For the past few days, Uganda’s popular electronic music festival Nyege Nyege has been trending on social media.
The controversial festival is seeking to make a historic comeback after three year break due to the covid pandemic. The fifth edition was held on September 5-8 and over 300 artists are said to have performed in the event.
Nyege nyege recently faced a setback when the country’s parliament ruled that it should not go on over claims that it promotes immorality as well as homosexuality and drugs. Other lawmakers however had argued that it promotes tourism, since the festival attracts people from all over the world.
Ugandan prime minister Robinna Nabbanja on Wednesday however said that the festival, scheduled for September 15-18 will go on as planned bringing joy to many who had earlier been disappointed.
“The event (Nyege Nyege) will go on but under strict guidelines. It attracts thousands of foreign tourists; we can’t miss out on this opportunity at a time when the country is recovering from the effects of Covid-19,” Nabbanja said in a meeting with organizers of the event as well as other stakeholders.
Some of the guidelines include restricting under 18s from attending the much hyped event.
Nyege Nyege in Luganda means an irresistible urge to dance, shake and move. The word also means an urge to have sex.
The festival which was launched in 2015 was founded by Arlen Dilsizian and Derek Debru. At the time, it attracted 1000 people. Since then, the number of people who attend the event physically has grown to over 11,000.
The festival involves a four-day non-stop dance and music and it is usually held on the first weekends of the month of September each year since its launch in 2015. It also features East African traditional songs but over the years, it has accommodated artists from South Asia, China and Middle East.
In 2020, a digital version of the event was held in December due to covid restrictions.
The event is usually held at Itanda Falls just outside Jinja town near the Nile and tickets for the Nyege Nyege 2022 edition are going for Kshs5,500.
Some of the packages include; Hakuna Kulala stage, Dark star stage, Beach club, Byo forest camp. Below is a map showing details of the event venue.
RELATED STORY:Daytime Prostitution- Pregnant Karen Nyamu And Umoja 1 MCA Mark Mugambi Making Love In A Car
