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Exclusive
National Geographic has snatched up the Venice 2022 festival Bobiwine documentary: Ghetto President.
The Bobiwine documentary follows Ugandan Afrobeats star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, who has challenged authoritarian Uganda’s authoritarian president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
National Geographic Documentary Films has snatched up the Venice 2022 festival documentary Bobi Wine: Ghetto President and will take the film out worldwide.
The documentary, from directors Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo, follows the career and life of Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Afrobeats pop star Bobi Wine, who is using his fame — and music — to shine a spotlight on corruption in his home country. Since his move into politics —Wine last year ran for president, challenging the authoritarian leadership of Ugandan leader Yoweri Kaguta Museveni — the singer has survived beatings and an assassination attempt. But he has not been bowed.
“My people, the Ugandan people, are familiar with my journey through music, politics, imprisonment and torture, but this film is a microcosm of my country’s larger struggles under an unrelenting dictatorship that has been operating with impunity for decades,” said Wine. “I can’t wait for global audiences to see the reality of the situation and question their leaders’ support for this regime.”
National Geographic snatched up Bobi Wine: Ghetto President after its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival and ahead of its US bow at Telluride today. Wine, who was in Venice to promote the film, will be at the US premiere as well, and will give a live musical performance in the center of town on Sunday night.
National Geographic plans to tour Bobi Wine: Ghetto President across global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters in 2023.
“Bobi and his wife Barbie are once-in-a-lifetime heroes who take great personal risk to dislodge and liberate a nation from a ruler who has been in power for 35 years,” said directors Bwayo and Sharp. “As documentary filmmakers, we are occasionally fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to relate events that can bring about transformation. We believe that this is one of those occasions.”
Previous releases from National Geographic Documentary Films include the Oscar-winning Free Solo and Oscar-nominated The Cave, the adventure biography Becoming Cousteau on the life of famous explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, and Ron Howard’s 2020 documentary Rebuilding Paradise, about the attempts to rebuilt the Sierra Nevada town Paradise, California after devastating wildfires.
Why Ugandan Rapper Bobi Wine Wants the World’s Attention
With the new doc ‘Ghetto President,’ the popular performer, who has survived beatings and an assassination attempt amid his move into politics, is using his fame — and music — to shine a spotlight on corruption in his home country.
The story of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s rise from TV comedian to a headline-making political figure and hero to many is well known. But some 3,500 miles from Kiev, in Kampala, Uganda, and almost entirely out of the international media spotlight, there’s another entertainer-turned-politician fighting for democracy — and hoping the world pays attention.
Robert Kyagulanyi, better known by his Afrobeats pop star handle Bobi Wine, was one of Africa’s most successful musicians and best-known celebrities — he even had his own reality TV show, Da Ghetto President — before a shift to politics turned the onetime “ghetto rapper” into the face of the opposition against Uganda’s authoritarian president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Wine’s story is told in a new documentary, Bobi Wine Ghetto President, which premieres at the Venice Film Festival. Instead of the familiar rags-to-riches tale of a poor kid made good — Wine was raised in Kampala’s infamous Kamwokya slum, where he built his renowned Firebase recording studio — in Ghetto President, directors Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp focus on Wine’s political career.
Not that there’s an easy division between the music and the politics, between the campaigner and the entertainer. For two decades before he formally entered politics — in a successful grassroots run in 2017 for an elected seat in the Ugandan parliament — Wine has been using his music to address social injustice and push for reform.
His 2006 hit “Ghetto” was the opposition soundtrack for the elections that year. The 2014 reggae tune “Time Bomb” — with such lyrics as “I don’t know why corruption is too much/Why the price of electricity is too high” — is an unambiguous attack on government nepotism, corruption and the high cost of living.
“My music, my songs, have always been revolutionary, highlighting the plight of the people, calling out what’s wrong in society and singing it out,” Wine says in a video interview with THR from his home in Kampala. “Music is my biggest amplifier. If I have a political message, I’ll put it in a song, because I know many other people are going to sing that song, and that message is going to go out.”
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Wine’s musical messages run through Ghetto President as the film traces his “people power” revolution from 2017 through 2021, when Wine ran against Museveni in Uganda’s presidential elections. Wine lost, though he and many international organizations and nations, including the U.S. (a major aid donor to Uganda), questioned the official result, claiming evidence of fraud and vote tampering.
The Bobiwine documentary draws a sharp contrast between the 77-year-old Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since coming to power in 1986 on the back of an armed uprising, and the 38-year-old Wine. The former is shown as the embodiment of the revolutionary turned dictator — “our mentors become our tormentors,” Wine sings in one of his songs — while we watch the reggae star turned politician dancing his way across the country for his 2021 campaign, speaking in front of wild crowds of cheering supporters.
Wine, like Zelensky, is also a master of social media, regularly posting videos and music clips to his followers and using online platforms to spread his political messages. Here his entertainment background comes in handy. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wine recorded a song that later went viral, outlining both the symptoms of a COVID infection and the recommended hygienic measures to fight the spread of the virus. Imagine a Dr. Fauci press conference you can dance to.
