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Uganda’s Museveni at 25: Still fit?
“Look at him!” the emcee at celebrations to mark 25 years in power for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni shouts into a mic. “Look at him! He is very fit!”
The former rebel decked out in his usual – and fairly unique – floppy hat and suit combo ambles down a grass slope and waves cheerily to his supporters.
“Look!” she shouts again. “You can even see from the way he is walking!”
Moments later, a pick-up truck draws alongside the 66-year-old and he slowly clambers up onto the back to continue saluting the crowds.
“Oh…” she pauses for a moment before quickly gathering herself.
“He is in a car now!” she booms. “That is the modern way! He needs that vantage point to see you. He is a kind-hearted man who wants to see you!”
Ugandan president is hip-hop hit
The track starts with a soulful “well, well” as a hip-hop beat rises in intensity. “Do you want another rap?” the same deep voice then says in perfect time. “You want another rap?”
But this is no ordinary rapper. This is, believe it or not, 66-year-old Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, previously better known for rebellion than for rhyming.
The road to what has now become a radio and club hit started a few months back at a ruling party rally when the leader of almost 25 years took to the stage and, professing that some youngsters had told him about rap, performed two folk chants from his birthplace in Western Uganda – Naatema akati (I cut a stick) and Mp’enkoni (Give me the stick).
Apparently, he turned up at another rally a few weeks later and asked the mostly young crowd if they wanted another rap. They roared back, “Yes, Sevo!” using one of Museveni’s many nicknames. A canny Ugandan record producer then took the lot, chant and all, added a thumping beat and the song everyone is calling “You want another rap?” was born.
The tune is proving a bit of a sleeper hit on YouTube – already well on its way to 100,000 views – and Museveni’s party is hoping it can endear him to the country’s sizeable population of under-30s ahead of February elections.
Different versions are now doing the rounds and turning up for sale in record shops. According to the country’s Red Pepper tabloid, the below CD cover, depicting the president as American gangsta rapper 50 Cent, is proving especially popular.
That GUY Is using public funds to rap.
But in Uganda, there are pot holes everywhere you go pakalast
Uganda election: Exciting start, what next?
If the potential success of an election could be judged by the excitement generated by its first day of campaigning, then Uganda is set for an excellent poll.
It can’t, of course, but it was heartening to see both ruling party and opposition supporters whooping it around capital Kampala yesterday ahead of a February 18th voting day that most think will be nothing but a foregone conclusion.
Thousands of screaming, singing, stomping supporters danced through town from the Nelson Mandela Stadium where the presidential candidates received their nomination papers to the sites of a couple of huge political rallies.
Hundreds more hurtled about the place on the “boda boda” motorcycles that ferry paying passengers around the city, revving the engines loudly in support.
Such was the excitement that the Reuters team had trouble battling through the crowds of people supporting opposition leader, Kizza Besigye.
Here’s a small snapshot of what we saw out the window:
Ugandans are excited about the forthcoming presidential elections but they are also very worried about the violence that is likely to follow the campaigns and the outcome.
Most ordinary Ugandans know that their votes do not matter in presidential elections, so they will go along with whoever gives them money. Therefore, the large crowds you see, especially those associated with the incumbent, President Museveni, are there because of the lure of money and not because they want Yoweri Museveni to continue as president.
Most Ugandans know or believe that the elections have already been rigged in favor of the president even before the campaigning starts.
I don’t subscribe to the principle of a benevolent dictator because it runs contrary to all of the principles, upon which democracy was founded. I suppose this moral dilemma is made somewhat easier by the fact that Museveni’s track record isn’t perfect. In addition, simply because you liberate a country, it does not give you free reign for the following 25 years. This is a reoccurring sentiment across the continent (Paul Kagame in Rwanda, dos Santos in Angola, etc…). People tend to think: ‘well this is as good as democracy gets in Africa, so that’ll do’. Lets no settle for second best, Africa deserves better.