“When our leaders have become misleaders and mentors have become tormentors. When freedom of expression becomes the target of oppression, opposition becomes our position.”
The lyrics are from a song titled Situka, which means “Rise up” in Luganda, sung by Ugandan musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine ahead of the 2016 general elections.
The Afrobeats artist was using the song to exhort Ugandans to play an active role in fighting corruption and injustice in their country.
At the time many of the country’s famous musicians backed President Yoweri Museveni’s re-election but Wine however refused to hop on the bandwagon.
It was then that some suspected that Wine wanted to play an active role in politis.c
The Afrobeats star, who began his music career in the early 2000s, has always described his craft as “edutainment” – entertainment that educates. One of his earliest hits, Kadingo, is a song about personal hygiene.
Wine, whose official name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was elected to parliament as an independent in a by-election last year in Kyadondo East, central Uganda.
He beat candidates from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the main opposition Democratic Change (FDC).
The self-declared “ghetto president” told the BBC after his win that he represented a new generation: “I am going to stand up for issues. I’m here to give young people confidence,” he said.
The moniker came about after he continued recording music, despite his fame, in his poor neighbourhood in Kamwokya, in central Kampala where he grew up, the BBC’s Patience Atuhaire says.