For those who fear the power of social media to distort and deform democracy, Ghetto President is a reminder of how valuable global online platforms can be in countries where, as Wine says of Uganda, there is “state capture” of the mainstream media.
“Social media is a lifesaver and a life changer for us,” he says. “Here in Uganda, without social media, you would only be seeing the picture painted by the authorities. With social media, we can show the real picture in real-time, unfiltered. Mainstream, traditional media avoids talking about cases of human rights violations, about the rape cases against the military. Mainstream media won’t air my words, or if they do, they twist them to make sure that they favor the regime.”
A sign of the power of social media in Uganda came ahead of the presidential election, when the government shut down the entire internet rather than let opposition messages get through.
Wine’s high profile has made him a target: In 2018, he was arrested and charged with treason. He says police beat and tortured him. When he was released, as shown in the film, Wine could barely walk and had to be flown to the U.S. for medical treatment.
The threat of violence is omnipresent. One of Wine’s drivers was shot dead by police in what Wine says was an assassination attempt on him. A bodyguard was killed after being run over by a truck belonging to the military police.
“There are security operatives that are planted on my door, and they follow me on motorbikes wherever I go,” Wine says. “I’m still under threat, which is why I move in a bulletproof car, and when I leave home I have my own private security.”
The results of the 2021 election, and the government crackdown that followed it, have made Wine skeptical about whether democratic change is possible in Uganda without major social unrest.
“As it is, elections can do very little,” he said. “I think the power transition may only come when the people rise up, non-violently, peacefully, but assertively. Unfortunately, we can only do this with the help of the rest of the world. If we try to do it alone, whenever we try to do it alone, the result has been a massacre.”
But Wine is not giving up. By making Ghetto President and traveling to Venice to promote the film, he says he hopes to focus the world’s attention on Uganda.
“I want the people in the international community to know that somewhere in the world, somewhere in Africa, in a country called Uganda, people are being massacred for what they think,” he says. “But most importantly, I want the people of the international community to know that their taxpayers’ money, their aid, is being used to undermine human rights and democracy in Uganda. But you can help us. You can help us by stopping the support for Yoweri Museveni. You can help us do the right thing by you not doing the wrong thing.”
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Exclusive
Trump Foreign aid freeze, Should we, as Africans, continue looking to the West for survival?
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So, Museveni and his henchmen have continuously labeled H.E. Bobi Wine as being funded by the West, a claim that is entirely false. Ironically, these same people are now the ones lamenting and crying after Trump halted their funding.
This exposes their hypocrisy and raises an important question that I need you to pay attention to: Is it America’s responsibility to fund us as a nation? Should we, as Africans, continue looking to the West for survival even after trump Trump Cuts Aid, or should we take charge of our own destiny? We must all answer this.
That put aside, Trump Foreign aid freeze should serve as a wake-up call to all African leaders: handouts from the West will never and never develop our nations. True development comes from within, through the proper management of taxes, national resources, prioritizing the welfare of citizens, and fostering self-reliance. Instead of begging for aid, Our governments must focus on tax efficiency, industrialization, value addition to raw materials, and fighting corruption that drains billions from public coffers.
Take Uganda under dictator Museveni as an example, a regime so financially mismanaged that it has to sometines borrow money just to pay civil servants, what a shame. Uganda’s public debt has skyrocketed beyond 90 trillion shillings, with a significant portion being external debt. Yet, there is close to non to show for it. Infrastructure projects are riddled with inflated contracts, funds meant for healthcare and education are looted, and public services are in a state of decay. Just take a look at the government hospitals and schools near you.
Meanwhile, the ruling elite enjoys lavish lifestyles, flying in private jets and driving luxury cars, getting medical care from London, India, USA etc all at the expense of the struggling taxpayer.
All you need to know Uganda isn’t an isolated case because Across Africa, Majority of leaders have failed to harness the immense wealth of the continent. Despite abundant natural resources; gold, oil, diamonds, fertile land, and a youthful population, many African nations remain dependent on foreign aid and predatory loans. China, the IMF, and Western donors continue to tighten their grip, dictating policies that serve their interests while keeping Africa trapped in debt. How can a continent so rich remain so poor? So sad they’re all crying after Trump halted the aid.
The answer lies in leadership. Africa cannot progress under dictairs like Museveni who prioritize personal enrichment over national development. We must break free from this cycle of dependency and debt. It is time for African leaders to: Actually Trump is instead helping us to be self reliant.
>Reduce bloated government expenditures by cutting unnecessary administrative costs, excessive military spending, and luxury benefits for politicians.
>Invest in industries and manufacturing to ensure Africa exports finished products instead of raw materials, which enrich foreign economies.
>Strengthen accountability mechanisms to eliminate corruption, enforce transparency, and recover stolen public funds
>Empower local businesses by supporting small and medium enterprises, creating policies that favor homegrown industries over foreign monopolies.
>Develop a self-reliant mindset where Africa finances its own development instead of begging for aid that comes with strings attached.
