With every new song that the DJ plays, or at least almost, the revelers gathered around small bar tables come to life, singing, dancing, twerking, before calmly continuing their discussions. It’s only 9pm on this Friday evening in October, but beer and whiskey have been flowing freely for hours at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds, an open-air bar surrounded by sports fields and packed with crowds.
At the Villa nightclub in Kampala, October 28, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “THE WORLD”
Cooking pork skewers at the Kyadondo club in Kampala, October 28, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “THE WORLD”
In the back, hundreds of juicy and slightly spicy meat skewers, the typical dish of the Ugandan night, are grilling in thick smoke. You nibble on the stick without taking the time to sit down so as not to miss a minute of the beginning of the night.
“What, in Europe they don’t know that Uganda is the party country? In Africa, Uganda is by far number 1. “In Kampala, every day is a day of celebration, every day from Monday to Sunday,” boasts 24-year-old Allan, who works “during the week” in a public medical research institute and his runs a small telephone shop “on the weekend”. “I won’t sleep tonight, it’s my free time,” he announces. The young man will easily find something to occupy himself with.
Also read Le Don Quixote, a mecca for Casablanca evenings: “Everyone comes to dance here”
In the heart of Africa’s Great Lakes, the dynamic and loud Ugandan capital is known for its reggae culture and its hard and catchy dancehall – this year young singer Alien Skin made a splash with “Party”, another hit that showcases the virtues of ” Party” praises the celebration. The country is preparing to hold its now-famous Nyege Nyege festival (“an irresistible desire to dance,” in Swahili) in mid-November, which MPs have described as “immoral” but which they cannot ban.
No closing time
Kampala has thousands of bars scattered across the hills, sometimes spanning entire streets. As elsewhere on the planet, offerings range from the most upscale – where the VIPs of the Ugandan regime meet – to the most local and affordable, the Kafunda (a “little place” in Luganda). But these restaurants have one thing in common: no closing times.
Musicians at a private party in Yushili, Kampala, October 28, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “DIE WELT”
At the Villa nightclub in Kampala, October 29, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “THE WORLD”
“We don’t have a set time. When the customer is there, we are open. If everyone leaves, we will close,” Mark Kamya, the manager of Bataka, explains very seriously, a kafunda hidden in the basement of a shop in Bukoto, a middle-class neighborhood of Kampala. About ten tables, surrounded by small colorful sofas, dim lighting, music: it’s a neighborhood bar where beer is available from 5,000 Ugandan shillings (approx. 1.25 euros).
Also read: In Juba the Baobab House, the workshop bar “where you can be whoever you want” in South Sudan
Mr. Kamya, 30, explains the philosophy of his company: “Here the customer is the boss. Even if he is too “tired” and cannot walk or drive, he is still our customer, he is at home. He can sleep here on the couch until he feels better. Then he can go home or continue the party. »
The same goes for La Villa, a stone’s throw away but aimed at a wealthy clientele. On Friday evening around midnight, valet parking in the large parking lot is busy, while inside, customers move around quietly under fairy lights. Here too, there are no schedules and no unannounced visits from the police, says his manager Nathan Kazoora Kawamara. “Of course it’s legal!” he smiles, puffs on his water pipe and emphasizes that there must be rules against nighttime nuisances, which led him to invest in noise protection systems.
75% of the population is under 30 years old
Keeping the consumer for as long as possible is also a question of profitability – very high, according to the owners. “Ugandans love to party so this is the right sector to make money quickly, there is plenty of space. On a good night you can reach 60 to 70 million Ugandan shillings [de 15 000 à 17 000 euros] says Mr. Kawamara. As proof of this, breweries like Nile Breweries and Uganda Breweries are among the biggest taxpayers in this poor country, second only to telecommunications, as revelers often – and proudly – remember.
In the Kafunda bar in a suburb of Kampala, October 29, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “THE WORLD”
In front of the X-Hub bar in the early hours of the morning, in Kampala, October 29, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “THE WORLD”
Beyond the economic aspect, letting the country have fun could also be seen as a political strategy. Uganda is extremely young: 75% of the population is under 30 years old. The country is held with an iron fist by Yoweri Museveni, a former guerrilla fighter and president since 1986, is heavily militarized and the opposition has been muzzled. In the last election in 2021, many observers described his victory as a fraud against… former singer Bobi Wine.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Abidjan “people in clubs want to like us twenty years ago, they play rich”
The festival is a refuge carefully protected from unforgiving political repression. “We have freedom here,” says Alice, 28, with a slightly broken voice but still full of energy as the day dawns on the X-Hub. It’s 7 a.m. and although a heavy overnight downpour turned the parking lot into a mud track, it wasn’t enough to deter customers at this bar in Najjera, an outskirts where, at this hour, the ballet of motorcycle taxis and military trucks and cleaners was taking place in high-visibility vests drove through the streets.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Conakry, splendor and decadence of the Bembeya Club
Here, beer and chichas continue to be brought to the tables, the DJ is in the American hip-hop mood and the happy atmosphere is still dancing even after such a long night. “The party is what unites us, I don’t know exactly why, but this environment holds us together as a nation, it avoids conflicts,” believes the nutritionist, who says she fought against cancer ten years ago. Does she plan on going to sleep? At the moment she is not sure.
In a traffic jam in front of the entrance to the parking lot of a bar in Kampala, October 28, 2023. BADRU KATUMBA FOR “DIE WELT”