skin, you have melanin provided you haven’t touched it. That melanin is what I am fighting so hard for people to maintain because its part of who we are, it is essential for our life. Imagine you are under scotching sun yet you have eliminated that melanin, how will you protect yourself? It is this crucial element that protects our skin from all the direct sun rays that could burn us.
Also some people who have bleached feel attacked by the campaign which is not true. I am just letting them know about the dangers that are involved in the act of bleaching. If they are really interested in stopping it, they stop it. If they are not, its their choice but I let them know that 5, 10 or 20 years from now, they will be suffering from a lot of complications like having nervous breakdowns, kidney failure, among others yet they might not have the money to seek treatment.
What are some of the achievements you have scored since launching this campaign?
Seeing more and more girls approach me telling me about their struggles about their skin color and the challenges they have gone through with accepting it. I am able to share with them my story and how I overcame, what I thought about, the things I said to protect myself against the people that were stigmatizing me because of my skin color and these have inspired and given them hope and they see a light that they are actually not ugly, there’s nothing wrong with them and they are embracing who they are and that I feel is an achievement for me to help another dark girl, help another black woman accept who they are in their original skin tone. Plus I feel light-skinned women who are originally light are coming on board to support me on this journey to fight bleaching as well and that’s an achievement because they don’t feel they are attacked because they are light, no. They feel that this is a struggle many dark-skinned girls out there face and that they should not be under pressure to attain a certain level of beauty that the world has set out.
What advise do you give to women with dark skin tonnes who might be struggling to fit in?
Honey, don’t struggle to fit in, struggle to standout. We were not born to fit in, we were born to standout. Do not conform to the standard of the world. Whatever people say that you have to look this way to be called beautiful, that’s a lie. The beauty about having your original skin color is that when you are in a crowd of so many people looking the same, you will always be different, you will always be noticed and you will always be looked at as beautiful.
You are currently heavily in preparations for your upcoming maiden concert. Please tell us about it.
The Black Dame Experience celebrates the new age of African soul music and the resilience of black women in a world that does not celebrate their power, beauty, and grace. Projection technology will immerse the audience into an alternative universe, equally from the past, present, and future, to reveal a utopia.
Being your first major concert how are you balancing between its preparation and taking care of yourself?I tell you girl, omg, it’s crazy! Sometimes I forget to comb my hair, I forget to eat, but it’s a good experience because you learn. Embrace everything about what you learn and also you will not receive all the support that you need. But embrace all the support that comes to you because that’s what makes the difference and I am very grateful for this journey and everyone who is on it because they have taught me so much. I hope to use these lessons to advise another upcoming artist that if you are to do a concert, there are some of these things they should consider as very important tips to have a successful show. Yes, you feel nervous most of the times, sometimes you don’t know how to feel, sometimes you cry, sometimes you have a breakdown, sometimes you feel so strong like a superwoman but I have also learnt on this journey, that its ok to feel weak. It’s from the face of weakness that you get your strength and that’s how I have been able to balance. I allow myself to feel weak. I admit when I am weak and tell my friends and the people who are on board with the concert that you know what, at this time, I feel weak, I need you to lift me up and they do.
What should fans expect from the concert?
Expect good music, good performances from different acts like Kenneth Mugabe, JC Muyonjo, Tony Trumpet and from my band. Basically, they should expect good African live music
Quick Five
- What is the first thing you thought of this morning?
The stage and the lights and the sound for my show - If there was a musician in Uganda you could bring back from the dead, who would it be?
Radio - What was the last gift you gave someone?
A lotion - Which words or phrases do you use the most?
Okitegera, you know, you get it - What is the most Ugandan thing about you?
My accent in English (Laughs) I speak typically like a Ugandan
