Activist Barbie Kyagulanyi On The Fight For Political Justice In Uganda
“Whatever it takes to help improve the livelihood of Ugandans, I will keep doing it,” says philanthropist and author Barbie Kyagulanyi. Barbie is also the wife of Ugandan musician-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, famously known as Bobi Wine. The pair’s remarkable journey is vividly captured in the recent BAFTA- and Oscar-nominated documentary Bobi Wine: The People’s President, directed by Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo. The film packs five years’ worth of footage into two hours, building up to the 2021 presidential election, in which Bobi and Barbie generate a huge wave of popular support in Uganda for their bold and dangerous mission to free the country from President Museveni’s then-35-year regime.
Since taking office at the end of the Ugandan civil war in 1986, Museveni has ruled the country as a dictatorship, using constitutional manipulation, incarceration and violence to retain power. Disappearances and killings are commonplace, and while opposition political parties have been permitted to operate since 2006, Barbie and Bobi’s experiences show the real dangers Museveni’s critics face.
The film itself is incredibly raw, not shying away from the brutalities and corruption that the long-reigning President inflicts on the population. It shows Bobi himself being arrested multiple times, tortured, his house arrest and even the moment the film’s co-director and director of photography Moses Bwayo gets shot in the face when caught in the crossfire of military action against Bobi. The film pulls back the curtain entirely for viewers globally and is ultimately a plea to help drive change.
Throughout all of this, it’s abundantly clear the strength Bobi and Barbie draw from each other. Just after the whirlwind of BAFTA weekend in February, I had the opportunity to connect with Barbie from Rome, where she was attending a screening event. As soon as she appears on the video call, her positivity, passion – and that infectious smile – light up the screen. “It’s the season and we are so grateful to be here,” she says, referring to the ongoing press tour for the film. The real-life Barbie epitomises everything portrayed in the documentary: poised, caring, and, above all, remarkably passionate and resilient.
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She begins by telling me (in summary, as “I could be here all day!” she says laughing) about the beginnings of her relationship with Bobi – which is touched on beautifully at the start of the film. “We met when I was just out of high school when we were both cast in a play together. I didn’t like him at first. He was full of himself; I’d never seen anyone like him before. But do you know the difference between the back of your palm and the front? That’s the difference that was there with Bobi. He was kind and gentle. He was a gentleman underneath all that.”
Bobi and Barbie came from very different worlds – Bobi grew up in the slums in Kampala, whereas Barbie had a much more privileged middle-class upbringing. However, what they did share was the experience of living under Museveni’s regime. “We didn’t know anything different when we were young,” she says. “We only knew what we knew.”
At the time, in the late ’00s, Bobi began growing his music following, writing and singing lyrics to resonate with other young people on topics such as drugs, alcohol and relationships. But it was Barbie who realised that he could use his platform to talk about much more than that: “When I went to see where [Bobi] lived, I realised the people were very unprivileged. They lacked a lot. And what they lacked was something that the government could give them. So I told him, ‘You are a celebrity. You have a big voice. What are you using your voice for?’”
Barbie at the time had just founded her NGO, Caring Hearts, which works to keep young girls in education, particularly in rural areas. She inspired Bobi to reach beyond being the self-proclaimed ‘President of the Ghetto’ – to run to become the official President of Uganda.
Christopher Sharp, who also spent his childhood in Uganda, met the pair in 2017. His initial idea was to film their lives, to have something to reflect upon for the start of their journey, as five days prior, Bobi had just won a landslide victory to become a member of parliament with the National Unity Platform political party. Never did they anticipate how their story would unfold: “I look back now and I just think it was God that told us to just say ‘yes’ to Chris,” recalls Barbie. “How did we know to just say ‘yes’?”
The documentary captures moments of monumental strength and perseverance: the love binding them together, with a shared mission to help their country. Their vision was a world in which politicians aren’t only out for themselves, instead putting the wellbeing of their citizens first. Or as Bobi puts it, fighting for ‘people power’.
