Ugandan parliament wants Nyege Nyege festival banned

The first edition of Nyege Nyege festival was held in 2015

• Nyege Nyege festival may not take place if Ugandan authorities heed to parliament’s decision.

• Many stakeholders have been criticizing the event saying it promotes immorality.

Kenyan musician Nazizi performing at the Nyege Nyege festival in 2019
Kenyan musician Nazizi performing at the Nyege Nyege festival in 2019
Image: The star

Ugandan Parliament is advocating for the ban of the annual Nyege Nyege Festival which was scheduled to take place in Jinja from September 15 to 18th.

The popular festival may not take place if Ugandan authorities heed parliament’s decision.

Speaker Anita Among said they cannot permit the event to take place since it is a breeding ground for sexual immorality.

She added that the festival has a negative impact on the younger generation. 

"We are discussing the morality of this nation; we are discussing our kids. You want to advance tourism at the expense of our kids, right? We won’t permit this activity to take place," said Among.

According to the festival’s organizers, their event focuses on electronic music scenes across Africa, as well as sounds from the global diaspora and others.

Many stakeholders have been criticizing the event saying it promotes immorality.

If the authorities do not heed the decision made by the Uganda parliament, the festival's seventh edition will be held on the banks of the Nile River at Itanda falls.

The Nyege Nyege festival began as Boutiq Electronique parties held at the late-night Tilapia club by Derek Debru and Arlen Dilsizian back in 2013.

It later went on to become a full-blown festival with its first iteration being hosted in 2015 at an abandoned resort in Jinja. 

It focused on reconciling African genres with electronic music, instilling a constant need for innovation with Nyege Nyege’s trademark, “uncontrollable urge to dance”. 

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