Ugandans Abroad loves Blu 3!

Rumor has it that a rift has grown between Blu 3′s Mbabazi Lillian and Goodlyfe’s Moze Radio over their future child.  London Cranes reported that Lillian is 5 months pregnant with the Kampala star’s child, and other media outlets have described her excitement over her first pregnancy.

According to gossip, Radio’s already satisfied with his seven-year-old child and five-month old baby from his long-time girlfriend Sheila, and doesn’t want Lillian to keep the pregnancy.  Earlier this month, gossip rag Red Pepper also reported that Moze Radio skipped out on Lillian’s baby shower last month in Bukoto, at the bar Cayenne, to perform in Nateete.

Lillian and Moze Radio have been linked musically for some time after recording “Where You Are,” which was a hit throughout East Africa’s radio and TV stations, as well as MTV Africa and MTV Europe.  You can watch this oldie but goodie below.

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Washington, D.C.

Ugandans in the diaspora were disappointed this weekend when the Uganda North American Association announced that Nnabagereka of the Buganda kingdom, Sylvia Naginda, would not attend this year’s convention due to security threats.  The nnabagereka had planned to give the keynote address at the 26th UNAA Convention 

 Nagginda planned to lead a delegation from the Uganda Cancer Research Foundation to the convention and host a forum on its work.

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Last weekend, new ICOB vice-president Ruth Ndyabahika and Los Angeles delegate Daniel Vien relaxed at this year's ICOB convention. Rebecca Harshbarger.

By Rebecca Harshbarger–

Last weekend, hundreds of Ugandans transformed Boston into Little Kigezi as they gathered for the International Community of Banyakigezi’s (ICOB) ninth annual convention.

Delegates enjoyed a cruise on the Boston Harbor, barbecued in Waltham, and took a tour of the Boston city, but also spent a significant amount of time focusing on how they could enrich and develop the Kigezi region.

Former president of ICOB, Dr. Frank Byamugisha, announced that next year’s convention will take place in London.

Dr. Ezra Suruma, a former Minister of Finance in Uganda who is now with the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institute, gave the keynote address on the role of Banyakigezi in developing their country.  He also gave a talk on Saturday on the introduction of tea to Kigezi’s economy.

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda’s permanent representative to the U.N., and Pius Birigimana, the permanent secretary to the office of the Prime Minister, also attended the convention.  Moses Wilson, the president of the Ugandan North American Associaion, also took part, as did many other important community figures in the diaspora.

Vendors like 30-year-old artist Rogers Asimira had the opportunity to show off their work at the convention.

The community used the convention as an opportunity to vote for new leaders.  The delegates elected Johnson Mujungu as the new president of ICOB, and Ruth Ndyabahika as its vice-president.  Rita Babihuga was selected as the secretary-general, and Margaret Tumusiime as the treasurer.  Three new members also joined the Board of Directors.

For organizer Apolo Ndyabahika, his favorite moment was seeing so many Banyakigezi and their friends gather together.

“We had so many good moments,” he told Ugandans Abroad.  ”From the boat cruise to the dinner, bus tour, and barbecue on Sunday.”

Looking smart at the Saturday night gala.

Some delegates, Ndyabahika said affectionately, were so excited to spend time talking about their culture, language, and legacy that they stayed up until six in the morning.

“We are glad that it went well with good representation from Uganda, U.K., Canada, and the United States,” he added.

The organizers also loved Dr. Tumusiime’s-Mutebile’s well-known “time is money” talk at the Saturday dinner gala, where he challenged the group to be better stewards of time.  For the 10:00 a.m. service the next morning, worshippers showed up punctually to join Mutebile in different rukiga hymns.

“Naturally, I was swept up into the joyous celebration,” Ndyabahika recalled.  ”This was one of many special moments at our convention.”

Ian Kavuma contributed to this story.

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We know Bigg Mo has bigg style.

What are a former Ugandan dentist from Kampala and a producer from Masaka up to in Massachusetts these days?

Since you may not always get the chance to enjoy Ugandan radio from abroad, you might have missed out on a creative new duo getting ready to enter Massachusetts’ Lugaflow scene that’s been popular back home: Bigg Mo and P. Ssozi, two artists based in Lowell.  But don’t worry, Ugandans Abroad will get you up to date.

