Amarula Family bows out

UGANDA’s comedy jinx seems to be spreading, and fast. Pablo discontinued his Pablo Live comedy nights at Open House and Theatre Factory also stopped their Thursday gigs at National Theatre. The rest are also reportedly struggling.

Thursday, December 06, 2012
Amarula Family is the leading comedy group in Uganda. Net photo.

UGANDA’s comedy jinx seems to be spreading, and fast. Pablo discontinued his Pablo Live comedy nights at Open House and Theatre Factory also stopped their Thursday gigs at National Theatre. The rest are also reportedly struggling.Now word on the grapevine is that pioneer comedy outfit, Amarula Family, is also no more. It is believed that it was dissolved after finding out that Paddy Ssali (Bitama) had started a comedy school – Bitama Foundation – in Kakiri without his colleagues’ knowledge. Bitama also reportedly spends a lot of time in politics, cutting Amarula shows, forcing members to go solo."He goes to his political rallies and encourages people to shun events and he is the same man organising events... he also left their political party, Focus Party, where Amooti was his deputy, to join FDC,” said a disgruntled colleague.Although the group is aggressively advertising its annual Christmas show, Akabadi k’Omwaka, Bitama confirmed to Star Trail that he had left, forming his own outfit, Amazon Family. He said he left mainly because he felt the group had stagnated, yet he was a man on the move. Star Trail