Claims that the ‘Nyege Nyege Festival’ has been banned were shared online since the Ugandan Parliament moved to stop the festival from taking place next week.
Background
Nyege Nyege Festival is an annual four-day event held at Itanda Falls in Jinja, Uganda. The event has gained international prominence over the years drawing thousands of fun-loving tourists into Uganda annually.
The event planners however have faced massive pushback from government officials who claim that the festival promotes sexual immorality. In 2018, The Monitor, reports that the then Minister for Ethics and Integrity, the late Fr Lokodo attempted to ban the festival saying that it is “an instrument being used by our brothers and sisters of Western world to introduce to us a culture, a behavior and attitude that is foreign and not in our laws, culture and religion.”
Verification
On September 7, 2022, Ugandan parliamentarians attempted to stop the festival from taking place on grounds of morality, sparking online outrage with many demanding that the festival be allowed. The proposal to ban the event was supported by State Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rose Lilly Akello.
Uganda’s Prime Minister chaired a meeting with concerned parties on September 7, 2022, and came to a decision that the Nyege Nyege Festival will go forward as planned.
“It attracts thousands of foreign tourists; we can’t miss out on this opportunity at a time when the country is recovering from the effects of Covid-19,” said Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja.
Almost similar sentiments were shared by the State Minister for Tourism, Martin Mugarra, who was opposed to the idea from the start. He stated that the festival is a, “Hub for tourism where over 8,000 foreign tourists had already booked tickets for the event that’s due in Jinja.” Part of the prime minister’s agreement with the event’s organizers is that the event will go on as planned but under strict guidelines.
After the closed-door meeting, the prime minister added that the guidelines will “restrict those that are coming to celebrate to behave in a manner that is acceptable by Ugandan culture”. In a post on the festival’s official Twitter page just hours after the reinstatement, revelers are advised to come clothed. “Just don’t come naked,” the post reads.
Verdict
Claims that the Nyege Nyege Festival has been banned are FALSE.
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