Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has released a powerful protest song titled ‘Third Time Lucky’ to amplify global call for the immediate release of Dr. Kizza Besigye and other political prisoners in Uganda.
The song recorded in Kampala written by Robin Auld and Greg Mills mixed by Paddyman aims to rally the world against what activists describe as an alarming escalation of political repression.
The release comes in response to Dr. Besigye’s abduction from Kenya and subsequent arraignment before a military tribunal sparking outrage both within Uganda and internationally.
The campaign to free Dr. Besigye has gained traction among democratic voices worldwide. Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, ex-Presidents Andrés Pastrana (Colombia), Martin Torrijos (Panama), and Ian Khama (Botswana), as well as former Prime Ministers Yulia Tymoshenko (Ukraine) and Moeketsi Majoro (Lesotho), have all joined the chorus demanding his release.
Religious leaders including the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba along with various ministers and opposition figures from Africa, Latin America and Europe have lent their voices to the cause calling for an end to the arbitrary detention of political dissidents in Uganda.
Dr. Kizza Besigye a long-time opponent of President Museveni was reportedly abducted in Kenya under foggy circumstances and transferred to Uganda where he now faces charges before a military tribunal.
Opposition argue that his arrest is part of a broader crackdown on political opposition in Uganda where Museveni has ruled for nearly four decades. The government however, has remained silent on the allegations of unlawful abduction, fueling speculation of a deepening political crisis.
Bobi Wine a musician turned politician has long used music as a tool for political activism. His latest release Third Time Lucky, draws from Africa’s history of liberation struggles and calls for the continent’s “third liberation.”
It is a call to arms against political dictatorship urging citizens across Africa to rise against oppression. The song’s lyrics delivered with Bobi Wine’s signature passion condemn the continued suppression of democracy and remind Ugandans that change is possible through collective resistance.
Uganda has seen increasing political suppression in recent years. Opposition figures, journalists and activists have faced arbitrary arrests, intimidation and even torture for speaking out against the government.
Dr. Besigye a former personal physician to Museveni who later became one of his fiercest oppositions has been arrested multiple times and imprisoned on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
As international pressure mounts, the Ugandan government faces growing scrutiny over its treatment of political opponents and with the release of Third Time Lucky is a call to “break the chains” which resonates far beyond Uganda’s borders.
