Movie Review: Bobi Wine: The People’s President

Around the world, including here at home, there is a rising tide of pro-authoritarian sentiment. Perhaps the people starting to lean that direction would be well-served to watch the documentary Bobi Wine: The People’s President for some idea of just what life is like in a country run that way. Even those who already understand why it isn’t a desirable outcome could benefit by being reminded what it is they oppose and how much it is worth fighting against.

Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, rose to fame in Uganda as a pop singer whose songs were often infused with social messages. As he tells it, he felt a call to do good for society, likely at least partially as a result of conversations he’d had with his wife Barbie during their courtship, so he decided to run for a seat in Uganda’s parliament which he wound up winning handily. Emboldened by his victory, he set about campaigning to get like-minded candidates elected throughout the country, quickly building a following among the nation’s young and poor population and garnering the ire of the ruling military regime led by President Museveni.

Using his absolute control of both the Police and the military, Museveni has Wine arrested and tortured on apparently fraudulent charges leading to uprisings in the streets. Ultimately, the government relents and frees Wine, who now needs a crutch to walk, but he still refuses to back down and in 2019 announces his candidacy for the 2021 presidential election. This of course leads to further harassment by the Ugandan government, including several trips to jail, an attempted assassination, and the murder of several of his campaign team, along with countless injuries and deaths of civilians by the country’s forces, all while Museveni attempts to blame the victims and the “Western media”.

Interspersed with Wine’s catchy, upbeat music, the lyrics displayed on screen, a throughline of hope carries through the movie. Bobi Wine himself has a natural charisma that makes it easy to see why so many people would rally around him, as does the footage of the often abhorrent treatment of the Ugandan citizenry by their own government. Museveni has his opponents arrested and worse seemingly on a whim and exerts heavy control over the nation’s media, while law enforcement seems all too eager to beat, shoot, maim, and gas their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, hope isn’t likely ever going to be enough to topple a dictator, even one who dresses up his control with a thin veneer of democracy, and this film serves as a stark reminder of how brutal life under a despot can really be. ★★★★★