The future of Africa lies in economic independence, self-sufficiency, and visionary leadership. We must demand better from those in power and reject leaders who keep us in perpetual poverty while mortgaging our future to foreign interests. It is time for Africa to rise, not as a charity case for the West, but as a strong, self-sustaining continent built by its own people.
I remain #Jbmuwonge
contact@jbmuwonge.com
Exclusive
Hajj Ashraf Semwogerere pens down a letter to H.E.Bobi Wine and Mathias Mpuuga
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Asalaam alaikum.
A LETTER TO PRINCIPAL ROBERT KYAGULANYI Bobi Wine AND HONORABLE MATHIAS MPUUGA.
The Cuban revolution.
General Arnaldo Tomás Ochoa Sánchez was chosen by Defense Minister Raúl Castro to become the head of Cuba’s Western Army. Since this branch of the military protects Cuba’s capital city, Havana, and its top leaders and installations, the position would have made him the third most powerful military figure on the island, after Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and General Raúl Castro (today Secretary general of Cuban Communist party.).
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What was expected to be a routine background check prior to the announcement of his appointment began to unravel, however, when at appointment, the government accused Ochoa of corruption, which included, but was not limited to, the sale of diamonds and ivory from Angola and the misappropriation of weapons in Nicaragua. As the investigation continued, links were found to other military and Ministry of the Interior officials who were engaged in even more serious crimes: taking pay-offs from South American drug-traffickers, including Pablo Escobar and General Manuel Noriega in exchange for letting them use Cuban territorial waters for drug drops and pick-ups.
General Raúl Castro, who was very close to Ochoa personally, later said he pleaded with Ochoa on a number of occasions to come clean and reveal everything so they could move forward. When Ochoa refused to cooperate, on June 12, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces announced his arrest and investigation for serious acts of corruption, dishonest use of economic resources, and abetting drug trafficking.
When Ochoa sat before Fidel Castro in the President’s office, he humbly accepted to have betrayed the revolution and asked the commander in chief to do what was necessary to keep the revolution strong. Castro signed his death warrant.
At dawn on July 13, 1989, Ochoa was executed by a firing squad along with three senior officers of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Ministry of the Interior , after a military court convicted them of drug smuggling.
Meanwhile, the Cuban revolution grew stronger despite the fact that their major rival United States was a superpower and a stone throw away from their island.
THE NRM/NRA REVOLUTION;
During the NRM/NRA bush war, several Kadogos mostly from Buganda were executed for just stealing chicken or Cassava of Wanainch. This was the bush war code of conduct. It acted as a deterrent to other rebel soldiers to instill discipline. Those who were around in 1986 when NRA stormed Kampala will tell you how well disciplined these soldiers were.
Today, there is a crisis in the NUP revolution. Where a high ranking Soldier like Ochoa of Cuba has betrayed the revolution. In the NRA bush language, the soldier has stolen from Wanainch.
For the Revolution to stand its time, I beg Honorable Mathias to act like Owekitiibwa and tell the principal to do what is necessary exactly like what Ochoa did. And to Principal Kyagulanyi, please do like Federal Castro. Please sign that warrant. The revolution is just beginning to keep its code of conduct. nobody should be above it. A revolution without discipline turns into banditry. What Dr Apollo Militon Obote had referred to NRA.
DP and FDC have a lot for reference.
Hajj Ashraf Semwogerere.
Exclusive
Justin: Rt. Hon. Mathias Mpuuga asked to Resign After Admitting Taking Irregular Service Award 500 Million
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Former Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga asked to Resign by the NUP party to resign from the position of Commissioner of Parliament after admitting to having taken part in an irregular service award amounting to UGX 500 million.
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There is an ongoing online protest under the hashtag #UgandaParliamentExhibition. The protest aims at exposing the massive corruption, abuse of office and gross mismanagement of public affairs by the leadership of Parliament and other leaders.
Unfortunately, the protest has not only revealed grand corruption on the side of NRM leaders. Some leaders on the opposition side have had serious allegations of corruption leveled against them. Specifically, our former Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and current Parliamentary Commissioner, Rt. Hon. Mathias Mpuuga alongside three other Parliamentary Commissioners have been accused of irregularly awarding themselves huge sums of tax-payers’ money on the pretext of “Service Awards”. Under the scheme, Rt. Hon. Mpuuga was allocated 500,000,000/= (Five Hundred Million Uganda Shillings).
On Wednesday 28th February 2024, the President convened an urgent meeting comprised of senior leaders of the Party including all Deputy Presidents and some of our senior legislators. At the meeting, Rt. Hon. Mpuuga admitted that he indeed took part in this wrong doing and apologised for the same. In light of this, he was strongly advised that the moral thing to do in the circumstances is to step down from his role as Parliamentary Commissioner with immediate effect.
The nation will recall that the values of the National Unity Platform are Discipline, Reliability, Inclusiveness, Integrity, Patriotism and Service. All actions of corruption and abuse of office go contrary to these values. They also go contrary to the Integrity Oath which every leader of the Party swore at the start of this term.
We therefore ask our leaders at all levels to do self-reflection and recommit themselves to these values and the Oath they took to shun and fight corruption in all its forms.
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