One moment shows the couple stoically telling their four children they would have to move to America because of risks to their safety, while Barbie and Bobi stayed behind in Uganda to keep up the fight. “You are so desperate to save your life that, most of the time, you never locate where the strength comes from because you are just fighting to see tomorrow,” Barbie says. Her story celebrates the power of togetherness: “Everyone in the team would hold on to each other. We prayed together, we cried together, we laughed together. We celebrate small victories together.” It is only when Bobi and Barbie’s friends are arrested that you see a moment of fear from the couple. “I [began] to cry because our support system was gone,” she says. “It was just the two of us against the whole military brigade.”
I ask Barbie what it was like to watch five years of their journey played out onscreen, reliving some of their hardest moments. “I cried so much, but then I would remember I’m not alone,” she says. “I was in a theatre full of people, so I would wipe my tears immediately.” For Barbie, the film only scratches the surface of her reality and what everyone around her went through. “When I first watched the edit, I kept asking why [it didn’t show] our friends being run over by the trucks; our friends being abducted and taken away. But then I thought again and realised if it could make me hallucinate at night as it is, then it was a good amount to show the horrendous behaviour of the military back home.”
Although the documentary ends with Museveni holding onto power in the highly contested 2021 election – which sparked international condemnation over reports of corruption, violence and intimidation towards his political opponents – there is a lingering feeling of hope. Since filming ended, the couple are very much still leading the fight for his rule to end. Barbie’s work for Caring Hearts is at the forefront of her activism: “Despite the challenges, our work continues,” she says. “Our focus is on keeping girls in school by addressing menstrual hygiene. We teach girls in rural areas how to make reusable sanitary pads to prevent school dropouts – which often leads to young marriages when their fathers see them missing school – and ensure they continue their education, breaking the cycle of poverty. We also empower mothers with skills to generate income for their families.”
Barbie and her team also now look after 189 children whose parents have either been killed, abducted or imprisoned by the regime. “We make sure they get an education, something to wear and something to eat.”
Since the cameras were put away, the overall situation in Uganda has not changed. “It is weird for me because although the filming stopped and we are here at things like the BAFTAs, the abductions still go on,” she says. “The disappearances still happen, the tear gas still happens. Museveni will still buy new equipment to terrorise the people.” She also raises the huge concern that the UN’s Human Rights Commission office in Uganda closed in 2023 after President Museveni’s government decided not to renew an agreement allowing it to operate – a major blow for human rights protections in the country.
“That’s why we need this film and this story to go as far as it can because we want to get it to the decision-makers and policymakers in the West who work with our government,” she says. “We want our friends in the West, the friends of Uganda, to follow up the money they give us to put a precondition of respect for human rights, respect for democracy and respect for free and fair elections.”
For now, Barbie’s main focus is making sure “the women of Uganda, the girl child of Uganda and the families of Uganda are safe and progressing”. She and Bobi stand united in their relentless pursuit of freedom and justice in their beloved homeland.
Bobi Wine: The People’s President is available to watch on Disney+
4 Aid Organisations To Support In Uganda
Barbie Kyagulanyi recommends non-profit organisations to support to help improve life for people living under the Museveni regime – from providing access to education and menstrual care to mental health programmes supporting the victims of conflict.
1. Caring Hearts Uganda – A nonprofit organisation led by Barbie Kyagulanyi working to raise the living standards of young people in Uganda through the promotion of proper menstrual healthcare, personal development and entrepreneurial skills.
2. Joel Ssenyonyi Foundation – A nonprofit, non-political organisation aiming to improve the quality of life for Ugandan people, especially vulnerable communities, through initiatives such as helping to educate children, providing family planning awareness and contributing to improving healthcare.
3. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) – Although the CRS is rooted in the Catholic faith, its mission is to “serve people based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity”. In Uganda, the CRS focuses on improving health, agricultural livelihoods and emergency response and recovery.
4. Tutapona – Tutapona provides mental health programmes for those affected by war and conflict, aiming to reduce symptoms of trauma, increase wellbeing and build resilience for facing future challenges.
Pia Brynteson is Digital Editor at Service95
