There is a thin line between excitement and disorder, and at the press conference for Jamaican dancehall star Spice in Luzira, that line was crossed a little too quickly.
The Jamaican star had barely settled into Kampala after her Monday morning arrival when she was ushered into what was meant to be a structured media engagement at the headquarters of Nile Breweries Limited.
The agenda was clear: introduce the sponsors, build anticipation for her upcoming show at Lugogo Cricket Oval, and give the media a chance to engage one of dancehall’s biggest exports.
But somewhere between flashing cameras and the thrill of proximity to an international act, composure gave way.
Moments like these are rare. For local dancehall artists, sharing space with someone of Spice’s stature is both validation and opportunity. But how that opportunity is handled matters just as much as the moment itself.
Take Buchaman and Mark Da Urban. Their refusal to follow basic stage protocol, taking seats meant for the guest and resisting attempts to vacate, set an uncomfortable tone early on. It shifted focus away from the guest and toward an unnecessary power struggle, something a seasoned host like MC Deedan ultimately had to overlook just to keep the programme moving.
The situation only worsened when Ziza Bafana and Fik Gaza joined in. What may have been intended as a show of lyrical prowess quickly spiralled into a chaotic scramble for attention. The attempt to impress Spice in Patois, her linguistic home ground, felt less like homage and more like a miscalculated audition. Off-beat deliveries, overlapping voices, and a visible struggle for the microphone turned what could have been a highlight into an awkward spectacle.
This was never about a lack of talent. Uganda’s dancehall scene has repeatedly proven its depth and potential. The issue here was awareness: reading the room, understanding the assignment, and recognising when less is more.
Because sometimes, the most powerful way to impress is not by trying too hard, but by demonstrating professionalism, restraint, and quiet confidence in one’s craft.
Ironically, the artists expected to share the stage with Spice, names like Sheebah Karungi, Cindy Sanyu, Winnie Nwagi, and Karole Kasita, were not the ones dominating headlines from the press conference. Whether they attended or not became almost secondary. The narrative had already shifted.
In the end, what should have been a polished curtain-raiser for a major show became something else entirely, a reminder that exposure is a double-edged sword. It can elevate, but it can also reveal gaps, not in talent, but in discipline and presentation.
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