- March 14, 2026
- Posted by: John Peter
- Category: CENTRE UPDATES
By Bernard Molho Bwambale,
Teaching Artist & Community Development Practitioner
A group of young musicians sits in a rehearsal room in Kampala.
They come from different communities, different life experiences, and different challenges. Some have grown up facing economic hardship, others are discovering music for the first time. Yet as the rehearsal begins, something remarkable happens.
They listen carefully to each other.
They adjust their rhythm.
They make space for each other’s sound.
Watching them, I began to wonder: can a song help build peace?
Peacebuilding is often associated with diplomatic negotiations, political agreements, and formal mediation processes. Yet across Africa, communities have long relied on music, storytelling, and performance to address tensions, share experiences, and strengthen relationships. During my journey as a Rotary Peace Fellow, I have increasingly come to appreciate that some of the most meaningful conversations about peace do not always take place in conference halls. Sometimes they unfold in rehearsal spaces, community stages, and cultural gatherings where people come together to create, perform, and listen.
In these spaces, dialogue takes a different form one that speaks not only to the mind but also to the heart.
When Music Becomes Dialogue
In that rehearsal room in Kampala, the musicians were doing more than preparing for a performance. Without realizing it, they were practicing cooperation, patience, and mutual respect.
Music demands listening.
It requires adjustment.
It rewards collaboration.
These are the same qualities that allow communities to navigate difference and live together peacefully. The rehearsal room, in that moment, became a small reflection of the kind of societies many peacebuilders hope to nurture.
Learning from Music-Based Social Impact Programmes
My experience supporting programmes under the Academy for Impact Through Music through Brass for Africa reinforced this realization. Through initiatives such as Leadership Circle and Firebird Fellowship, young musicians are encouraged not only to develop their artistic skills but also to reflect on leadership, identity, and their roles within their communities.
In these programmes, music becomes more than performance. It becomes a platform where young people build confidence, discover their voices, and develop relationships with peers they might never have encountered otherwise. Through the simple act of making music together, participants begin to see each other not as strangers, but as collaborators. And that shift, from distance to connection, can be powerful.
Music and Healing in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement
One particularly powerful example of this approach can be found in programmes implemented by Brass for Africa in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement. Bidi Bidi is one of the largest refugee settlements in the world, home to hundreds of thousands of people who fled violence in neighbouring South Sudan. Many young people living there have experienced displacement, uncertainty, and loss.
Yet in music classrooms and rehearsal spaces, something different emerges.
Refugee youth and members of host communities come together to learn instruments, rehearse, and perform. These shared artistic experiences create moments of joy, confidence, and belonging, things that are often scarce in environments shaped by displacement. In such settings, music offers more than an artistic outlet. It creates opportunities for young people to rebuild trust, form friendships, and rediscover a sense of possibility.
Uganda’s Musical Voices and Social Dialogue
Uganda’s contemporary music scene also demonstrates how artistic expression can shape public conversations.
Artists such as Bobi Wine have used music as a platform to speak about justice, leadership, and the aspirations of young people. Through music, social issues that might otherwise remain unspoken are brought into public conversation.
Meanwhile, internationally recognized performers like Eddy Kenzo have highlighted the creativity and resilience of Ugandan youth, reminding audiences of the power of music to inspire pride and possibility.
These artists illustrate how music can reflect the concerns of society while also encouraging hope.
Cultural Expression and Community Connection
Across many African societies, music and storytelling have long served as ways of transmitting values and strengthening social bonds. Songs, proverbs, and performances often carry messages about responsibility, unity, and coexistence. Cultural gatherings provide opportunities for communities to reflect on shared experiences and reinforce relationships. In this sense, artistic expression has always been more than entertainment. It has been a way for communities to make sense of challenges while affirming their collective identity.
Peace Beyond Agreements
Peacebuilding conversations frequently focus on institutions, negotiations, and policy reforms. While these remain important, they do not always address the everyday relationships that shape how people live together.
The peacebuilding scholar John Paul Lederach reminds us that sustainable peace often grows from the quality of relationships within communities.
Music and theatre naturally create spaces where these relationships can develop. When people perform together, they must listen.
They must adapt.
They must trust.
In doing so, they practice the very behaviours that help societies thrive.
Reflecting on Future Possibilities
These experiences have shaped the way I think about the role of the arts in community life. In the Rwenzori region of western Uganda, where I come from, I have been reflecting on how music, storytelling, and other creative forms might help create spaces where young people can connect, express themselves, and build relationships across communities. The Arts for Peace initiative I am currently developing remains a thought in progress. Yet the inspiration behind it comes from witnessing how creative collaboration can bring people together in meaningful ways. Sometimes dialogue emerges most naturally when people are creating something together.
So, Can a Song Build Peace?
Perhaps not on its own.
But a song can open a conversation.
A performance can nurture empathy.
A shared rhythm can remind people that their voices sound better together.
And sometimes, the first step toward peace does not begin with a negotiation table.
Sometimes it begins with a melody, and people learning to listen to one another again.