Resetting: It is a week and some few days remaining for the entertainment industry to be opened up – according to the President’s last address.“Bars and concerts will be allowed to operate two weeks after the opening of schools,” The president said. He also added that curfew will be lifted for everybody after the performing arts resume apart from the boda bodas which will stop moving by 7pm like they have always been doing. However, the opening up will be revised if cases of infection increase. Isaac Ssejjombwe spoke to some people in the entertainment industry about what their plans are after the industry is opened up.
David Lutalo
David Lutalo – I won’t rush things
I have always had my concerts in January and was fortunate enough to have held one of the last concerts before Covid-19 hit. Everyone would expect me to still hold a concert immediately but that is not going to happen. I have spent some good time without performing so I have to get back to my best and so I have embarked on doing rehearsals. I wouldn’t want to rush into announcing a concert without delivering the best of me. I want to first do country tours to gain ground and in between there, I will also be releasing half an album of about six songs, which I hope to promote and if at least four songs become a hit, I will then gear up for a concert at a later date. I wouldn’t want to portray to my fans that I am too hungry to do a concert. I want to deliver quality work.
Nathan Magoola, Film Producer – It will be business as usual
I have been on the same journey for the last one and a half years and that is the journey of producing the daily drama series Prestige. This is something that is supposed to go on for several years. Right now I am a little over half way through a 260-episode second season. The plan is to complete this season by April and embark on another 260-episode third season, which will take another year to complete. Aside from that, I am in development of two other telenovelas. One that I expect to replace Prestige on Pearl Magic Prime and another that I would want to produce and air on a free to air channel so that even omuntu wa wansi who can’t afford pay TV is exposed to our work.
For us, lockdown has been business as usual. Actually I can say that Prestige is a product of the lockdown. While people were home, there was a higher demand for entertainment and because of that we are one of the sectors that has been busy during lockdown.
Abitex – My first concert will be on Valentine’s Day
We are ready to work because we need to make Ugandans happy but organising concerts is not something simple. You need to first put some things into perspective, especially the season. You need to know the right time, for example when people have money, among other things. You wouldn’t organise a concert in Ramadhan, or when students are going back to school etc, so I am looking at organising my first concert on Valentine’s Day at Club Obligato and then more will come but we have to learn how to work with Covid-19.
Aly Alibhai – Time to party again
Talent Africa is preparing to host revellers to the biggest parties in Kampala, returning with celebrated annual events such as the Abryanz Style & Fashion Awards, Nyege Nyege, Miss Uganda, the bi-monthly Fam Jam, Halloween and New Year’s Eve parties alongside new event products that will feature Ugandan and international acts.
DJ Shiru kept the crowd on their feet all night long (Photo by Micheal Kakumirizi)
DJ Shiru – A country tour and return of DJ Shiru experience
I am starting off the opening with a country tour and I will first go to the western region before heading to the northern region. After that I will embark on the DJ Shiru experience which has been on hold for two years because of Covid-19 lockdowns. I hope to have this year’s edition in March or early April.
Crysto Panda
Crysto Panda – I have already booked dates for my school tours
I have planned my school tours and have already booked dates in different schools countrywide as I drop more music. The tour will go on for the whole year and will be dubbed Panda Turn Up school tour. Then later in December, I will do a three-day “Panda Festival” but still waiting for confirmation on that. My fans should expect something different this year.
Richard Tuwangye
Richard Tuwangye – We will resume our weekly shows
As Fun Factory, we plan on doing what we have been doing during the lockdown and that is producing more content for TV, only that now we can even produce much more when the sector is fully opened because we now have the liberty to put up a show at the National Theatre and gather an audience. Comedy is a very unique form of art. With music, you can do an audience-less show (digital) yet with us, the audience is the other actor. They are very important in making any piece a whole one. We are going to go back to doing our weekly shows only that they are going to have a twitch. With two years, we have exposed ourselves to a few more ideas, some applicable to our show, a change for the better because we know our audience is not in the same place they were before. Hopefully the changes we are bringing will match their expectations. We intend to serve all audiences. We are going to introduce another show night in Kampala very soon. Dates and venue will be communicated.
Kenzo C/o his manager Beta – We have a festival to deliver
We always plan before the year starts because we always plan according to our sponsors’ financial year. We had previously organised a festival and it is something we are starting with; the same artistes, the same venue and more content from Kenzo, which is going to make it an even bigger festival. That’s what our minds are concentrating on for now.
Kenneth Mugabi
Kenneth Mugabi – I will be dropping my new album
So many of my fans are asking for a concert but for starters, I am giving them a new album, a two-in-one-album and then I will drop a few videos here and there. For all the two years we have been locked up, I have been working on my third album. But besides that, I expect to perform at a few shows and do the tourism-music experience dubbed People of the Land Munsiko for seven months. In November we are planning the ‘Strings of my soul 2 concert’.
Loukman Ali
Loukman Ali, Film director – Filming Ddamba
I am working on Ddamba, a feature film based on the Sixteen Rounds short film and after Ddamba, I’m doing a TV show about the music industry. That’s the only detail I can provide.
Karole Kasita
Karole Kasita – I’m not making plans but I have an EP
I have plans of releasing a nice EP (Extended Play) for my lovely fans. Hope God enables me and I hope my fans love it. With this Covid-19 pandemic, you can no longer lay plans. It is hard to make a plan because anything can change. You plan this and then get something else.
Azawi
Azawi,Musician – The calendar is filling up quick
The plan is to release more videos off the African Music Album. I will not stop creating more music every chance I get from my crazy schedule. I am looking forward to doing more performances across the world, to compensate for the time lost without parties. With party mood vibes, I look forward to physically engaging with my fans more than ever.
The performance calendar has started filling up pretty quick and I am excited and looking forward to that connection with the fans.
Feffe Bussi
Feffe Bussi – I have a pending concert
I had planned a concert in May 2020 at Freedom City but it was cancelled because of Covid-19, so it is the first thing I plan on starting with. I have a lot of content and I am compiling my first album with 20 songs and I plan to get it done in March but first I have a project with DJ Shiru called Yes We Can that we are going to shoot a video for.
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