Fostering collaboration in music Industry of Uganda: Bash Luks’ plea for unity

Bashir Lukonge, a renowned Ugandan music executive also known as Bash Luks, has analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of East African countries in the music industry.

Uganda, while still trailing behind Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania in the industry, demonstrates superior performance in certain areas, as stated by Bash Luks.

The founder of Lot Fire Records, a music label, and one of the most highly regarded young artists in the region, asserts that Ugandan artists faced significant financial constraints in the past, leading to a lag in their progress.

Tanzania was mentioned as an illustration, where artists were able to top-quality instruments as early as the 2000s.

According to him, Tanzanians possessed substantial wealth and made significant investments in their music industry. While we had 15 studios at the time, they had a remarkable 45 studios, clearly surpassing us in terms of resources and infrastructure.

As attested by Bash Luks, Tanzanians have shown faster progress compared to Ugandans due to their highly patriotic fan base.

He argues that this strong of patriotism has contributed to the rapid rise of artists like Diamond Platnumz, Harmonize, and Ali Kiba, who are widely celebrated as national treasures by the entire country.

According to Bash Luks, Uganda compensates for its lack of resources and patriotism with its abundance of talent. In his opinion, Uganda produces more musical talent compared to its neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya. He believes that while these countries may have the necessary equipment and passion, they cannot match the singing abilities of Ugandan artists.

"This is our greatest asset, and we must leverage it to develop ourselves. The rest will naturally follow," he emphasized.

Bash Luks delivered these words during the jam session at the 2nd edition of the Nva Mubende Festival in Mubende.

During the meeting, he encouraged his fellow artists from Mubende to recognize the importance of collaboration within the festival.

Furthermore, he expressed disappointment towards some artists from Mubende who have chosen not to perform in the festival since its launch in 2022. The inaugural event took on January 28, 2023, at Kasaana Playround in Mubende.