Over the years, I have heard different versions of what the Nyege Nyege Festival is and how it is both an evil and an opportunity to expose Uganda to different people from all walks of life.
Government leaders, religious leaders, politicians, and stakeholders in Uganda have clashed over the relevance of the festival in the country, with some pointing out the importance of the festival to the economic growth of the country and others terming it immoral and evil.
During the weekend, I decided to take a trip to Jinja City and attend the festival in person to witness what the event is all about and to see if Nyege Nyege is a necessary evil that Uganda needs.
Representing the richness of traditional music and arts from the East African region and beyond, the festival has stood out as the best music and arts festival in Uganda.
The annually celebrated festival, which began in 2015 and was on its 8th edition in 2023, attracts thousands of both local, regional, and international visitors.
The 2023 Nyege Nyege festival took place from November 9–12, 2023, with a lineup of over 200 artists and DJs around the globe.
Unlike last year, which had eight stages, this year had six stages: the main stage, the Smirnoff Rave stage, the Uganda Waragi stage, the Basoga music and traditional stage, and the Hakuna Kulala stage.
A section of people term it as evil and inappropriate for Ugandans, claiming that it encourages immoral behaviors such as the use of intoxicated drug substances, alcoholism, and homosexuality. However, other people view the festival as a tool to transform the country’s tourism sector and its socio-economic sector.
I heard one religious leader say it is a hot spot for rituals, yet the revelers at the festival viewed it as a center of extreme and creative art.
As I strolled through the different stages of the festival, I witnessed a lot of economic activities going on, from the sale of art to food items and the accommodation sellers that benefit greatly from the event. Source Gardens Hotel Jinja, one of the host hotels for this year’s festival, employed a number of locals, including cooks, waiters, food suppliers, and cleaners. This shows that the festival is an opportunity for employment for a number of locals, both directly and indirectly.
During an interview with Ninsiima Fatuma, the hotel’s financial controller, she said they always look forward to the next edition of the festival because it’s always a money-making opportunity for the hotel and the Jinja District community at large.
Rebecca Kadaga, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda, has re-echoed that a good number of small business enterprises like restaurants and kiosks around Jinja town always benefit a lot from the festival since the revelers continuously buy their products, and as a result, boost the country’s revenue.
“This festival is good for not only Jinja but the country as well, because all the businesses that take place during the festival remit taxes, pay fees, and also pay for their licenses to run. The country at large benefits from this,” Kadaga said.
However, people who oppose the opinions of the likes of Kadaga exist. In 2022, Speaker of the House Anita Among stated during plenary session that parliament would not permit the event to take place because of the moral standards Uganda stands by.
”You want to advance tourism at the expense of our kids, and we will not permit this activity to take place,” Among declared.
Miria Matembe, a political analyst, once said that ”Nyege Nyege is evil, whether they want evidence or not. No wonder Uganda is facing all these challenges”.
In my opinion, the Nyege Nyege festival may have some isolated cases of extreme immoral behaviors and arts, but it also benefits the country’s social, economic, and tourism sectors in a way that portrays how Uganda is physically and culturally endowed with highly welcoming people.
I conclude that the Nyege Nyege festival is a necessary evil that Uganda actually needs.
