Recently, Grammy-nominated singer, Eddy Kenzo, came out to defend himself in the wake of criticism he faced when he did a rendition of Philly Bongoley Lutaaya’s 1986 song Born in Africa.
Those critical of him say he did not do the song justice.
Others say for him to claim his decision to redo the song was so he could amplify Lutaaya’s work to a bigger audience is a mockery of a man considered a legend. They argue Lutaaya’s work does not need Kenzo’s endorsement, and that his (the late singer) songs have been popular even in his death.
In his defense, Kenzo maintains he is a bigger brand, he has built a bigger audience and that he is not apologetic about that.
“I have done good work for so many years. I have shared stage with the greatest. I have been in the same room with Beyonce and Jay Z. That’s not a small thing,” the BET award winner said in a recent interview.
Adding that “I have been at the biggest music night (The Grammy Awards). The Grammys have been here 60 years and all these legends (like Lutaaya) didn’t win any”.
He said he is unique and is proud of it.
“I am not trying to inflate who I am. It’s facts”.
However, despite their criticism toward the song, some critics have admitted the video is a good piece of work. The video concept is a showcase of Uganda’s natural beauty – landscapes, geographical features and the diversity of its wildlife.
Kenzo says he poured Ushs 60m into the project and that Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) footed Ushs 45m of the budget.
Now, Plugged understands government chose to partner with Kenzo, who is tourism ambassador, after he pitched the idea to them.
“Eddy Kenzo approached us, he wanted to shoot the video in the parks. Of course, he needed permission and he needed to pay money. And we said, if it promotes destination Uganda and showcases our parks, we were okay with that,” Bashir Hangi, the Communications Manager at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) told Plugged in an interview.
He says it made sense to UWA to support a Ugandan artiste rather than spend on marketing national parks, as long as it achieved the same goal.
“We said how about we support a Ugandan to shoot a video inside the parks. For example, our buses were transporting his teams. Where they were staying, we were taking care of them. So, all that once you aggregate it, it comes to that amount that he told you.”
Hangi said on Kenzo’s part, this was a patriotic gesture.
According to Hangi, music sells a country. For everyone who watches the Born in Africa video, they will be curious to know where the scenic locations and wildlife is found. And that is a win for destination Uganda, he adds.
“Music is a good promotional avenue for not just tourism but any business. Which is why brands sponsor concerts. Because they know there is visibility they get. But also, they promote their products and services.”
“It promotes culture. Even if you have never been to DRC, when you listen to Lingala music, you know it’s from Congo. We all know about Jamaica because of reggae music”
He says Kenzo’s role as tourism ambassador did not in any way influence UWA’s decision to partner with the singer. Rather, the value that his brand brings to UWA’s work.
“You can imagine if Kenzo woke up one day and told his fans to join him to visit Lake Mburo national park. How many people do you think he can take? He has the potential to promote our wildlife and our parks.”
Bwindi impenetrable national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Kibale national park, and Lake Mburo national park are some of the locations where the video was shot.
M Grate Pest who directed the music video told Plugged that in choosing this particular concept, he wanted to show the beauty of Uganda and Africa at large, and to showcase the wildlife and game parks that Uganda is gifted with.
“Ugandans are lovely and friendly people, so we had to include that too so that when the people who don’t know about Uganda see the video, they see our beauty pop out through their screens,” Pest of Grate Make Films told Plugged.
The video story captures more than just the wildlife. One of the scenes features the Batwa, a minority group in Southwest of Uganda that is marginalized and considered very primitive (having formerly lived in forests as hunters and gatherers). On why it was necessary to tell the Batwa story, Pest says this served to showcase the beauty of Africa and Uganda including the people, tribes and cultures.
“Shooting the Batwa people was a great experience for me and the entire team coz these people are magical and very friendly. they are happy with what they have and most of all they are proud to be Africans,” the popular director said.
The process of traversing the country filming this project lasted about seven days.
For Pest, at a personal level, working on this project “was an honor” as it was an opportunity to fully experience the beauty of Uganda. He reached places he had never been to before.
“There is so much we need to learn about Uganda and that foreigners come to explore from miles away yet for us it’s just next door. Africa has the most beautiful wildlife and the most beautiful people from different regions and cultures”.
Kenzo has previously donated his 2016 Afrima Award (Best Collaboration Award) to Uganda Wildlife Authority. He also donated his 2015 BET Award (Best New International Artist) to the Uganda Museum.
In doing this, he said he hoped these accolades would inspire young people.
“I want to inspire the youth and grandchildren but instead of one (BET award), I have decided to donate three awards which I think will help in motivating people out there to chase their dreams,” Kenzo said in 2018 when he donated his accolades to the museum.
Steven Asiimwe who was then chief exec of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) described the donation as a sign of sacrifice. Back then, Asiimwe also announced that the musician would receive free access to tourism sports, including national parks and game reserves.
Adding that the tourism industry would work with Kenzo and other artistes to ensure that Uganda’s tourism sites are used as a background in their video shoots as this would help boost tourism.
Two years later, Kenzo was named by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities as a “self-motivated and willed tourism ambassador” who would join hands with the tourism sector to revive the marketing of Uganda’s tourist attractions and the destination at large on the international scene.
The singer’s latest partnership with UWA would imply the organization shares this point of view.
It is a continuation of an already existing working relationship that UWA has with Kenzo. In 2018, UWA announced him as their new representative to unleash to the rest of the world Uganda’s unique wildlife and promote Uganda’s tourism destinations.
But Kenzo’s responsibilities in the sector had been preceded by concerns expressed by the singer himself. An argument could be made that government’s gestures were only a knee jerk reaction.
In 2018, Kenzo used the event where he donated three accolades to the Uganda museum, to express his dissatisfaction with the government for continuously sidelining musicians despite the glory they have earned Uganda on the international scene.
“They [government] don’t even know what we are doing or what a Nickelodeon Award means. The only medal they know is a gold medal by athletes like Kiprotich. But these music awards are big,” the singer said. He had just won two major awards; International Reggae and World Music Award and Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award in a space of one week, beating stiff competition from bigger international artists.
He said that dynamics had changed and that music had become a major export for many countries unlike in the past when Uganda was mainly known for coffee and cotton.
Hangi says that if anything, the controversy that followed the release of Born in Africa ignited interest among those who didn’t know about it, which is a positive.
“This controversy has made the song more popular, and many people are asking where the video was shot. In so doing, they get to know more about our national parks,” Hangi told Plugged.
