It’s not every day that a pop star runs for president. But that is exactly what Ugandan pop sensation Bobi Wine is doing. On January 14th, 2021, the 38-year-old singer challenged Yoweri Museveni, 76, one of Africa’s longest-serving politicians (34 years) in one of the world’s youngest countries. Robert Kyagulanyi, known by his stage name Bobi Wine, says he represents the country’s younger generation, while Mr Museveni says he is standing for stability. As of January 15th, the race is too close to call, but there’s still a chance that Wine can pull off an upset. I hope Wine’s run for office and the news coverage coming out of Uganda is enough to spike his streaming numbers. I love the way he bounces between French, Ugandan, and English. The track below, Kyarenga, is classic Wine, catchy and full of humanity. He reminds me of Alpha Blondy and Youssou N’Dour, the way he manages to insert political lyrics into his confection of reggae, dancehall, and afrobeat without it sounding preachy. “See our mentors become our tormentors,” is one of my favorites. Music is a universal language and the events in Uganda mirrored those in the US and all over the world.
