Singer John Kasadha, popularly known as John Blaq, has urged the government to stop waiting for artistes and athletes to succeed on their own before inviting them to its offices for recognition, arguing that creatives need support from the earliest stages of their careers.
The singer believes Uganda’s creative industry would achieve greater success internationally if the government invested in nurturing talent, building professional structures and providing the necessary resources instead of only celebrating those who have already made it.
John Blaq made the remarks while discussing the challenges facing Uganda’s music industry, including limited funding and the lack of adequate structures to help artistes market their work beyond the country’s borders.
He referenced Gen. Henry Tumukunde’s position that artistes need to organise themselves formally to benefit from funding available through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, rather than expecting money to be handed directly to individual musicians.
However, John Blaq argued that many artistes lack the business and financial management skills needed to handle substantial funding independently, making government involvement and professional guidance essential.
We artistes, many of us, we’re not educated. So even if you give us that money, we’re going to fail to manage that money.
But if you see how the government got directly involved in FUFA’s preparation for AFCON and constructed stadiums and an airport, it’s the same way the government ought to help the music industry.
The singer called for a deliberate strategy in which the government identifies promising artistes, invests in their development and supports their journey towards international recognition.
He argued that such an approach would not only benefit individual musicians but also inspire others to take their careers seriously and work towards similar opportunities.
John Blaq also pointed to established musicians such as Eddy Kenzo, arguing that Uganda has often waited for successful artistes to make a name for themselves independently before celebrating them at home.
He drew a similar comparison with athletics, noting that athletes such as Joshua Cheptegei have received recognition and rewards after winning major competitions, but insisting that more attention should be directed towards supporting talent before it reaches the top.
“Government should just stop waiting upon the few successful winners to take them for tea catch-up. It should get involved from the initial stages.”
John Blaq further argued that the government understands what needs to be done but has not demonstrated the level of commitment required to transform the creative sector.
Trust me, the government knows what to do. They just don’t want to do it, and that’s all. I don’t even blame the federation.
The budget given to the federation is just bread crumbs. We need big things, big money for this project, and we artistes push it and lift the flag all over the world. We need real support, not just tossing us bread crumbs.
The singer maintained that the industry needs substantial investment, stronger institutional structures and qualified professionals who understand the business of music and can help local talent compete internationally.
He also dismissed the idea that the responsibility rests solely with the relevant federation, arguing that meaningful progress will require direct government intervention and a much larger financial commitment.
Those few billions are not enough. We need proper structures and hire people who are well educated in this field.
The government needs to intervene if they’re really interested, but I think they’re not interested at all. But the rest are lies, giving us breadcrumbs to fight for them among us.
It’s not about the federation, it’s the government, otherwise we’re going to remain like this for the rest of our career.
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