For starters, the duo has shifted from describing their music as Lugaflow to Lugapoetry, and another genre they call Futuristic Afro.

“Futuristic Afro is the future of African music,” P. Ssozi told Ugandans Abroad from Bigg Mo’s apartment, where the two had been working.

The two artists fuse local music with all sorts of beats and chords, moving beyond what P. Ssozi describes as a tendency to draw upon the same basic three chords.

“We’re trying to introduce a different style,” P. Ssozi said playfully.  Reggae, kidandali beat, r+b, hip-hop and rap all influence their sound.  Mo says that Lugapoetry is similar to Lugaflow, but has more poems, riddles, and other things he says he can’t describe in English.

Although Ugandan fans back home love songs like Ntoli and Abangi, the two hope to introduce their sound to the Ugandan community abroad later this year through a couple of singles that will be released in November.  ”There’s a dream of making it in our own community,” said the group’s manager, Rogers Muyanja.

P. Ssozi's has expanded from producing a record label to making music with Bigg Mo in Lowell.

P. Ssozi grew up in Masaka, but lives in Massachusetts now.  He works as a producer, and moved to the United States ten years.  Bigg Mo was raised in Nsambya, a Kampala neighborhood, and is pursuing a degree in physical therapy at the University of Massachusetts.  He came to the U.S. in 2005 to pursue better economic opportunities, but misses home– particularly the fun, laid-back atmosphere.

Lugapoet Mo is more rhyme-focused than P. Ssozi, drawing upon his love of hip-hop artists like Method Man, while P. Ssozi draws upon the soulfulness of his experience with r+b.  The two are signed on the record label P. Ssozi started call SooFresh Entertainment, which is U.S.-based.

“We fuse the local with everything,” P. Ssozi said.

Check out…

• Bituli Bingi
• Omuteefu
• Bennina Abangi

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Dr. Kizza Besigye will take on President Museveni for a third time in 2011. Meanwhile, opposition politican Olara Otunnu pulled out of the IPC and will also challenge Museveni.

On Tuesday, the Inter-Party Cooperation announced that Kiiza Besigye, leader of the Forum for Democratic Change, had been chosen to take on President Museveni in elections early next year, according to reporting by  Nicholas Bariyo, a correspondent for the Dow Jones newswire.

Besigye ran against Museveni in 2006 and 2001.  In 2006, he officially won 37% of the vote, though there were allegations of vote-rigging and intimidation.

“I am deeply honored to accept this chance which offers us a platform to rid this country of the current regime,” Besigye said.

Despite efforts to unite the opposition, the Uganda People’s Congress pulled out of the coalition on Monday over a dispute on the Electoral Commission, and Olara Otunnu will continue to run for the presidency.

“It is, therefore, with a heavy heart and much sadness that after very careful review, I have to say that UPC is unable to continue working with the IPC,” Otunnu said, according to reporting by New Vision’s Barbara Among.

The National Resistance Movement is also announcing the preliminary results from its primaries for district
and local council elections.  You can get the results here from the Daily Monitor.

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It’s official: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will run for a fourth term in 2011.

Museveni announced his decision late Saturday night at an NRM party conference. A spokesman for his office told Voice of America that Museveni filed the required nomination paperwork yesterday.

Already one of the longest serving heads of state in Africa, Museveni has held office since he lead an insurgency to defeat a junta in 1986.

Political analysts say that he will probably face Kizza Besigye of the Inter-Party Co-operation at the polls.

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This week, Ugandan Merchandise created a new platform to showcase  its East African goods, which range from home decor to baskets, accessories, jewelry, and other homemade crafts.  East African businesswomen Harriet Zaffoni and Mary Agaba launched their new website Ugme on Wednesday, which features colorful descriptions of Uganda and the reasons why Ugme supports women living back home.  You can find the website at www.ugme.net.

This picture of banana fiber will bring back strong memories for Ugandans living abroad, as well as their friends.

“I’m very excited about the new and improved website,” said Harriet Zaffoni, who founded Ugandan Merchandise.  ”It is simple yet elegant, just like the beautiful products it showcases.  The new UGME website straddles geography, generations and experiences.”

