Bebe Cool thrills at Golden Heart Concert
Aug 04, 2018
In his address, President Museveni called on local artistes to do their best and push Ugandan identity to the world.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni did manage to break away from his tight schedule to attend a music concert organised by local artiste Bebe Cool at Kololo Independence Grounds on Friday evening.
It is a rarity to have the President at any music concert but probably because the show, dubbed ‘Golden Heart Concert' was for a good cause, he did manage to attend.
Bebe Cool had used the show as fundraiser for flight tickets to five children who need special treatment in India. But at the time of Museveni's arrival (11:40pm to be precise), Bebe Cool was in the middle of performing his 2016 club-banger, Kabulengane.
The song is a merry-making piece that borrows influences of Baganda's traditional sound Bakisimba and ragga inflections. Of course, Bebe Cool's performance stopped briefly soon after the President took his seat and formalities ensued, preceded by the national anthem.
And when Bebe Cool resumed his performance doing songs like Go Mama, Freedom and Mandela, which he dedicated to Museveni, the President must have wished for him to resume Kabulengane.
That is why in his address, he called on local artistes to do their best and push Ugandan identity to the world.
"I am happy with the way you are blending traditional music with modern instruments," Museveni said amid deafening screams.
"That is very good because those rhythms are good and you should introduce them to the world. I would like the rest of the world to know our traditional dances. I am also very happy to see the themes you are putting in your songs. They are themes which build knowledge among the listeners," he added.
At the end of his address, he asked Bebe Cool to repeat the Kabulengane song before he could leave the show, to which the Never Trust No People singer obliged. The show itself was a fun-fest. Bebe Cool is a crowd-puller and the attendance numbers did not disappoint.
Bar the power glitches that blighted Museveni's speech, everything else went as planned.
He kicked off his performance at 10:12pm clad in a hooded black jumper, white pants and black sunglasses, doing his recent club-bangers like 2016's Kiki Ekiganye, Na Na Na Na and 18 ‘n Over.
An energetic performer, he kept his audience on their feet, screaming and chanting his name, song after song.
A slight dig at his rival, musician and politician Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, was felt on the song Cococidiosis.
It was a good show.