As a part of our Diversity Unit, HPDS will be welcoming the Suubi Fusion Troupe from Uganda on Wednesday, April 12th. The troupe, who are students at Cambridge Secondary School, travel to North America each year to share their culture and perspectives through African music, dance and storytelling.
In the Luganda language, Suubi means hope. For these students, hope is what they’ve been given through their experiences at CSS. Prior to opening the school, founder Mrs. Kevin Kalule cared for children orphaned by war, poverty and child labour, taking them into her own home. As her orphanage grew, it was a natural and necessary move to transition into a school to provide the children an education. But the children had been victims of traumatic life experiences, and Mrs. Kalule, a former psychiatric nurse, knew that if they could open up and share their experiences, they could heal and have a chance to move on from their pasts. African music and the sound of the drum opened the door for the children as a starting point for story telling. Since then, music, dance and performance has been an integral aspect of their program. They now boast a full-time music teacher and full-time dance teacher, and of course, the Suubi Fusion Troupe. The Troupe has become a regular touring group, performing all over the world, sharing their culture and perspectives with their audiences.
In Uganda, secondary school is a not free and therefore it is not accessible to many families. Today, Cambridge Secondary School continues to give hope to the 400 students enrolled, who would not otherwise have the opportunity for an education because they cannot afford it. Cambridge Secondary School is self-funded and relies on international partnerships and various income generating programs to maintain the facilities and programs for the students. The Suubi Fusion Tour is one opportunity to raise both awareness of, and funds for the school, while providing the talented students an experience of a lifetime.
We are so thrilled to have the Suubi Fusion Troupe visit HPDS and to have this unique opportunity to experience their culture and to connect with the students to learn more about their lives and perspectives. We would like to extend the invitation to this performance to everyone in the community who is interested in seeing the Suubi Fusion Troupe perform. All are welcome! The performance will be at St. Paul’s Anglican Church Runnymede, at 404 Willard Avenue on Wednesday, April 12th at 10:00 am.
The Suubi Troupe is touring to raise much needed funds so that their special school can continue to provide hope and opportunity to Ugandan children through education and performance arts. We are therefore suggesting a donation of $20, but invite guests to give what they wish.
If you cannot make it to our performance, the Suubi Troupe would like us to extend the invitation to the main event/performance of the tour taking place on Saturday, April 15th at Daniels Spectrum.
We hope you can join us for this entertaining performance. It will be an excellent opportunity to experience culture, listen to and learn from different perspectives and help a deserving cause. Please RSVP if you can make it.