Bobi Wine: le président du peuple

"I am not a criminal. I am a presidential candidate."

That's Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu - AKA Bobi Wine - speaking from inside a police van, his face pressed to the bars after being arrested for the umpteenth time.

This intense, raw documentary, shot over five years, follows Bobi Wine - to become Uganda's actual president - challenging the illegitimate president and dictator Yoweri Museveni. It's an intimate portrait combined with increasingly shocking footage as his opposition movement comes under attack.

Wine is a man with intoxicating charisma, and a cracking backstory. He grew up in a Kampala slum, pulling himself up by his bootstraps, paying his own way through university and launching a music career. His childhood made him fearless, he says.

So this is a great film about Humanity, Human Rights and the Power of the People.

NB: In Uganda law enforcement, security forces, and the armed forces enjoy impunity for serious violations, including torture and violations of the right to life.

The illegitimate president Yoweri Museveni is responsible for killing innocent People in Uganda.

This is unacceptable.

Until Bobi Wine becomes President of Uganda and replaces the illegitimate president Yoweri Museveni and his evil military dictatorship - we have taken Power in Uganda.

Love and Light / God Bless / Mungu akubariki / inkosi ikusikelele / Peace Profound.

Mark - BTB Global Peacebuilding. / COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA - JAMHURI YA UGANDA

INTERNATIONAL PEACEBUILDING ALLIANCE - INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT - AFRICAN UNION - THE PENTAGON - UK - UN - MI6/CIA - AMORC.

You can clearly see the Bob Marley inspiration behind the music and lyrics of this eponymous Ugandan activist who was elected to their Parliament in 2017. Sworn in, it is soon clear that this man has an agenda to challenge the (at this stage) thirty year presidency of the almost seventy-five year old Yoweri Museveni who has been a dominant force in politics since the overthrow of the Amin regime in 1979. Wine is an erudite and compelling politician whose candid style of presentation, allied with his vibrant and honest style of music gained considerable traction amongst this largely rural and poverty-stricken population and his candidacy for the 2021 election provides much of the bedrock here for a documentary that follows not just his campaigning, but also the authorities' determination to thwart his candidacy by any means - including violently - and ensue the continuation of the existing government order. I suspect had he been fighting Amin, he'd just simply have disappeared, but the omnipresence of cameras constantly surrounding him - film crews and mobile phones alike, probably ensured a degree of his safety, and that of his family, as the world's attention is gradually drawn to this charismatic man. What's pretty clear though is the futility of his struggle. His opponents control the military, and without the support of the military his fight is never likely to achieve very much. This film is actually quite potent at illustrating the sort of benign power of men in uniform carrying guns around your garden. They don't need to be pointing them at you! I do prefer a degree of balance though and whilst there can be little doubt the threats against him were serious and potentially lethal, what we don't really get is commentaries from other parts of Ugandan society - far-flung parts of this sprawling country where there the President had huge swathes of legitimate support. We are sort of left to assume that his cause is entirely just throughout the country, rather than have any sort of debate about his relative merits compared with those of the incumbent. Corruption and abuses of power are obviously rife, but still - just a bit more meat on the bones of this democrat here would have been better for me. Still, it's an informative narrative of a country that still hasn't moved on in generation that uses a archive effectively to make it's point.

This documentary, Bobi Wine, The People's President, delivers a powerful account of the Ugandan people led by the remarkable Bobi Wine, as they strive to end over 30 years of dictatorship. Its power resides in its unvarnished depiction of the current situation. Unlike typical U. S. coverage, it doesn't shy away from presenting actual scenes of street-level violence and bloodshed, and the unrelenting threats to and brutal actions taken against Bobi, his family, and his followers, marking a departure from the usual approach of downplaying such grim events found in mainstream media.

To gain a clearer understanding of this concept, imagine the impact if smartphones had been present to document each challenging step in Martin Luther King Jr.'s unwavering quest for civil rights. Imagine not just the occasional glimpses filmed by TV stations during major speeches or marches but the ability to intimately witness the daily challenges he confronted and the full extent of the brutal violence inflicted upon MLK and the civil rights activists.

This is precisely what unfolds in the narrative of Bobi Wine - a man who could rightfully be likened to MLK - and the epic struggle of the Ugandan people to reclaim democracy for their nation. The documentary rigorously presents a comprehensive account of Bobi Wine, his wife Barbara, and their challenging quest to restore democracy, immersing you in their stories. Much of it is profoundly moving, tearing at your heart and jolting your mind.

A noteworthy aside: one of the film's producers is Kerstin Emhoff, the ex-wife of Doug Emhoff, currently married to Kamala Harris. After watching this film, it's plausible to imagine, given Mr. Emhoff's 13-year marriage to Kerstin, that beneath his official title as an 'entertainment lawyer,' there might be a deeper, more progressive, and politically engaged man than previously assumed.

By extension, one might ponder whether Kamala Harris harbors more progressive views than her record reveals.

This documentary captures the intense struggles of the Ugandan people in their historic fight to free themselves from a brutal militarized dictatorship but also serves as a harbinger, offering a cautionary glimpse into a potential political future that could unfold in the US if Trump wins in 2024.

It is quite a task watching a movie like this, that aims to expose the extent to which power in the hands of an authoritarian can corrupt everything it touches, as it plays not too different to everything happening here in Sri Lanka.

Fighting against corruption and the decades long rule of Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni is local pop star Bobi Wine, documenting his political journey - from novice to being seen as a legitimate threat to the existing regime and the horrifying consequences it brings with it, not just for him, but his family as well as all those around him. It is definitely a frustrating watch as the helplessness and injustice is as universal a language as any other.

A movie about political dissent towards an existing authoritarian regime willing to stay in power through any means necessary (reminding me of last year's "Navalny" and his assassination), the movie is both prophetic as well as a textbook demonstration of greed, corruption and autocracy. "Bobi Wine: The People's President" is a powerful movie and a strangely hopeful one at that too.