Bobi Wine Ghetto President Directed by Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp

February 9, 2023 Shane Virunphan

Bobi Wine Ghetto President

Directed by Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp

Starrings: Bobi Wine

Country: UK, Uganda, Stati Uniti

Year 2022

Authour Review: Shane Virunphan

Click Here for Italian Version

“He came from the ghetto. He had no father he had no mother, he was different.”

August 2014. The United Kingdom refused entry visas to the famous Ugandan singer Bobi Wine. The Guardian wrote:

“Popular Ugandan artist Bobi Wine has been denied a visa to visit the UK this month after gay rights campaigners accused him of inciting homophobic attacks in his song lyrics, according to local media reports. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was forced to cancel two scheduled gigs in Birmingham and London where he was due to support Ugandan drama and music group the Ebonies. Gay rights campaigners voiced objections when Wine’s shows were announced. A change.org petition said: “Ugandan artist Bobi Wine writes songs with blatant homophobic lyrics and calls for gay people to be attacked, or killed… allowing such an artist to appear in public is clearly going to raise tensions.” (1)

The singer, who grew up in the ghetto, during the press interviews, decreased slightly in tone but remained harsh on homosexuality. He was aware, his success in Uganda also depended on his extremist thinking:

“... I just do not agree with them [homosexuals], This is my opinion and happens to be that of 99 per cent of Ugandans”. (2)

He even criticized President Barack Obama:

“Criticise US President Barack Obama’s stance on gay rights, the post was later removed but not before Ugandan gay rights blogger Seba had a chance to respond, accusing him of disregarding loyal fans who may be gay, or have friends who are gay.” (3)

The petition to prevent him from entering the UK referenced some lyrics, for example:

“If you’re a man, you better be a man/If you’re a girl you, you better stay a girl/Some men dress like a bitch and get it like a bitch/They stink like fish/Fire will burn the batty man/All Ugandans get behind me and fight the batty man”. (4)

Beat up the batty man. Batty man is Jamaican insulting slang for homosexuals.

How did a homophobic rapper, banned from the UK, manage to become Uganda's presidential candidate? How did he manage, after a few years, to be welcomed in the USA and England as a hero of political correctness?

Perhaps abundant funding and unscrupulous marketing run by American and British lobbyists?

The phenomenon is explained with skill by the directors Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp in the beautiful documentary Bobi Wine Ghetto President, presented at the 79th Venice Film Festival.

Uganda has been governed since 1986 by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He is a socialist and when he was young, he fought in some African countries against colonial and dictatorial governments. He served in Mozambique in the Marxist movement of FRELIMO, Frente de libertação de Moçambique. In Tanzania, he joined the Front for National Salvation to depose Ugandan President Idi Amin. After Amin's fall in 1986, he led a popular movement, occupied Kampala and was proclaimed president.

Since 1986, Uganda's GDP has risen from USD 3.92B to USD 40.43B in 2021. The same trend for GDP per capita, from USD 260 in 1986 to USD 858 in 2021. Uganda is in fourth place among similar African states for GDP. (6)

Uganda is still underdeveloped, with all of the numerous disparities and disadvantages that are typical of African countries.

Uganda's geopolitics today is to protect itself from the pressing and anti-democratic imperialism of the USA and some European states. On the contrary, China, with its African interventionist policy, is influencing Uganda with investments and financing. Museveni confirms this:

"Africa has been having problems for the last 600 years due to the slave trade, colonialism, neocolonialism -- and none of it was from China." (7)

Recently, Uganda's position is clear. Uganda is one of four African nations visited by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the war in Ukraine. (8)

In order to understand the film Bobi Wine Ghetto President and its dynamics, it is important to have a historical-social-political context.

At the beginning of 1986 in Kampala, some soldiers in the car recited a prayer. There were clashes, exultation among the people. It was another African civil war.

We switch to a total image of Kambala with a splendid establishing shot of the city's slums. They are picturesque; misery and scarcity are hidden by directors. They just want to film meetings, photos, concerts, music and lots of colours.

In 2017, Bobi Wine was elected to parliament. In 2021, he ran himself in the presidential elections, challenging Yoweri Museveni. It is not easy. Museveni has been in power for many years. He has strong popular approval and he controls the tribes, the core of supremacy. Museveni is re-elected. Bobi Wine, like any loser, launches accusations of fraud.

Bobi Wine's story begins with his difficult childhood in the ghetto. The authors focus on this detail, depicting him as a street boy. Orphaned, he overcomes adversity with music and then with politics, until he becomes a parliamentarian.

The other attitude underlined is his joyful, friendly, affectionate character, both with his wife and especially with his children, with whom he plays and protects them from danger.

These behaviours are replicated by his campaign marketing department. Therefore, Bobi Wine is joyful, friendly, affectionate with the voters. The audience recognizes his efforts, running behind his car, singing his songs, cheering him on.

Bobi Wine is brilliant, devoted. He is fun with the crowd, docile in the hands of promotion but also divisive for Ugandans. Courageous and vigorous when faced with misadventures for Uganda's interests.

The structure is stable and exciting. The presentation of the characters is perspicacious and obvious. The conflict is the one with Museveni. His participation in the presidential elections increased his international notoriety. He is now considered the deus ex machina of Uganda.

Throughout the film, the rhythm is dictated by the songs, the streets full of dancing fans, the noise, the confusion, the primary colours.

Bobi Wine is a great rapper, he is aware of his talent. In fact, the authors use this quality throughout the film. He probably wishes to be president, so he can sing even more freely. Meanwhile, he does not have a political message, but only expresses disappointment and controversy. He does not have an idea but just advertises his music. The directors point out this aspect, they mark it with precision.

The other perspective fills the second part. It is Bobi Wine's journey to America and other satellite countries. He had interviews with television and newspapers close to the colonial business. Robert Amsterdam, a lawyer well known around the world for his cause, supported him as well.

What is the source of his expensive campaign sponsorship? The authors do not say this directly but there is evidence in the film's message.

To animate the shots, they film with handheld camera or lower camera to enhance the drama. They work perfectly on the ellipses. They have to narrate a long period, so they shorten it with voices anticipating the next scene, or they use captions with dates.

The film is just a nice music clip. There is nothing progressive in Bobi Wine's life. It is not enough to paint the sequences red to be revolutionary.

However, the question of the film is another. Bobi Wine wants to teach democracy, political correctness to Ugandans. But have Ugandans understood what this democracy is? And have they stopped beating batty men?

See this gallery in the original post