Uganda's Soul-Baring Star Joshua Baraka is Creating Networks for East African Music – OkayAfrica

A person wearing sunglasses and a light blue jacket stands in an urban street, the rhythms of East African music echoing around them.

Uganda’sJoshua Baraka has solidified his place as one of East Africa’s brightest stars. Nowhere is this more evident than in his seven-track mixtape, Recess, which dropped last December. The release caps off a remarkable year for the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. 2024 saw Baraka drop the deluxe edition of his debut album Growing Pains,earn a spotlight from Spotify RADAR Africa in his hometown of Kampala, and take home the East African Artist of the Year award at the HiPipo Music Awards.

With over 460,000 monthly listeners on…