The Ugandan Music Industry Might Collapse If Government Doesn’t Intervene With Deliberate Policy, Yet Its Almost An Export Earner

The Ugandan Music Industry Might Collapse If Government Doesn’t Intervene With Deliberate Policy, Yet Its Almost An Export Earner

Kenyan musicians are protesting that their radios don't play their music on their airwaves. They are suggesting that at least a law must be passed to compel the local radio stations to play 75% local Kenyan music.

The Kenyan music industry was booming in the 60s but was quickly overtaken by the Congolese music which actually plagiarized their rumba style and modernized it to make Zairian music as Africa's best music.

But it must be stressed that Congolese music did not grow accidently but there was a deliberate effort by government to make it succeed the way it did.

President Mobutu Seseko

i saw a documentary of how president Joseph Mobutu deliberately vowed to support the Zairian music industry.  Mobutu waived taxes on the local musicians and even endeavored to support them in whichever way he could.

He advised the Zairian musicians to love one another-which explains why you could hear the Congolese musicians paying complements to each other

For instance when you listen to music by the late Madilu system, he will be praising the likes of Pepe Kalle and other musicians who are supposed to be his competitors. When Awilo Longomba sings, he makes sure that he mentions the likes of JB Mpaina , Werason and others  who are otherwise supposed to be his competitors.

All this was made possible because the late former president Joseph Mobutu insisted that Congolese musicians should love each other and have a sense of solidarity for the sake of their country.

In fact, one of the biggest achievements of the late Mobutu was his uncompromising support he paid to the Congolese music which grew to become one of the very best not only in Africa but also in the world.  

And indeed it’s not surprise that the Congolese music industry has now lost its strength because Mobutu is no more.  There are some Ugandan musicians who brag that they chased Congolese music from Uganda.

That’s not true because the Congolese music industry started collapsing after the death of president Mobutu. With the lack of Mobutu’s patronage, Congolese music started collapsing slowly allowing Ugandan, Kenyan and Tanzania’s bongo flavor to gain ground.

But In the recent five years Tanzania’s bongo flavor and Kenyan music has suffered a systematic decline mostly because both governments are not supportive enough.

The Growth Ugandan Music Industry

But While the Ugandan music industry is booming even without government support, we must not take that progress for granted.

This is because the Ugandan music industry has grown mostly because of the good will and enthusiasm of the local Ugandans masses and not necessarily through government policy like it was with Congo.

In fact the Ugandan music industry has grown rapidly mostly because the local musicians received a lot of support from the local media especially the print media.

For instance young upcoming Ugandan musicians received a lot of publicity from the newspapers like Redpepper that accorded them full page stories about their lives-which other media houses were not willing to give.

This publicity helped their upcoming musicians to get known across the country. Musicians like Bebe Cool, Jose Chameleon and Bobi Wine received a lot of publicity from Redpepper that they became public figures.  It was Redpepper which exaggerated their rivalry in the papers. This attracted Ugandans to get interested in what they were doing.

Other print media houses had to follow suit because Redpepper had gained ground over them by focusing on the social life of Ugandan musicians.

Theses musicians became an issue of public interest to an extent that that Ugandans were willing to pay any amount of money to attend their shows and album launches.

Today the Ugandans music industry has grown too strong that musicians have a bigger following than local sports stars and high profile politicians.

Today a high profile Ugandan musician like José chameleon is rated among the richest Uganda with a net worth of over seven billion Uganda shillings.

A man like Bobi Wine has assets valued at almost 5 billion Ugandan shillings.

Even upcoming musicians like Edy Kenzo now own mansions which a doctor can only dream about.

But while the Ugandan music industry is growing, it does not seem to have a long lasting foundation that can keep it up.

The Ugandan music industry doesn’t have the government support that’s why the copy right laws are not enforced to protect the rights of the innovative musicians.

Why Nigeria Is Growing Faster

But Ugandans must not take that growth for granted because the Nigerian music industry is now the fastest growing in Africa because the Nigerian government deliberately vowed to support it.

 The Nigerian government actually passed a law that compels the Nigerian radios to play 70% local Nigerian music.

This has helped very many local Nigerian musicians to get encouraged to produce more quality music that is enjoyed all-over the world.

Today Nigerians are wining all the awards on the continent because they have the support of their government.

Like Kenya and Tanzania which lost their edge to Congo in the 60s and 70s, Uganda might lose its music muscle to Nigeria.

Today Nigerian music dominates all the Ugandan airwaves.

A few months ago, local artist Bebe Cool had a very big spat with local radio stations and disc jockeys for ignoring local Ugandan music for foreign music.

Although many people grossly misunderstood him, he must have had a very big point in fighting for the cause of local Ugandan music.

The point to note here is that local Ugandan music can become one of our biggest exports.

The Jamaican music industry has for instance been the country’s biggest export earner since the days of Bob Marley.

WAY FORWARD

The Ugandan government must therefore get involved in promoting local music. Local radio stations must be compelled to play at least 50% local music to enable the industry to out compete the Nigerians.

While, we lost the competitive advantage we had as a sports hub of east and central Africa with Uganda cranes reaching the 1978 AFCON finals and John Akii Bua wining the 1972 medal, we shouldn’t also lose the music advantage we have gained on the continent in the last ten years.

Today Ugandan musicians have become much better than the South Africans (remember Yvonne Chaka Chaka) who dominated the airwaves in the 80s and the Congolese who dominated in the 90s.

Today Ugandan musicians are almost getting to the level of the Jamaicans.

We should however not be like Kenyans who have resorted to demonstrations, but make deliberate policy efforts to protect the continued growth of the Ugandan music industry.

Ends  

  Fred Daka Kamwada is a Ugandan journalist , social critic and a blogger,, reach him at kamwadafred@gmail.com