The ‘Jangu tugende mu kwepicha’ sounds from Gravity’s hit song earned the singer a huge following after being declared the song of the year 2023.The inexplicable message in the song, however, has since then triggered a slow-brewing ban from several critics.
The Buganda Prime Minister (Katikkiro), Charles Peter Mayiga, and a section of other members of the society have slammed musicians Gereson Wabuyi, better known as Gravity Omutujju, and Yasiin Mukasa, alias Lil Pazo, for singing vulgar songs. Katikkiro questioned the motive of the two musicians who have been widely condemned by moralists.
This was followed by a directive from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) banning the broadcasting of specific songs by singers Gravity Omutujju and Lil Pazo, citing concerns over vulgar, obscene, and culturally offensive content.
In the directive, the UCC directed all broadcasters and online platforms in Uganda to immediately stop airing the songs titled Enkudi, Dooze, Okwepicha, Enyama, and Omunio by the two said artists, avoid discussing the banned songs on broadcast platforms until investigations are concluded, and cease airing any programs or content with vulgar language or culturally offensive statements.
The commission emphasized that promoting such material violates Ugandan laws and warned broadcasters of legal consequences if they fail to comply. This directive, according to UCC, is aimed at safeguarding public morality and cultural values.
The ban follows a similar move by the Uganda National Culture Centre (UNCC) and the Uganda National Culture Forum (UNCF), which had earlier prohibited music by the two artists along with songs from female singers Shakira Shakiraa and Gloria Bugie.
Is this yet to end?
There is an urgent need to protect the younger generation from being exposed to inappropriate musical content. This content can have critical side effects, including making them drug addicts, loss of morals and societal values, pornography, etc. It could also expose them to violence or sexual content that damages them. Therefore, music censorship enhances the safety of the current and future (young) generations.
Over time, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has instituted bans on some songs, those deemed to be in violation of society standards. The censorship issue has always been challenged because of free speech. This means that the UCC and radio programmers will need to agree and decide on what is obscene and acceptable.
Then who is to blame, the law enforcers or the citizen?
Music censorship is the legal process of the regulation of audio recording or performances within the realm of music and has been a topic that has been debated and argued over for years as to whether it is necessary and constitutional.
Therefore, there is a need to begin enacting laws to regulate the musical content, which are still missing or have also changed over time. The censorship timeline should indicate the changes that have taken place. Rules to be passed need to control decency in music and art. People’s exposure to explicit content has made it a sensitive issue requiring intervention.
While music has shown to be influential, it has also proved to be harmful. This is especially true when the type of music produced affirms negative stereotypes. In other words, certain genres of music are stereotyped and discriminated against based on their message and lyrics, specifically if they’re explicit.
However, there has been a series of debates that censoring music will limit the creativity and viewpoint of other people, which may result in freedom of speech becoming eradicated and adds on to the shortcoming of understanding other people’s perspectives. People have different stances on life and want to canvas the things that they lived through.
In contrast to the proponents of freedom of speech, according to Lombardo, 2017, censorship is meant to mask certain words and phrases from younger audiences so as to not warp young minds into thinking that doing drugs, drinking, and suicide are acceptable.
Is it the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end to the degeneration of Uganda’s music?
Richard Bard Byamukama is a lawyer and also a security studies expert.
