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Artistes should refrain from singing vulgar music for the sake of fame

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Writer: Robert Kigongo. PHOTO/FILE

As Beninese musician Angelique Kidjo staged a stunning performance at the high-profile re-opening of the Notre Dame Catholic Church in France with her song Jerusalema, the same week in Uganda, musicians were releasing vulgar music.

Our local artistes are determined to promote sexual immorality through music in Luganda and other indigenous languages. Mr Gereson Wabuyi, infamously known as Gravity Omutujju, and Mukaka Yasin, musically known as Lil Pazo, recently released songs that are vulgar and explicit.

As American trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong said, “There are two kinds of music; the good and the bad.” Music doesn’t only serve as entertainment but it is a therapy, it’s educative and directly induces the human brain into behaviour change.

I am, therefore, not surprised by the unprecedented increase in moral decay, suicide, sexual abuse, gender-based violence, child abuse and escalating mental health cases.

Music is a big component of cultural heritage, therefore, the vulgarism and explicit content today are an attempt to destroy the soul of society.

As the world evolves, different musical genres ranging from Afrobeat, R&B, jazz, rock and roll, soukous, zilin, gnawa, mbaganga, rababah, and reggae, among others, have been re-invented with the lyrics changing immensely.

In contemporary times, music has become more commercialised and competitive, prompting career musicians to adopt marketing stunts to remain famous. Sadly, such gimmicks are eroding our cultural heritage.We should never underestimate the power of music in society, whether good or bad.

Whereas music is a soft tool for expressing love and sexual fantasies, it should never cross the red line of turning into vulgarism.

As a routine listener of music composed in our indigenous languages, from Nava Grey, Isiah Katumwa, Wilson Bugembe, King Saha, Azawi, Bobi Wine, Eddy Kenzo, Jose Chameleone, Gravity, Lil Pazo, among others, I get worried about the kind of lyrics in new songs compared to the earlier days of Dan Mugula, Elly Wamala, Philly Bongole Lutaaya and Paulo Kafeero, among others.

Vulgar music is rapidly taking over the airwaves, pay-per-view and streaming platforms at an unprecedented pace. Explicit songs praising sexual organs promote immorality and sexual misconduct.

Uganda has a huge potential to benefit from the music industry, like Benin, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Nigeria. But our authorities need to regulate the equality of our music.

Cultural institutions such as Buganda Kingdom, faith-based institutions, and music fraternities must join hands with the government to regulate our music. The media must check the song lyrics and challenge the quality of the music being released before playing it on air. Record labels and songwriters must take responsibility and produce good inspiring music without necessarily using vulgar words. African governments should also stop gagging musicians who compose songs that address economic, social and political issues to minimise the release of explicit content. However, the biggest responsibility is with musicians

They need to refrain from producing vulgar music. As music lovers, we can reject vulgar music and boycott music shows of artistes who continuously produce vulgar music. I call upon musicians to refrain from vulgar music that degrades our heritage. You should produce good quality music that promotes our heritage and cultural values.

Mr Kigongo is a sustainable development
analyst