Prime
minister Robinah Nabbanja has given green light to the ‘Nyege Nyege’
music festival. Following a meeting that involved key government
officials including the third deputy prime minister, Rukia Nakadama and
other ministers of Information, Communication Technology and National
Guidance, Kampala, Ethics and Integrity, Internal Affairs, Foreign
Affairs and police Nabbanja said government has now okayed the festival
to take place.
The meeting came hours after the
parliament chaired by the speaker, Anita Among ordered the
cancellation of the three-day festival scheduled to take place at Itanda
falls in Jinja on September 15-18, 2022. According to Nabbanja, the
meeting reached several resolutions, one of which is to harmonise
with parliament to ensure that the festival takes place under strict
guidelines. She explains that the guidelines are meant to ensure that
people 'behave' in line with the acceptable Ugandan culture.
"We have tasked the ministry of Ethics
and Integrity and that of National Guidance, to together, with the
organizers, to come up with guidelines that will be followed during the
event. The festival will take place because...some people had already
booked tickets and others are in the country, this is an event that
attracts thousands of tourists, and cancellation at a short notice was a
bit challenging," said Nabbanja.
A press statement issued by
Robert Kyomuhendo, the press secretary of Nabbanja, says that the
meeting with the event organizers and other stakeholders emphasized that
the festival will go on but under strict guidelines. The statement
quotes Ally Allibhai, the CEO of Talent Africa that over Shs 700 million
has already been injected into preparations for the festival that
started in January 2022.
The statement indicates that an
estimated 20,000 revellers from different countries are expected to
attend the festival. Yesterday Tuesday, Among said that parliament could
not allow the festival to take place because it promotes
immorality. The speaker's directive followed a complaint raised by
Tororo Woman MP, Sarah Opendi who said that the upcoming ‘Nyege Nyege’
festival promotes immorality.
Opendi said that while it is okay
for people to have fun, the festival poses a challenge to ethics in the
country and the recruitment of children in different immoral behaviours.
She demanded that government explains to parliament why it approved the
festival that threatens the moral fibre of the nation.
In
response, Rose Lilly Akello, the minister of state for Ethics, said that
the directorate of ethics and integrity together with police had
summoned the organizers - Talent Africa and Uganda Breweries Limited for
a meeting and set conditions for the festival.
Some of the
conditions are that children below 18 years were not supposed to attend
the festival, no indecent dressing, and immoral activities among others.
Nyege Nyege festival was first held in 2013. In 2018, the former
minister of Ethics and Integrity, Fr Simon Lokodo suggested its
cancellation, saying that the event may compromise national integrity
and put Ugandan citizens at risk of deviant sexual behaviour.
But
the government later cleared the festival following a meeting between
the organizers and government officials led by the former Internal
Affairs minister Maj Gen Jeje Odong. The festival attracted 300 artists
from 30 countries who entertained revellers.
Promoters of the
festival argued that it was aimed at developing the culture and music
industry in Uganda by creating platforms for upcoming artists. The
festival serves as an incubator with an arts residency and community
studios, where new productions are showcased and the artists are
highlighted for both audiences and musicians.