The merchandise is made out of products unique to Uganda– papyrus, local Ugandan grass, banana fiber, the bark of the mutuba tree, and 19th century vintage fabric.  The products are made in village huts, primarily by women.

Ugandan Merchandise launched a new website at www.ugme.net.

Ugme also features products from Rwandan artisans and basket weavers, with the proceeds benefitting women living with HIV that have suffered from gender-based volence, particularly in the Rwandan genocide.  Ugandan Merchandise decided to embrace Rwandan products on the idea that all boats will fly higher when sailing together, according to the founders.

Zaffoni and Agaba write on the website that “our super-talented basket weavers are HIV-positive.  They’re also powerful, and resigned to nothing.  Instead, they’re committed to a future in which there is full-awareness and widespread in place for HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and the rest of East Africa.”  A 100 percent of the proceeds go towards the women to help them pay for lodging, food, clothing and other necessities for their families.

Art and crafts are part of both Ugandan and Rwandan culture, and come out of the two countries’ rich traditions, passed down generationally from one artisan to the next.

Since 2004, those working in the craft sector and the Uganda Export Promotion Board have been working on Uganda’s strategy to export crafts, as a non-traditional export.

Ugandan Merchandise sells kikoi scarves and bags, among other products.

The board says that craft-making in Uganda’s rural and urban economies, the sector is an important source of money for women, youth, refugees, and people living with disabilities.

Ugandans living abroad also might appreciate the chance to purchase spices and other flavors that remind them of home.  Ugandan Merchandise sells curry powder, pilau masala rice spice, royco stew spice, and tea masala spice, imported from Uganda.

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Click here to join our brand new Facebook fan page. Our fan page is a great way to see our latest posts, interact with community members, and leave comments for the site’s editors. We will also be unveiling new features in the weeks and months to come.

You can also follow Ugandans Abroad on Twitter. Message us @UgandansAbroad with any tips and suggestions.

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Today, the Constitutional Court dumped sedition legislation that were being used to prosecute more than twelve journalists and politicians, responding to a petition filed by
journalist Andrew Mwenda and the East African Media Institute in 2005.  The Court ruled that the sedition laws were inconsistent with the Ugandan constitution.  Mwenda was being prosecuted for sedition after saying that the Ugandan government was partially responsible for the death of Dr. John Garang, former president of southern Sudan, by offering a bad helicopter, according to reporting by the Daily Monitor.

“I have been with 25 cases in court, 17 have been sedition and 8 are of promoting sectarianism,” Andrew Mwenda told the AP.  ”The 17 cases are now no more.”

Observer reporter David Tash Lumu had faced four counts of sedition for political reporting, but says the court's ruling has cleared his slate.

David Tash Lumu, a reporter with the Kampala-based Observer, was relieved to hear about the ruling, and discussed it with Ugandans Abroad.  ”It’s a great milestone for journalists in Uganda, East Africa, Africa and the world,” Lumu said from Uganda.  ”Kampala had no reason whatsoever to continue employing such an out-of-date law to brutalize reporters and gag the right to free speech.  It is time for Uganda to live in the 21st century.”

Lumu says that he had been battling four counts of sedition for his work as a political reporter covering President Museveni, and now says the ruling is  a load off of his shoulders.  ”I think repealing sedition has opened a new chapter in Uganda,” he said.  ”A Ugandan journalist, and more an African one, needs to be very bold.”

Earlier this month, The Uganda Record’s online editor, Timothy Kalyegira, was accused of sedition after he speculated in two articles that the Ugandan government was involved in the July 11th bomb attacks in Kampala.  His laptop, modem, passport, notes and cell phone were confiscated by the police.  Kalyegira was the first online journalist to be charged with sedition– and perhaps the last, due to the Court ruling.

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Several hundred abanyakigezi in the diaspora and their friends will converge this weekend for a convention in Boston.  Following a tradition of meeting abroad that began in Canada and continues today as the ninth convention, the Banyakigezi community will strategize on developing their region in southwestern Uganda and share research, as well as enjoy a sunset cruise and entertainment by musicians like Grace Nakimera and Batabazi.

