Wine emboldened by Grammy nomination

Bobi Wine, pictured, has worn many hats – pop star, politician, and now, the star of an Oscar-nominated documentary, which the 41-year-old Ugandan credits with giving him “an extended lease of life”.

The opposition leader has been arrested multiple times, but said he felt emboldened by the recognition granted to Bobi Wine: The People’s President, which chronicles the violent crackdown during his 2021 bid for presidency.

“It makes me [feel] safer... because we know at least the world is watching what is happening in Uganda,” he said during an interview at the headquarters of his National Unity Platform (NUP) party in Kampala.

Despite the threats to his life, Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, does not deploy gun-toting guards at his residence or offices, with unarmed volunteers manning the entrance to the NUP headquarters.

He said he was “initially hesitant” about participating in the documentary, which premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival before being acquired by National Geographic. But he was persuaded to allow filmmakers Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo to follow him on and off the campaign trail, as he challenged veteran President Yoweri Museveni.

“We realised that it was a brilliant idea because now the world can see the reality in Uganda,” he said, likening the camera to a “potent weapon (that) is more powerful than guns and bombs”.

The film is the “story of our struggle for freedom and democracy in Uganda and seen through the eyes of myself and my wife, my family and those that I work closely with”, he said.

In a plot twist that would not be out of place in a Hollywood film, Wine said he was “in hiding” when he heard about the Grammy Award nomination last month.

The film can be accessed for free on YouTube.