When Beats Meet Ballots: The Rise of Political Music in Uganda
In my previous article about how politics has infiltrated the music industry, I outlined key factors that attributed to the marriage between the music industry and politics, one being money, fame, and power; however, the question remains: How did we get here?
Check out my previous article : The Political Cancer eating up Uganda’s Music!
The flip of the coin was evidenced in 2016 when key Ugandan music icons, through Balaam Barugahara, reached an agreement and released a joint song titled “TUBONGA NAAWE,” campaigning for the incumbent President during the 2016 general elections as he sought another presidential term.
This was the moment music finally entered a strong relationship with politics, as the joint song featured numerous Ugandan celebrities, including Chameleon, Bebe Cool, Radio and Weasel, Rema, Juliana, Irene Namubiru, Haruna Muniru, Moon G, King Saha, Wilson Bugembe, and others. It was very hard for ordinary Ugandans to miss the campaign rallies for the NRM, as many celebrities who participated in the song accompanied the president throughout the campaign.
This made it a must-attend event for locals, and even the announcements about upcoming political rallies changed, with politicians starting to include and pay artists to perform for the masses.
Though it’s alleged that the team behind the “TUBONGA NAAWE” project first approached Bobi Wine to participate in the campaign song, insiders claim Bobi Wine asked for too much money, leading to his exclusion from the project.
After releasing the political hit ( TUBONGA NAAWE) , Bobi Wine produced a political song called “SITUKA TUTAMBULE” and dedicated it to Dr. Kizza Besigye after losing the 2016-2021 general elections. These political songs became a steering wheel in every political rally, and every political party started associating with artists who sided with their political parties.
Not only for the presidential seat but also for MPs, began paying artists to produce songs praising them as the solution to community challenges. This move made it hard to distance politics from the music industry, as many artists openly produced songs like “Toka Kwa Balabala” by Adam Mulwana, who passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at Doctor’s Hospital Seguku.
To date, when planning to contest for any political seat – be it Chairman LC1 – you must be an artist or willing to pay artists to boost your campaigns.
Many politicians have tried singing to clearly indicate what they intend to do when entrusted with power, including President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with hits like “Mpenkoni.”
