His open criticism brought him into the prison: Uganda’s singing MP Bobi Wine mobilised the people against those in power Museveni. A long time African artists connect music with politics.
In the music video to his song “Freedom” is Bobi Wine in a prison cell and wearing a head scarf in the red color of the Opposition. “What was the purpose of the exemption, if we can’t have a peaceful change of power?”, he asks singing. “What is the purpose of the Constitution, if the government is not respecting you, miss?” Cheerful Reggae sounds mix with a scathing criticism of the government of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni.
When the song is released in November 2017, the 36-year-old musician Bobi Wine already since a couple of months for the Opposition in the Ugandan Parliament. A by-election for a member of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, he whose real name is came to his political office.
At campaign events, the Wine enters with his red beret like a revolutionary. 13. August 2018, he makes up for with a further by-election in the North-West Ugandan town of Arua in the election to the candidate of the opposition, Kassiano Wadri. Stones fly on the Fahrzeugkonvoy of the President – Museveni is not present, security forces stormed the hotel room of the Pop-parliamentarian Wine and arrest him. The Charge: High Treason.
Torture and detention
In the coming weeks, he is repeatedly beaten and tortured. In the capital, Kampala, the people protesting for his release. Internationally renowned musicians such as Angelique Kidjo, Peter Gabriel or Coldplay singer Chris Martin to sign a Petition. As the security forces let him go, flies Wine in the United States and goes to medical treatment.
In Washington, the musician occurs at the beginning of September with his American lawyer before the press. “It’s not about Bobi Wine,” he says. “I’m just one of 40 million Ugandans, freedom, justice and Dignity.” He is the young woman that work every day to feed her small child. The unemployed high school graduates, and to the elders of the tribe, which would be raised by the operations in Uganda in embarrassment. Bobi Wine evokes the Power of the people. The musician is at the forefront of a movement, the Uganda government is pushing so much in the Close, that they responded with force of arms.
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Critics of the regime and musician Bobi Wine threatens condemnation
Musical criticism of the German colonialists
In Parts of Africa, the connection to policy is almost as old as the music itself. Music had always been as a linguistic means of expression: Many of the African languages are tonal, meaning the pitch is also the meaning of a word changes. This Interview, for example, in the Bantu of West Africa languages allows you to communicate words through drum signals, says ethnomusicologist Nepomuk Riva of the University of music, drama and media Hanover in the DW: “You would never say that one is playing a drum, but the drum sings or speaks.” In Cameroon drum music was used to communicate over greater distances. “There is very clearly the colonial was criticized for doing,” says Riva, “most of the time in very easy Couplets, in which, the displeasure about the political Situation was expressed.”
The German colonial power did not initially understand at all that about the drums messages were conveyed. Later on, I started to destroy the drums, says Riva. Also, the traditional music of Ghana have a political aspect, says ethnomusicologist Eyram Fiagbedzi from the University of Cape Coast in the DW-Interview. So, the traditional songs treated political issues as previous ethnic conflicts. And at Festivals musically, the traditional leaders could be criticised in public – otherwise, a strict taboo in Ghana.
The Nigerian musician and founder of Afrobeat Fela Kuti in performance
Singing against the military dictatorship
One of the first Africans, the mixed after the independence of commercially successful music with politics, the Nigerian Fela Kuti. He mixed American Funk and Jazz with traditional African sounds, and denounced in his texts, the repression by the military government of his country. The saw him as a threat and stormed in 1977 with about 1,000 soldiers to Fela Cutis artists ‘ commune. His mother was thrown out of the window and later died from her injuries.
Later wrote Fela Kuti: “they steal all the money / them kill many students / them burn many houses / them also burned down my house, killed my mother.”
In 1979, he founded his own party, “Movement of the People”. The intended presidential candidacy Cutis, however, was not approved. Five years later, he ended up under the rule of former military dictator and today, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for alleged currency smuggling in the prison. Fela Kuti died in 1997 of complications from AIDS. His sons Femi and Seun continue to carry on his musical Tradition, and his political commitment.
In the world there is, in principle, an interaction between music and politics, says ethnomusicologist Lee Watkins of Rhodes University, South Africa in Grahamstown in the DW-Interview. “Music mobilizes people, and this makes them very political.” During Apartheid South Africa, dedicated American musicians such as Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela from exile against the racist Regime. At the same time, whether within the country at the Meetings of trade unions or youth organisations “inevitable” sung and danced. “The music was a very, very important part of the political struggle,” says Watkins. Music could be equally used for state Propaganda as well as for resistance.
The singer Youssou N’dour from Senegal began in 2012 in the presidential elections
Music for the party in government
In fact, all the politically active musicians of Africa opposition members are not. In August 2017 of the Kenya conquered a niche singer Jaguar, whose real name is Charles Njagua Kanyi, a seat in Parliament for the Jubilee party of President Uhuru Kenyatta. In the Parliament of Tanzania, two rappers who belong to the largest opposition party in the country, CHADEMA: Joseph Haule sit against, better known as Professor Jay, was re-elected in 2015, to the office. Joseph Mbilinyi, who operates under the artist name of Mr. II Sugu and 2-proud, is already in his second term MP.
So far no musician has reached the highest office in an African country. The Senegalese singer Youssou N’dour tried it 2012. The constitutional court rejected his presidential candidacy, however, because he had only submitted 8.900 valid signatures instead of the required 10,000 for it. N’dour has supported the opposition candidate, Macky Sall. This won the election and appointed N’dour as Minister of culture and tourism. The foray into politics lasted only one and a half years. One of the 58-Year-old with other politically engaged musicians together: The music he always remained faithful.