I entered this year bruised. Limping, really. But I am exiting it blessed, stronger, and unmistakably positioned for more.
So, when Watoto Church splashed Kampala with online adverts and bold digital billboards announcing their end-of-year Christmas cantata, Son of God, curiosity grabbed me by the collar and said, “You’re going.”
For more than 30 years, Watoto Church has made it a tradition to retell the story of Jesus Christ every Christmas season in glamorous cantatas. Same story, new lens. Same gospel, fresh fire.
And perhaps that is why it continues to pull crowds across generations, year after year. Jesus Christ, after all, stands at the center of it all, steady and immovable, yet reaching into every human life. Authority wrapped in humility. Truth walking dusty roads.
And the Watoto production captured all this with lights, music, choreography and a horse. As a recovering alcoholic – now nine months sober – I would not have beaten addiction without Jesus by my side and this year’s cantata was special to me.
One wonders how Watoto has maintained this level of consistence for three decades. Excellence, discipline and a refusal to do things halfway. Last Friday, for the first time, the production moved from Watoto Downtown on Kampala road to the Old Kampala SS playground, to accommodate a big crowd at once.
Lead pastor Julius Rwotlonyo said: “After extensive research with partners and authorities, we agreed that outdoors was the best option. We wanted to check all the boxes and make our Christmas gift memorable.”
Security ringed the entire venue with military precision, except friendlier. Ushers moved with purpose. No confusion, no chaos, no Kampala-style elbow diplomacy.
Hovering above it all was Kampala’s tallest Christmas tree, lit two days earlier on Wednesday, during an inter-church Carols night, where Watoto partnered with other churches for an evening of praise and worship.
Being a free-of-charge production, the traffic to the venue was massive but organized. The show opened with an acrobatic performance by a team of young boys who defied gravity and common sense.
A choir then took us through some gospel ballads to whet our appetites. The story of Mary and Joseph followed, told with warmth and just the right amount of humour. And then there was the horse, transporting us back into the era of emperors and centurions.
Later, I learned it took four months to train the animal to withstand lights, booming sound, massive crowds and Kampala’s full sensory assault. Dedication has a smell. Apparently, it also neighs.
The musical interludes were the cherry on the cake. Simple yet elegant costumes, tightly choreographed routines, and children performing with a confidence that suggested countless hours of rehearsal and coaching.
Ninety-six minutes after the show began at 8:05pm, Pastor Rwotlonyo returned for a powerful closing prayer. This Christmas, Watoto raised and donated Shs 100m to children’s homes in Kampala.
Shs 17m came from the Inter-Carols Night, Shs 50m from the chief guest, Allen Kagina, who represented the First Lady, and the church topped up the rest. I walked away feeling lighter and ready for Christmas.
eupal.ff@gmail.com
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