The Pride of OU donated their old uniforms to a marching band in Uganda this past year and they are now officially on their way to Africa. The opportunity to donate the uniforms was actually made possible by an OU student, Darius Katono Aruho. Darius is also the founder of the Sheema Pride Band in Uganda.
Darius came to OU in 2013 and this past March he formed the 20-member band. Aruho was the winner of the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize which awarded him $10,000. The award celebrates “the creaive process, recognizing the power of original thought and the drive of others to make a difference in the world around us,” and is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. He used the money to purchase instruments for the Karera Village. He then heard the band was going to be getting new uniforms and sent a video of the band in Uganda to the Pride of OU to try and convince them to donate their old uniforms to them. It worked!
The uniforms will arrive soon along with a little something extra, the sheet music to “Boomer Sooner”, the fight song for OU.
Here’s a short look at life for the band in Uganda:
College Marching
Marching Band Halftime Shows Live Here
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