The Ugandan hip-hop image: the uses of activism and excess in fragile sites

Abstract

This article discusses the characteristics of image in Ugandan hip-hop with a particular focus on representations of activism and excess. Locating Uganda as a fragile site on the basis of widespread political, social and economic marginalisation, this examination considers members of Uganda's first generation of hip-hop artists, to argue that both activism and excess act in singular response to these circumstances. Finding articulation in strivings for economic freedom and social justice, the Ugandan hip-hop image reveals negotiations of histories of colonialism and of contemporary neoliberal capitalism: in doing so, it raises intersections of race and gender, informed by hip-hop's significance as a multi-billion-dollar global industry. This cross-disciplinary inquiry combines ethnomusicology with media, cultural and visual studies in dialogue with political economy.

Youth-Led Social Movements and Peacebuilding in Africa

“…In the process of planning and searching for economic freedom and social justice, there are certain industries that have been a key in this agenda. For example, the Ugandan hip-hop industry raises issues of age, race and social background (Singh 2020). There have been other activism activities in Uganda, such as on climate issues and on traditional kingdoms, and increasingly the internet has been the lifeline on which information is shared.…”