Rising from the Streets to the Silver Screen: Bobi Wine's Oscar Recognition Sparks a Movement

Bobi Wine, a multifaceted figure known for his roles as a pop star, politician, and activist, has recently found himself in a new spotlight: as the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary. At 41 years old, the Ugandan icon attributes this recognition to providing him with what he describes as "an extended lease of life.”.

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Wine's journey from the stages of his music career to the halls of politics has been marked by challenges, resistance, and unwavering determination. His vocal advocacy for social justice and political reform in Uganda has earned him both admiration and opposition.

The opposition leader has been arrested multiple times, but told AFP he felt emboldened by the recognition granted to “Bobi Wine: The People’s President”, which chronicles the violent crackdown during his 2021 bid for Uganda’s presidency.
“It makes me (feel) safer… because we know at least the world is watching what is happening in Uganda,” he said during an interview at the headquarters of his National Unity Platform (NUP) party.
Despite facing threats to his life, Bobi Wine, also known as Robert Kyagulanyi, opts not to employ armed guards at his residence or offices. Instead, unarmed volunteers are stationed at the entrance to the NUP headquarters in a low-income suburb of Kampala.

He expressed initial hesitation about participating in the documentary, which premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival before being acquired by National Geographic.

However, he was eventually persuaded to grant filmmakers Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo access to follow him on and off the campaign trail as he challenged veteran President Yoweri Museveni, who has governed Uganda for nearly four decades. 

“We realised that it was a brilliant idea because now the world can see the reality in Uganda,” he said, likening the camera to a “potent weapon (that) is more powerful than guns and bombs”.
The film is the “story of our struggle for freedom and democracy in Uganda and seen through the eyes of myself and my wife, my family and those that I work closely with”, he said.
“Ultimately it is (the) story of people of Uganda, uncensored.”

While the film has yet to be shown in cinemas within Uganda and   East African at large, it is available for free on YouTube, where it has amassed over 200,000 views since November.