Uganda’s Entertainment Scene A Den Of Thieves.

If you think you know of the greatest act of dishonesty in the music circles, then here is a news-flash: Did you know that Saida Kaloli Wankyekecha, the Tanzanian crooner, was paid only sh150,000 by her Tanzanian Manager after the Ekitoobero Mulongoti performance at Nakivubo Stadium? (I can see the shock on your face). Very impeccable sources narrate of how unscrupulous promoters took advantage of the Tanzanian songbird’s ignorance to rob her of millions. “We paid all the money owed to her and whatever happened later is something she has to settle with her manager,” says Meddie Nsereko Ssebuliba of CBS Radio, one of the organisers of the Nakivubo show.He adds that given Kaloli’s humble background, promoters found her a soft target. Whatever happened to her during the initial stint was just the tip of the iceberg, because there is an emerging trend of events that is threatening to dent the erstwhile thriving entertainment industry. It is a case of dishonesty and theft exhibited by shady music promoters. This might leave the whole entertainment scenario in ruins. As we pitied Kaloli’s fate at the hands of her flashy promoter, a Ugandan ‘promoter’ was laying strategies to bring the same Kaloli back to Kampala: Abby Musinguzi of ABTEX Promotions had something sinister up his sleeves.Sources within ABTEX say that Musinguzi visited downtown Dar-es-alam and snapped up the same Saida Kaloli. To her it might have seemed like she had finally met someone she could trust after her fellow Tanzanian had pulled a ‘fast one.’ They agreed to have a number of performances under the ABTEX Promotions umbrella. The first stop was Hoima, were Saida performed to the delight of the Banyoro there. Sources say that Kaloli’s payment was supposed to be in the range of $700 per performance. From Hoima, she came to Kampala and perfromed alongside Afrigo Band at Club Obligatto, still under ABTEX Promotions. After Obligatto, she was supposed to perform in Mbale, but as the preparations reached climax, hell broke loose.Kato Lubwama and his Diamond Ensemble had just finished curtain-raising and next on stage was supposed to be Saida Kaloli. The crowd waited in anticipation as Saida walked to the microphone. In a smattering of Luganda, she announced that she would not be able to perform because her promoter was cheating her. Apparently, she had not got any payment and she was demanding in the region of $2,000, according to sources.Meanwhile, Abbey Musinguzi was asking her to come and receive her money from outside the Mbale Stadium, a request Saida threw out on the premise that ‘someone’ could have grabbed the money from her as soon as she had received it. The crowd became irate and Mbale Police surfaced and released volleys of gunfire into the air. In the meantime, sources say, Abbey Musinguzi was nowhere to be seen! Later, Saida reported to Police, before some Good Samaritan offered her accommodation for two days. She then organised a show to raise money for transport back home to Tanzania. She has never been paid her outstanding dues. The fate of Saida Kaloli is not the first incident of its kind. It is aimed at reminding us that the local music promotion scene is scarred by thieving people who will throw all shame to the wind and fleece unsuspecting foreign and local musicians. “The current events are bad for the genuine Ugandan promoters,” says Hope Mukasa of Sabrina’s Pub. He adds that when he went to sign up Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels to perform at a Buganda function in 2000, he had a lot of trouble because Victor did not trust him: “That was the time Defao had had a problem with his promoters here and Victor’s problem was whether he will be paid his full dues and whether his contract will be respected,” he adds. Dr. Victor came to Uganda that year and all his dues were cleared.This happened at about the time Patrick Kanyali, formerly of 3-M Hotel Group, now with Speke Resort Munyonyo, and Jeff Richardson brought down General Matumona Lulendo Defao on Valentines Day of 2000. He was accommodated in Nile Hotel and his performance in the hotel gardens was a great success, with tens of thousands of people in attendance.Soon we heard that the Kanyali’s had failed to pay the Congolese ‘General,’ citing that he breached a contract and performed at Sabrina’s Pub.Defao spent close to three months in Uganda living on hand-outs from good Samaritans.At one time when he and his crew went to ask for his outstanding pay, they picked a tiff with Jeff Richardson where Defao roughed up the rotund Richardson and physically took him to CPS. It took the generosity of Lt. Juma Seiko to save Defao face by giving him sh7m. Defao went back to his adopted country, France.In a letter to The New Vision, National theatre director, Kalundi Robert Serumaga decried the behavior of these unscrupulous promoters. “There are many crooked characters occupying positions of authority, leadership and false respect within the Uganda’s arts and entertainment industry,” he said, adding that the exploitation, conning and outright robbing of performing artists is widespread in the entertainment industry. The famed Jamaican duo of Chaka Demus and Pliers fell victim in 2000 when Winston Mayanja connected them to some mediocre promoters who promised them heaven on earth. They were meant to have a performance at Lugogo indoor stadium. On the night of the show, the so-called promoters collected money from the thousands who had turned up and disappeared into the darkness. By the time Chaka Demus and Pliers reached the stage, the whole place was in disarray.There was no electricity and the generator that had been hired was under lock and key after its owner refused to release it unless he was paid his full dues. Chaka Demus reached for his wallet and pulled out $500 and paid for the generator and the show went on though in a low spirit.Serumaga argues that if these artists, both local and foreign, remain willing to listen and be led by all manner of dubious promoters and leaders whose record of lying and cheating is well known to them, then they should not expect a change. Saida Kaloli was the last to fall victim to these thieving goons and I am afraid at this rate, foreign musicians might have to think twice about coming to perform here.