COVID-19: Uganda's She Is Hip Hop Festival cancelled

The annual music festival, which is held in the capital Kampala, celebrates Ugandan women in hip hop and was planned for 28 March.

The organisers had released a programme that included showcases, workshops, exhibitions, speeches and panel discussions. Other activities for the day were beatboxing, poetry, dance and rap.

The decision to cancel the event was made after President Yoweri Museveni placed a 32-day ban on all religious, cultural and political gatherings on 18 March.

Uganda confirmed eight new corona virus cases on Tuesday, 24 March.  

“The government's recommendations together with the uncertainty of these times make it impossible for us to push forward,” She Is Hip Hop Festival founder Drichiru 'Key' Kifuko told Music In Africa.

“We are devastated by the cancellation because many hip hop artists had adjusted their schedules to be part of this. The girls were looking forward to it as a mentorship and networking opportunity. But again we are aware that this is happening around the world. This is a case of better safe than sorry. We encourage everyone to adhere to the guidelines provide by the government.”

Kay, who is also a performing artist, dance teacher and choreographer, says Ugandan artists have been hit hard by the closure of live music venues.

“This pandemic is a big blow to all artists, especially freelancers who only get paid when they do a specific job,” she said. “We are all out of paid work, but we are still expected to pay all our bills.

"This is a wake-up call for artists to create multiple streams of income to earn, reinvest and save more. It’s also important for us as artists to build supportive networks and take bigger advantage of the Internet to promote and sell our work online.”

Meanwhile, CitisessionsUG announced on 21 March that the monthly showcase event for musicians, poets, spoken word artists and dancers had been put on hold until further notice.