Ugandan Govt Overturns Ban On Nyege Nyege Festival
Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja stated that the event will go on as planned, but only under strict conditions.
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The Ugandan Government has reversed an earlier directive by its Parliament to stop the upcoming Nyege Nyege festival in Jinja that was to be held between Thursday, September 15 and Sunday, September 18.
Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja stated that the event will go on as planned, but only under strict conditions.
She added that many foreign guests had already paid for tickets given that a cancellation of the sort, had it stood, would have led to millions of shillings in losses.
Ugandan Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, during a past media interview. /FILE
"The event [Nyege Nyege] will go on but under strict guidelines. It attracts thousands of foreign tourists; we can't miss out on this opportunity at a time when the country is recovering from the effects of COVID-19," she told the media.
Nabbanja was also scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday, September 7 with other ministers on the preparations for the event, which has been held in the Jinja district every year.
"As you may have noted there has been public concern over the forthcoming concert and it has generated serious debate in parliament. This is, therefore, to invite you to a meeting on September 7 at the office of the Prime Minister to discuss the above matter," a statement from the Prime Minister’s office read in part.
During the parliamentary seating held on Tuesday afternoon, September 6, Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi stated that the event was "a breeding ground for sexual immorality.”
Her submission was quickly deflected by the Minister of State for Tourism Martin Mugarra who noted that the event is “a hub of tourism” which has already seen over 8,000 foreign tourists book tickets for the event.
The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, however, backed Opendi’s submission saying that the promotion of Tourism should not happen at the expense of children’s morals.
This is not the first time an MP is moving to stop the festival after the late Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo’s failed attempt in 2018.
The latest move was intercepted by a section of Kenyans who also expressed fear that the incoming administration would follow Uganda's example and stop music events of their own.
This year's edition was to be held near Itanda Falls, in the heart of the Busoga region, a few kilometres from Jinja town in Uganda. According to the festival’s organisers, their event focuses on electronic music scenes across Africa, as well as sounds from the global diaspora and others.
In its infancy, the Nyege Nyege festival began as Boutiq Electronique parties that were thrown at the late-night Tilapia club by Derek Debru and Arlen Dilsizian back in 2013. It later went on to become a full-blown festival with its first iteration hosted in 2015 at an abandoned resort in Jinja.
It focused on reconciling African genres with electronic music, instilling a constant need for innovation with Nyege Nyege’s trademark, “uncontrollable urge to dance”.
This year's edition was to feature a number of Kenyan acts such as Benzema, Exray, Boondocks Gang, DJ Hanuman, Mr Lu, DJ Magnum, MGM, Mr Fabz, Sylvia Saru among others.
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