Dennis Sempebwa outs book on being free, human and a child of God 

In the 1990s and early 2000s, gospel boys band Limit X soothed the hearts of many with their brand of music.

The group initially comprised Dennis Sempebwa, Paul Mutebi, Paul Serukenya and Isaac Ruccibigango. It later morphed into the trio of Mutebi, Rucci and Sempebwa when they relocated to the USA in the 1993.

In his memoir Black Like Me, Dennis Sempebwa highlights this Limit X journey and his unending quest for meaning and identity. He captures Uganda’s tumultuous past at the family level during the Idi Amin regime, the civil war and outbreak of HIV/ Aids.

Sempebwa dedicates the final parts of the book to polarizing discussions such as systematic racism, sexuality and gender liberty and migration, among others. In the book published by Eagle’s Wings Press, Sempebwa recounts one of his most defining moments growing up during Amin’s regime; a time when politics was never publicly discussed, abductions were the order of the day and school children side-stepped dead bodies to get home.

“It wasn’t uncommon to see bloodied men and women being pulled out of trunks of unmarked police cars. (…) Hundreds of maimed bodies could be seen floating along the shores of Lake Victoria which had become the regime’s dumping ground”.

Even when Amin fell in 1979, it did not take long before the dark clouds began gathering again. HIV/Aids was claiming the young and old. Villages were decimated, leaving behind children to raise other children, and Sempebwa’s family was not spared.

“I could almost hear my friends whispering, ‘Mister Sempebwa has Slim’.”

In February 1987, Sempebwa Senior succumbed to Aids. Sempebwa Junior became the heir to his father’s empty estate at the age of 19. His dreams of joining university were extinguished as the family struggled to make ends meet.

The church became the focal point for most families for comfort. Sempebwa joined the choir at Redeemed Church to serve God. When one Kibalama, the lead drummer did not attend a Sunday service, Pastor Balinda turned to 12-year-old Sempebwa to sit in for him.

Kibalama, who had always told Sempebwa off saying that city-born kids like Sempebwa could not play drums, never showed up again. Sempebwa later joined New Wave band, which played at Pastor Robert Kayanja’s Miracle Centre cathedral. These two life skills would form the foundation for his stint in Limit X.

Together with his friend Paul Mutebi, Sempebwa received a two- term scholarship from his church to study in the UK. Rucci and Serukenya had travelled earlier to the UK, where Limit X took off. In 1993, Mutebi, Sempebwa and Rucci relocated to the USA, effectively taking the band with
them.

Gospel artistes in the USA were more appreciated than in the UK and soon, the trio became global trotters. But Sempebwa’s mother was not at peace. She wanted her son to marry. A princess from Buganda had been proposed as his spouse. He eventually married Ingrid, an American of Romanian descent, with whom he has five children.

Sempebwa does not mince words talking about racism in the USA. Drawing from his experiences as an African father raising multiracial children, Sempebwa is upset that systemic racism remains unchanged in America.

“Almost every Black migrant I have spoken with is still trying to figure out how Blacks are screaming systemic racism in cities run by Black minorities. There is record violence in cities that have been run by Black politicians over the past 50 years.”

The book addresses issues of sexuality and gender identification, among other polarizing topics. This memoir is a bittersweet read that will inspire many. Musicians in Uganda need to read it, to think wholesomely about life after the stage fame.

Sempebwa launched the book on August 17 at Motiv in Industrial Area, and it will be available for purchase from Amazon, Aristoc Booklex and Mahiri Books.