Peter Lubega who prefers to be called Sparrow Uganda was born and raised in Uganda and is a person seeking asylum. He is a multidisciplinary artist now residing in Melbourne who has a variety of talents that occupy his time, these being a musician, street artist and chef to name a few. His passion for thriving in creative spaces can be seen on his YouTube and Instagram.
Passion for Street Art
Sparrow’s passion for street art started well in his childhood with him always seen painting and sketching to get his creativity flowing. In 2011 he saw some of his friends creating graffiti which sparked his interest in creating murals. Sparrow ensures he brings a piece of his culture when creating his graffiti works. “It showcases my identity and I use this medium to communicate my emotions to those around me”.
Music Endeavours
His passionate nature has led him to take the time to create and produce his music. He is the definition of a self-taught artist who is truly passionate about learning new things. The type of music he creates isn’t tied down to a specific genre it’s simply what is created organically. “Music is a universal language, it’s anything that catches my attention”. He mentions growing up with hip-hop music and other variety of genres but has never been tied down to one specific category. He finds different genres of music interesting as they all have something unique to provide to listeners. Sparrow talks about how he gains inspiration from all around him, not solely through musicians. He finds inspiration through everyone regardless if they have a relationship with music or not. In terms of the music industry, he gained inspiration from Bobi Wine a Ugandan politician and artist, 50 Cent and Jay Z to name a few.
Furthermore, in Sparrow’s endeavours as a musician, he produced an album this year called Sparrow Uganja available on his YouTube channel. He also mentioned working on a song with an Australian artist which will be out soon. There are a few projects still in the works of being produced but expect to check them out on his socials. Out of the many achievements he has already established through music there are a few that stand out. “The first time I heard my song on the radio was a wonderful moment in my life and surviving in Melbourne as a young artist from Uganda”. Sparrow’s advice to those who want to follow in his footsteps is to be strong and believe in your craft. “Follow your heart, desires and goals as it’s not an easy journey with its failures and accomplishments”. There will be times when things are difficult and aren’t as successful as you hoped but it’s the way you navigate these obstacles that allow you to grow.
Future Plans
Apart from his current list of talents, Sparrow hopes to accomplish other things in his life to evolve as a person. “I believe the day you stop learning is the day you die”. He doesn’t have a definite answer on what that would look like, but he knows he is always open to learning new skills. Sparrow mentions his love for cooking sparked when he arrived in Australia during the pandemic and found the food here was different from back home. His dairy intolerance also meant he couldn’t eat a lot of food items on offer. “I wasn’t used to the food here in Australia I relied on the internet to learn to cook which resembled my mum’s cooking”. He got an opportunity to learn how to cook at Free to Feed which was provided by the TAFE Box Hill Institute where he learnt basic skills and how to prepare certain dishes. His favourite dish to make is an African Biryani/Pilau with beef and it must have a kick of spice. In his community, there is a saying “Your food is your medicine” which explains why Sparrow chooses to cook authentic Ugandan cuisine.
However, like many people seeking asylum in Australia, Sparrow has yet to have any study rights to pursue what his heart desires. He is incredibly talented and takes the initiative to learn new skills online to better his craft. No one should be deprived of getting an education to learn vital skills to grow and nourish their talents.
If you want to support Sparrow’s journey please visit his YouTube and Instagram accounts to check out his work.