The Ndere Troupe prides in celebrating diversity whilst emphasising commonalities. Founded in Uganda during1984 by Rwangyezi Stephen, their goals are to restore African confidence, pride and dignity, to educate artistically talented but socially disadvantaged young people, to promote positive social change and promote peace and unity through arts and culture.

Over 27 years, Ndere Troupe has become one of Uganda’s primary performance groups. Their base is the magnificent Ndere Centre, built on nine acres of beautiful land located in Ntinda on the northern fringes of Kampala, where they host programmes including Folklore Nights, Sunday Family hour, World Music Nights, and much more.

By now, Ndere’s country wide entertainment education programme has expanded to become a nationwide cobweb of democratic, grassroots organisations of 2000 highly motivated “edutainment” groups known as Uganda Development Theatre Association (UDTA). These are steadily becoming the role models and champions for development and social and economic transformation in their local areas. Through UDTA, Ndere trains and organises thousands of rural artists who have no formal education but are extremely knowledgeable and talented in traditional arts and are eager to learn modern theatre techniques.

UDTA groups visit the Ndere Centre annually, for two weeks intensive training that culminates in a production. Cultural nights featuring a variety of Ugandan regional traditional art forms are now an indispensable component at private, corporate and state functions.

The endere (flute), whose peaceful and soothing music calms edgy nerves, creates tranquillity and replaces hatred with love, is a common cultural unifying factor.