Bobi Wine: Uganda’s Democratic Revolutionary
Photo Credit: (Government of Canada/Google Images)
Written by: David Cassels
Just to get this out of the way early on, Bobi Wine (featured above), is not ‘the Ugandan Thomas Sankara.’
Comparisons to the former Burkinabé socialist revolutionary are made any time a young African leader wearing a military style hat shows up. In the case of Wine there is at least one difference for every similarity he and Sankara share. And why shouldn’t there be? The current economic and political situation on the ground in Uganda is fundamentally different from 1980’s Burkina Faso.
Pop-Star Turned Politician
Bobi Wine, whose government name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, is a Ugandan member of parliament and the leader of National Unity Platform (NUP), a centre-left opposition party. He is running against 34-year-incumbent, Yoweri Museveni, in the 2021 presidential election.
Prior to becoming an MP, Wine was a popular rapper and reggae singer. Wine transformed his popularity from music into a political run in 2017 when he won his seat in the Wakiso District.
Wine is also the leader of the People Power, Our Power movement, a non-partisan democratic resistance group with the primary goal of ending Museveni’s tenure. This movement is primarily led by Ugandan youth and young adults—an important demographic, since according to The State of Uganda Population Report Uganda has the youngest population of any country in the world, with over 75% of citizens under the age of 30.
Gerald Bareebe is a Ugandan Journalist with a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Toronto. He says, “So many Ugandans were born under [Museveni’s] leadership and they have been looking for change their entire lives. Bobi Wine is inspirational, fairly articulate, and he had his music career, so this makes him very appealing.”
A Young Museveni?
Yoweri Museveni is the current president of Uganda. Museveni was ideologically a Marxist and a pan-Africanist who fought to end Idi Amin’s and Milton Obote's respective presidencies. Museveni finally led his own successful revolution against Tito Okello and took power in 1986.
Museveni’s Marxist ideology wore off as his presidency continued. This was in part thanks to American and Canadian foreign aid which rewarded Museveni’s prolonged presidency. According to a 2017 Reuters article, Museveni has been altering the constitution since the early 2000s to extend term limits and remove age limitations from the presidency. Human Rights Watch have consistently condemned Museveni for alleged violations in citizen’s rights.
Dr. Bareebe says, “You have to understand Ugandan people still like Museveni. While he is not a democrat there are still many Ugandans who appreciate where the country has come from and the progress that Museveni has made.” Museveni’s accomplishments include his response to the AIDS pandemic, the South Sudanese refugee crisis and the general peace which has accompanied his tenure.
In a 2018 Al Jazeera interview Bobi Wine compared himself to a young Museveni, he said, “Many of the things I am saying today, our president said when he was my age. British journalist Andy Gallacher asked Wine what would make him different from Museveni if elected, “If people have that power to decide who is their leader and who is not their leader, I believe that would be the ultimate answer,” Wine explained.
Canadian Funding of Museveni’s Regime
The Canadian government has friendly relationships with Uganda. The Canadian government funds refugee programs for displaced South Sudanese people in Uganda. The United Kingdom, Germany and Japan all suspended this same program funding due to alleged government corruption.
Justin Trudeau last met with Museveni in 2017. The National Post reported that human rights violations were not on the Prime Minister’s agenda. Trudeau was instead congratulatory of the way Uganda has dealt with the South Sudanese refugee crisis. Trudeau reportedly said he was, “interested in expanding commercial ties,” with Uganda.
In 2019, Canada exported more than 174 Million CAD worth of goods, a 700 per cent increase from 2018.
Wine’s Nomination and the 2021 Election
On November 3, 2020, Bobi Wine was officially nominated for President of Uganda. Later that same day Wine was arrested alongside many of his supporters. This is the fifth time Wine has been arrested since 2018.
Dr. Bareebe believes that the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic will make Wine’s presidential bid exceptionally difficult, “Political campaign rallies have been banned by Museveni because we are fighting coronavirus. Coronavirus has given the president the power to clamp down on political opposition. It is very hard for a politician to mobilize when rallies are not allowed.”
The 2021 general election is scheduled for January 14, 2021. Bobi Wine’s name will be on the ballot as he tries to stop Museveni from serving a 6th consecutive term.
David Cassels is a third-year Bachelors of Journalism student at Ryerson University. He has spent the majority of his life in East Africa, living in both Uganda and Kenya. David is currently an intern at the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians.
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