While it has been 5 years without acclaimed singer Mowzey Radio in our sight, there is a lot that keeps him alive. Radio’s long catalog of riveting music and his mesmerizing lyrics have made sure his genius lives on.
But there’s something else that will forever immortalize him – the large collection of his true likeness archived on the internet. He will always be a click or a search away.
And it is to this vast archive that everyone looking to pay tribute to Radio has always turned. Among the most preferred are photos of the late singer’s performance, captured by Nelly Salvatore.
The photos, arguably the most definitive of Radio’s emotion and soul, and perhaps the most iconic shots ever taken of his stage performance, were taken on the night of November 30 2017, during a Comedy Store show at The 400 Bar & Restaurant in Bukoto.
This was twenty-seven days after Radio and Weasel had staged a successful 10-year anniversary concert in Kampala, and four months after the duo had released a collab – Gutamiza – with B2C and it was warming the hearts of almost everyone.
In an exclusive interview with Plugged, Salvatore who is the official photographer for Comedy Store delves into what went into bringing these photos to life, his first-ever interaction with the singer, and the significance that these photos came to hold for Radio’s family.
How do you remember the moment when you took these photos, feeling like?
I think it had been a while without having them (on Comedy Store). And by that time, Radio and Weasel were doing so well. The atmosphere was really nice. We (Comedy Store) had shifted to a new venue, and the event was picking up well, the turn up was so good. Their performance that night was top notch, if it wasn’t the best that our audience had ever had from them.
In one of the photos, Radio’s eyes are closed and his head bowed. As if meditating. Tell us about that.
It looked like a moment of silence. A moment of a pause in life. Of course, it relates to the situation now (his death) but I think music was so into his brain. Like when you love something and you’re lost in it.
That night, I found myself capturing Radio more. I liked the way he was expressing himself. The way he was feeling the music. He was giving it his best. There was always a lot of emotion in his performances. And I think he had recently grown his dreads again. Which is why I focused more on the portrait details.
He was lost in the moment because all he did, he did it with passion.
There are people who do music because they want money or to be celebrities. Not because they really love it. But Radio was special in some way. He loved what he was doing and it came out naturally without forcing it.
Also, being the vocalist that he was, his voice came from within. And for him to hit certain notes, it got expressed a certain way outside.
Two of the photos, capture Radio right in the moment when he is crooning. You can see his eyes closed and the veins on his neck are visible. Looking at the photo, one can easily tell he was singing his heart and soul out. To capture such a moment, is it about luck, do some artistes make a story easier to tell or is it about how good a photographer is?
When I started doing photography, I started with concerts. My breakthrough was during Navio’s Njogereza concert. And I didn’t have much (gear). But according to what I had learnt on YouTube, such photography needed light. So, I was trying to capture certain moments using the light. Whenever the light from moving heads would strike, or whenever his (Navio) dreadlocks were in the air, I would know that was the right time to capture.
I kept learning that with the other events that followed. I always go for headshots because they express emotion. They look into someone’s personality. I don’t just shoot. I have a vision in my head. I always want to capture a moment and to tell a story.
Each time people are paying tribute to Radio, these particular photos taken by you have been used. How does it make you feel being the guy who brought those photos to life?
That question is deep. I wouldn’t say it makes me happy, because then that would be weird. It’s not that I’m happy he’s away. But it makes me somehow feel underappreciated.
The pictures are making much more sense now because he died. I have captured thousands of moments but those moments are not viral, they aren’t popular, because there is nothing attached to them now. But when another person goes, God forbid, then you will see other moments that are as good as Radio’s coming out and people appreciating.
At the same time, it makes me feel like I contributed and lucky that I have been able to document several moments like these. Of course, working with Comedy Store, a platform that gives you such an opportunity to document almost every artiste in Uganda. That isn’t a small thing.
Have you earned money out of these photos?
When Radio had just passed on, like after 3 months, his mzungu wife (Jenifer), reached out to me. I don’t know how she got my number but she said “Nelly, I need to keep these pictures for Radio’s kids. Because these are the only pictures that I ever saw that captured Moses’ true emotions”.
She gave me $100 (Shs 370,000) in appreciation. She said “I need these pictures for my kids”. That’s what she said. She was specific on those pictures that were capturing emotion. I gave her maybe 10 of them.
And I believe these could be the best stage performance pictures that Radio ever got. Because the rest were photoshoots.
I also sold two frames and one of them was bought by Ykee Benda (singer). I think he bought a portrait at Shs 250k.
Laventi Lounge (bar in Najeera) also printed out a copy, without my consent, and hang it in the bar. When I talked to the Manager, he was okay with me signing it as a way of benefitting. But I never followed it up.
One would think this should have been a goldmine for you considering how much the photos have been used and the interest they have generated. How is it that you haven’t monetized them enough?
I think it has everything to do with the copyright law in Uganda. It is something that creatives and government haven’t given enough attention. Maybe things could change in the future.
But as long as people appreciate, maybe those blessings could follow me in other avenues. It’s not about money. It’s about having something that people look at and appreciate you and remember you.
What is the place of photographers in the entertainment industry? Do you feel the work photographers do is valued enough?
