Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine explains that his political vision is deeply shaped by African literature and music, in an interview with Harvard professor Tinashe Mushakavanhu for The Conversation.
Bobi, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, is in self-imposed exile in the US after fleeing home due to escalating security threats following Uganda’s disputed January election.
The pop-star-turned-politician highlights works like Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and other African authors, including Kenya’s Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, as key influences.
Reflecting on how he reaches ordinary Ugandans, many of whom engage more with performance than print, he says: “They don’t read as much as before — they listen, they dance and that’s where I deliver my message.” He says it underscores how art remains central to dissent despite censorship under Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.