First staged in 2015, the globally touted Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda is a four-day dance party and a major tourism drawcard that caters to lovers of electronic dance music. After a three-year break due to COVID-19, the 2022 festival is taking place from 15-18 September in Uganda. Over 300 deejays and performers will participate across seven stages, with 10,000 revellers expected to attend. But Nyege Nyege nearly didn’t happen. Uganda’s parliament banned it – and not for the first time – on the grounds that it promotes “sexual immorality”. Eventually the prime minister gave it the go-ahead. Tourism lecturer Amos Ochieng has studied the festival and explains its ongoing dilemma.