Photography, for thousands of years, has always been important. If you do an event, business, an activation etc without a photographer, you are wasting time. We are in a digital era whereby photos move the message across faster than anything else.
If you look at blogs in Kampala, most of them have used my work to tell a story, even when I have not benefitted directly. It tells you that to put a story across, one will believe it (story) after they have seen a picture.
Photographers are doing their job but artistes are not. An artiste will have a concert but he doesn’t have an official photographer. They are waiting for the media to put photos out there and they (artiste) download them, post them and say… “Thank you for coming, we appreciate you attending the event”.
We don’t have a paparazzi culture in Uganda. Is it a question of demand or photographers are sleeping on the job?
First of all, it’s because of how our celebrities conduct themselves in public. You can’t be appearing in public 24/7, chilling with people every day and you think anyone will be interested in your photos. They see you every day. There is no demand for your picture. You are easy to access.
The other thing is about resources. Most photojournalists don’t have the equipment. It’s expensive for them to run after a celebrity to capture a moment.
Also, our media culture. If I shoot a photo, at least I should be able to get Shs 1m out of it. But how many media outlets are willing to do that? Most of these outlets are waiting for someone to post a picture, then they download it. You see how blogs get pictures from Comedy Store and use them for their stories without even crediting the source. Perhaps we need someone to spearhead the copyright law or else it will take suing a blog for copyright infringement for things to take shape.
Again, speaking about Radio, had you worked with him on any other project before his demise?
No. That very night (Nov 30, 2017) was the first time I talked to him.
What was he like? Because a lot has been said about his character, his temper, his personality. What did you get from that interaction, being your first time?
My first encounter was funny and weird. He (Radio) was talking to Alex (Alex Muhangi, host of Comedy Store), so, I came to Alex to get his car key so I could go keep some of my stuff. As I talked to Alex, he (Radio) must have thought I was one of his fans.
He said “Alex buno bu guy buba butwegomba man”. [Alex, these guys be envying us]. Then I frankly told him, “Radio, you know what? I can never feel that way. At least I’m not the kind that would feel that way”.
After every show, I try and make sure I have some pictures on my phone. So, we were at the Comedy Store afterparty at The 400. Radio was there and Weasel too. I went and showed him some of the moments I had captured of him while performing. He was like… “Brooo… Bro. These are nice. Do you have my number? Can you send them to my WhatsApp?”
And I’m like “Bro! I don’t have your number.”
He’s like “Have it”.
Then he called Weasel and told him about me and showed him the pictures. By morning, they had posted the pictures on their page.
I think Radio was an open-minded guy who would say whatever he sees. He was passionate about art. Because the way he appreciated, the way he treated me after he had seen what I’d done for him, was very very incredible. It was pleasing. I was happy.
You also attended his burial. How do you remember it and why were you there?
That day, Alex called me and said he was picking up Jaguar (Kenyan singer turned politician) from the airport. And he asks that I come along. So, we go and pick Jaguar.
Soon, I learn that Jaguar likes to capture every moment. Every second, you have to be taking his picture. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but being someone who loves to capture moments, I navigated.
The hardest point was at the burial. It was attended by very many people yet the security was too inadequate. Being a VIP, Jaguar was assigned Police security. We had like 2 or 3 Police escort vehicles. Given the commotion I saw, I asked a Police officer to stay by my side for fear that someone would steal my camera. But it wasn’t until the time to lower the casket that the madness began.
That day, there were many celebrities, fans, mourners etc. And everyone wanted to touch their celebrity. Chameleone is carrying the coffin, but someone wants to touch him. Then there were also thugs who wanted to steal. I was lucky I had a policeman by my side. I kept the strap of my camera around my neck so that it (camera) isn’t snatched and I was able to capture some moments.
I was lucky to have been inside the ring that shielded the top celebrities. The ring was created by the private security personnel of these celebrities. In there was Jaguar, Chameleone, Kenzo and the likes. There came a time when thugs attempted to drag me out of the ring. It was Jaguar that helped pull me back inside and tell them i was with him.
As we left the event, there was a lot of violence, mobs were beating up people. Police was looking on because they would have been overpowered anyway. It was a very very bad experience. It looked like being in a zombie world when you are the only human being.
What other risks or challenges are involved in your trade?
I think there is a tendency of people undermining the profession. Looking at photographers as low life people. Look at a wedding, for example. Photography and videography are the only thing that will capture every little detail involved. Yet some people still under look the people who do this work, because of the culture. We still view them the same way we viewed cameramen in the village riding bicycles and looking shabby.
Being underpaid is another challenge.
Working at night is also risky. Nowadays, people have understood the value of our equipment. They know you are carrying a whole car, so, if they steal it, they can sell it off at half price and still make some good money.
What needs to change for photographers to begin getting the credit they deserve?
I don’t think every photographer is undermined. It’s all about how you brand yourself, how you appear on the event. If you came to a wedding in a suit and someone else comes in sneakers and damaged jeans, chances are that the person in a suit will be showed where to sit first.
Photographers have to work on their brand. Don’t disrespect people’s functions.
Your biggest highlight the time you have done photography?
One, my view about celebrities. Previously, I used to perceive them as very special people. Photography helped me meet celebrities and actually made me realize they are normal people.
Also, the fact that you can make a lot of money in a short time.
