By BigEyeUg Team
Singer and politician Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, delivered a thought-provoking message to Ugandan artists during his 2024 End-of-Year Speech to the nation. In his remarks, Bobi Wine called on artists to consider their long-term well-being and warned against exploitation in the music industry.
“You are going to be used and trashed like others have been. It’s up to you to understand it or not. I am not attacking you,” he said.
The former presidential candidate encouraged artists to think critically about their careers and the challenges they face in the industry.
“May God help you in this coming year as you think broadly for the industry because you are not the first and last artists. If [they] have made you beggars at your young age and when you are superstars, you can imagine what will happen when you are no longer superstars,” he added.
Bobi Wine’s speech comes in the wake of comments by Gen. Salim Saleh, Chief Coordinator of the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) program, who recently criticized musicians for allegedly interfering with his work in the Gulu district as they storm his place begging for financial support.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between artists and policymakers over the management of resources and opportunities in Uganda’s creative industry.
Bobi Wine’s message has sparked discussions about the need for structural reforms to support artists and protect their future.
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