A section of musicians has expressed their displeasure regarding Bobi Wine’s recent comments, in which he urged them not to rely on government assistance.
During the funeral of renowned actor Kato Lubwama on Wednesday, musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine called upon his fellow artists to refrain from seeking handouts from the government. Instead, he urged them to focus on advocating for the amendment of copyright laws, enabling them to earn a fair income from their artistic talents.
These remarks by Bobi Wine have sparked discontent among some artists who are members of the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF).
Eddy Kenzo, the President of UNMF, was the first to respond, pointing out that those who label musicians as beggars themselves receive government allocations and monthly salaries without hesitation.
“Those who call us beggars receive allocations from the government budget every year and enjoy a monthly salary. They never decline it. Why not allocate the salary to hospitals or schools?” he said.
Kenzo also warned that if their concerns are not addressed, musicians may be compelled to directly engage in politics. He emphasized the need to rectify the state of the music industry, which has been negatively impacted by the intrusion of politics.
Allan Toniks expressed his disappointment saying, “Hehe displaying ignorance 😂🤦🏾 ♂️ …not that I’m surprised though. They don’t want to do research; they are witches. Stick to politics and stay in your lane. Where does it matter? Better to keep quiet if you don’t have facts than talk nonsense; die for your stall!!”
Ykee Benda took offense at being labeled a beggar and retorted, “But the issue with ‘beggars’ as a tag is that you are using past mistakes or decisions that were made by many before us. I don’t see why you wouldn’t tell the people the truth, yet Doctor Hilderman has been in these meetings.”
Bruno K also responded, stating, “Whenever artists attempt to unite, there always seems to be a faction determined to undermine our efforts. In all the meetings I have attended, there has been no mention of requesting money from the government. The only funds we have sought are those rightfully collected by UPRS from radios and TVs on our behalf. Our leaders are simply advocating for the implementation of copyright laws and putting an end to the unjust practices of telecoms and aggregators that exploit us.”
The UNMF, a recently established federation, has been actively engaging with various stakeholders to formulate a proposal aimed at ensuring the effective implementation of copyright laws in Uganda.