KAMPALA — Kyandondo East Member of Parliament and Musician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has blasted government, accusing President Museveni administration of gagging the arts industry with “repressive measures”.
“The attack on the art industry clearly shows how scared they (government) are. The artists have realised the power of their voices and are using them positively,” Bobi Wine wrote.
This is not the first time he is taking on government on what he calls attacking the arts industry.
With his message appears to have more venom, he has since threatened to mobilise all artists against the regime if the new sanctions on the industry aren’t revised with immediate effect.
“So scared the regime is of artists that they have yet again brought more stringent regulations which are clearly intended to muzzle those of us who use art to propagate the truth,” he said.
He added: “This is the time for all of us artists and creators to rise up and stand for our rights. The regime thinks they can intimidate us by arresting some of us, but this is the time to realise that we are and have always been on our own”.
Bobi Wine said that he would urge musicians and all people in the industry against the regime, urging all that even musicians needed to be included in the formulation of the regulations.
“I guarantee you, when artists come together as one, there is nothing they cannot achieve,” he added—hitting out at government, claiming that regulations are targeting musicians who are vocal to the regime
His venom statement comes barely after the police, whom he also accused of having tribalistic tendencies raided and arrested Bizonto comedians and popular musician Gerald Kiweewa— a local folk singer.
“We are not a generation that can be silenced. When people speak about social injustice you do not silence them- you address the problem! And this is the point these colleague artistes are making. I salute them for standing in solidarity with our brothers,” Bobi Wine added.
Security forces arrested Kiweewa on Thursday after he released a song dubbed Nantaba, which detectives say it is offensive to people they didn’t name.
In the song, Kiweewa talks about the reasons he suspects led to the severe beating and alleged torture of Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament Francis Zaake while he was detained by security forces following his arrest for distributing food relief to his constituents during the lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
The video of the song had gone viral on social media and popular among supporters of Bobi Wine.
