 |
| Bobi Wine: Presidential material? VOA public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons |
Podcast Snap Judgment talked to director Moses Bwayo in March about his Bobi Wine documentary, the first ever Oscar nominated film from Uganda, and Bobi Wine will run again for president of the East African nation.
I wrote in February 2024 about Bobi Wine: The People's President (2022) (IMDb) and Brooke Gladstone's interview with Wine and Bwayo for WNYC's On the Media. According to Snap Judgment, the documentary "received a ten minute standing ovation at its premier[e] at the Venice film festival." The film is being distributed by National Geographic and is streaming on platforms including Disney+.
Last week, Wine said he will run again for the presidency in Uganda in the quinquennial election in January 2026, and he believes that the Ugandan youth vote can push him to victory. "We cannot just give the election to General Museveni," Wine told The Guardian.
For a time it was thought that the six-term hegemony of President Yoweri Museveni would transfer to his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. But Kainerugaba dropped out of the race late last year and endorsed his father—not a given (VOA). Museveni will turn 81 in September.
USAID cuts meanwhile have hit the Ugandan LGBTQ community hard. Museveni has been "intensifying [a] crackdown," The New York Times reported, since 2023 passage of laws threatening life imprisonment for same-sex relations; up to 10 years for attempt; and the death penalty for same-sex relations with minors or disabled persons. The Times explained:
The United States provides more than $970 million annually in development as well as humanitarian and security assistance to Uganda. In 2023, about $440 million was spent on health programs, followed by emergency relief, agriculture and education services, according to U.S. government data.
For years, the United States supported L.G.B.T.Q. groups in Uganda through U.S.A.I.D.-funded initiatives, offering H.I.V. treatment, legal training and resources for activism. Previous U.S. governments also condemned human rights violations against gay Ugandans, imposing trade and travel restrictions in response.
Oddly enough, Kainerugaba urged the Trump administration to restore aid for HIV treatment, according to the Times. Kainerugaba, who commands the military, had threatened Wine on social media. Wine himself has had a controverted record on LGBTQ rights.
