Top promoter offers free venue for West Nile Artists to showcase talent, forge unity

By Andrew Cohen Amvesi     

ARUA. A top promoter in West Nile has offered the artists in the region a free venue to showcase their talent every week.

Stephen Ramathan, the representative of Uganda National Promoters’ Association in West Nile offered the venue at his Blue Dove hotel in Arua city, which he says will also act as a unifying center for the artistes.

“I’m of the view that why can’t West Nile artistes come and perform here like maybe every Wednesday, I can give them the venue for free. You know this will bring all the artists together, they come and perform, after performing, they sit down and talk about their weaknesses and how to improve and grow in the industry. That is what is happening in Kampala,” Ramathan said during a press conference at Blue Dove Hotel on Wednesday.

Ramathan said he really feels bad to see his promoters and artists not doing well in the region yet their counterparts in other regions are prospering.

“I remember up to now in Kampala every Tuesday, all the artists allover Kampala meet together, they perform, and discuss. So, let our artists get organized. We need to know their structures and see how to help them. But now you can’t start taking an individual to Kampala on behalf of artists without knowing their administrative structures and organization. Such a person may even fail to present their issues,” Ramathan stressed.

According to Ramathan, the only way for him to promote West Nile artistes in a better way is for them to first get organized through platforms like the one he has offered them for free.

Similarly, Moses Apangu Sulaiman commonly referred to as Moses Power acknowledged that most of the challenges West Nile artistes are facing is lack of support.

He said the situation has been worsened by lack of managers and promoters to lift the hands of the artists in the region.

Moses Power thanked Ramathan for supporting the artists, saying the platform he has offered at Blue Dove hotel will indeed help the artists in the region to reorganize themselves.

He, however, castigated Brewery Companies for not supporting upcountry artists as opposed to the artists from the central region.

“There is no support for our own boys and the blame is taken mostly on our Brewery Companies. Why I’m saying that is a show can’t go without a beer or whisky. So, these guys once they are organizing their own shows you see people taking a lot of beers but the brewery companies are not supporting them. You can never see on their banners any Brewery Company supporting our own boys but once it comes to artists from the central region, you see many of them running to the promoters saying we want to build partnership with you,” Moses Power said.

He still advised the promoters in West Nile not to give up but contact the Brewery Companies for sponsorship everytime an artist in the region wants to perform.