The convention will run from Thursday to Sunday at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, and as many as four hundred people may attend.

Douglas Rutagwera, one of the convention's organizers.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all the Banyakigezi come from all over the world,” said Douglas Rutagwera, who is running for a secretary position with the International Community of Banyakigezi (ICOB).  “There are two main purposes why we come together.  One, to make friends and meet old friends.  But most importantly, we’re not just a charity organization but an organization with a common interest in the development of the region.”

The theme for this year is derived from a Rukiga saying “agetereine nigo gata eigufa,” which means teeth that come together beak the bone, or that combined efforts enable us to achieve great things.  The organizers shortened this saying to “ageteirene,” or let us come together.

The convention will begin this Thursday, with welcome receptions for both Banyakigezi youth and adults.  Registration begins at 4 p.m., and the receptions at 8:30 p.m.  “The international community of Banyakigezi focuses a lot on the youth, they’re our future,” said Ruth Ndyabahika, the ICOB Boston chairperson.  “Many of them don’t know Uganda,our home, and are learning about it through us.”

On Friday, Ndyabahika will open the convention with remarks and a conference overview.  Frank Byamugisha, the president of ICOB, will give an overview of the organization, its past achievements and where the organization hopes to go in the future.  The audience will take part in a discussion, and then enjoy a presentation by Joshua Goldstein on myths and facts about immigration.

Ruth and Apolo Ndyabahika are dedicated to the international Banyakigezi community.

Professor Joseph Rukanshagiza will give a talk on the impact of the development of Kigezi on Uganda’s larger economic development.  Anthony Ayebare will give a talk on the challenges faced by the Batwa people, and Jackson Kaguri will discuss sustainable solutions for Kigezi’s problems.

Many of the issues that will be raised are very close to the convention organizers’ hearts.  For Apolo Ndyabahika, high at the top of his concerns are family planning and health practices.  “A lot of women don’t have access to any health amenities,” he told Ugandans Abroad in a phone interview.  “A lot of women are dying because of that.”

Bakiga girls back home. Free Uganda.

1.2 million people lived in Bakiga when the 2002 census took place, and is made up of three districts: Rakungiri, Kabale, and Kanungu.  There are hospitals in Rakungiri and Kabale, as well as health centres, but many lack personnel and medicine.

Later on Friday afternoon, the convention will shift topics to religion, with Professor Canon James Ndyabahika addressing the impact of African-initiaited churches on western Uganda.  The group will then take time to network on a sunset boat cruise on Boston’s harbor and the Atlantic Ocean, listening to performances by  Ugandan artists.

Staying active on issues affecting Uganda is crucial for Ruth Ndyabahika.

On Saturday, more discussions will follow in the morning, with Mary Nyakuhirwa giving an update on Kitas, and Pius Bigirimana speaking on the role of civil society organizations in developing Uganda.  Later that morning, the former finance minister of Uganda, Ezra Suruma, will talk about the tea industry in Kigezi.  After lunch, a panel moderated by Apollo Ndyabahika will be held on landslides and alcohol poisoning in Kigezi, and a large banquet dinner will follow.

At the dinner, the youth will do a special presentation, and the audience will enjoy a fashion show.  Dancing will follow to artists Grace Nakimera, Batabazi, and music by DJ Clein, a Ugandan-American DJ from New Jersey.  Finally, on Sunday, the group will enjoy a tour of Boston, a cookout in Waltham, and a farewell dance.

Surprising hugs at the Banyakigezi Convention in Uganda.

Previous conventions in past have been known for breaking news.  The first ICOB convention to be held in Uganda was held last December, in Kabale.  Over 450 delegates attended, including President Museveni and Dr. Kizza Besigye, president of the Forum for Democratic Change, a major opposition party, as well as special elders in the community, Omugurusi Festo Karwemera and Omugurusi Nathan Bisamanyu.

At one point, the vice-president of ICOB, Muniini K. Mulera, asked the NRM Minister of Agriculture, Hope Mwesigye, to embrace Besigye, and the two did.  Other political opponents and religious leaders also shared hugs, conveying a message of nonpartisanship.

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