Guitarist Ouma on choosing Jazz

Which living person do you most admire?

I mostly admire attributes as opposed to a person entirely for instance moral uprightness and honesty.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I love shoes a lot so I would spend on another pair whenever I see and like it.

What is your current state of mind?

I’ve been quite busy between Coke Studio in Nairobi and Uganda. I’ve got an instrumental jazz album out and working on another currently.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Fame.

On what occasion do you lie?

Knowing that somebody lied to you can be heart breaking that’s why I try as much as possible not to.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

None.

Which living person do you most despise?

I don’t despise people but rather a trait in them.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

A man should be smart and should be focused when undertaking life’s journey.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

She should have respect for herself and most importantly should have self control.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I use Bambi – a Luganda word for sorry or it’s a pity a lot because I like to sympathise and empathise when possible.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My mother and my guitar.

When and where were you happiest?

I’ve been happy many times.  I can’t pick one specific day or event that made me very happy because each is unique.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I am very happy with my musical talent.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wouldn’t. God made us all fearfully and wonderfully with a purpose for our lives so perhaps I would just edit a few appearance factors that are bound to depreciate with age but otherwise not.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I think I am still enroute that. I would like to be the best at what I do and I work towards that daily.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I would want to come back as me.

Where would you most like to live?

I love Uganda.  It’s a beautiful country with many opportunities as long as one is wise enough to tap into them.  I did like to go to Western Europe and the US especially west Coast for a holiday. I’ve never been to the Caribbean but I guess it would be good to visit as well, but to live, home is best for now.

What is your most treasured possession?

My guitars.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Inability to choose what you want to major and minor in in life.

What is your favorite occupation?

Making music.

What is your most marked characteristic?

I am pushy when it comes to wanting to achieve my targets.

What do you most value in your friends?

Trustworthiness .

Who are your favorite writers?

I don’t have. I don’t read so often.

Who is your hero of fiction?

Superman was my hero back in the day when I believed he could actually fly because I thought it was a nice way to save time and beat traffic especially on our way to school. At one point he flew in outer space and turned back the hands of time, so I thought to myself it would be a nice way to right one’s wrongs when they messed up.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I am not so into things or people in history.

Who are your heroes in real life?

All public figures who ‘honestly’ promote peace and tranquility are heroes to me.

What is it that you most dislike?

Because I am a peace lover, I hate war and unnecessary feud amongst people.

What is your greatest regret?

Tough question

How would you like to die?

I want to die at old age when I’ve fully played my part and can’t carry on.

What is your motto?

I derive my motto from the Bible and it’s `pray like you never worked for it and work like you never prayed about it’.

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editor@independent.co.ug