{UAH} Bobi Wine reminds me of Cardew

Friends,

36 years ago , on 13 Dec 1981, the music industry suffered a terrible loss, when Cornelius Cardew was killed in a mysterious hit-and-run accident in London. The following year, Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine was born in Uganda. The first time I watched a video music of Bobi Wine, I told my wife, and my friend Johnson, that the guy was destined for politics at some point in his life, because he had a good mouth on him. So, when he joined the race to stand for MP in Kyadondo East, I wasn't surprised at all. What surprised me was actually FDC fielding a candidate against him.

Truth be told, Bobi Wine(whatever that means) is more popular than any of his opponents in the Kyadondo East  race. A lot of people in Uganda seem to translate their love of music (and the arts more broadly) into "support for anything'', which I would characterize as a liberal instinct.I'm rather moderate on this issue because I don't listen to music that much, but I like Bobi Wine's songs in particular. He reminds me of Cardew.

Cardew is perhaps more interesting for his politics than his compositions. He was the leading composer of the English experimental school in the sixties, and pupil of Stockhausen. His most famous composition is the Great Learning, a setting of Confucius written for the Scratch Orchestra. Many of his works of that period have more in common with "happenings" than traditional composition.

But the really interesting thing about Cardew is that sometime in the seventies, he either was told or realised himself that modern music did not appeal to working class audiences and gave it all up to write revolutionary songs. Cardew was active in various causes in British politics

Finally, in 1981 he was killed by a hit-and-run driver in east London whilst returning from a political meeting.The driver was never found.There are all sorts of rumours that this was a political assassination, possibly by one of the British Fascist parties.

But what's relevant is to investigate how and if a particular political view of a composer is reflected in his or her music.The fact 'composer X supports candidate B' taken on its own doesn't mean shit.

But if composer X starts composing agitprop-type of music, regardless of whether it is a nazi or commi staff - well, it's a sell-out. 

And then there are those who prostitute themselves like Bidandi Ssali's son, Bebe Cool. Nobody could ever convince me that Bebe Cool composes  songs to praise Museveni because he thinks he is the  best leader for Uganda, and that's because I don't think  he is a dummy. I strongly believe he only does it for money and other privileges that comes with it.

The bottom line is that what someone composes ultimately determines how he or she would be remembered, and not the particular political believe. Interestingly enough, I still log on youtube to watch  Iryn Namubiru yet  she sold us out too in the last elections, and I could probably be in a sombre mood for days if she dies before me. Good luck to Bobi Wine and other candidates in the race!

Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba 

UK 

"In tribute to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Uganda, two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife, discrimination and terrorism."

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