Time To Reap Big: Uganda One Festival Opens A New Chapter For Ugandan Creatives

By Frank Kamuntu 

Kampala — The Uganda One Festival was officially unveiled at the Kololo Independence Ceremonial Grounds, marking a major milestone in government efforts to organize, professionalize and monetize Uganda’s fast-growing creative sector.

Speaking at the press launch, Ms. Sylvia Owori, Head of Operations at Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), celebrated Ugandan fashion designer and entrepreneur, and Chairperson of the National Organising Committee for this event, described the festival as the culmination of years of deliberate engagement between government and creatives.

Owori revealed that the journey began in 2021 following the general elections, when the Chief Coordinator of OWC, Gen. Salim Saleh, was tasked to study and understand the creative industry. The first major engagement was held in Gulu, where creatives from across disciplines converged to help government appreciate the scope, potential and challenges of the sector.

“From that moment, we embarked on nationwide policy dialogues. Today, for the first time, we are bringing all creatives together under one vision, one banner and one Uganda,” Owori said.

She announced that the Uganda One Festival enjoys high-level backing from State House, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Uganda Performing Right Society (UPRS), Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and several other stakeholders.

A key highlight of the festival will be the official flag-off of the Presidential Fund for the Creative Sector, fulfilling a pledge by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to financially empower creatives. Owori noted that the fund is already being disbursed, citing the recent release of Shs1 billion to creative circles in West Nile, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja.

“This is no longer talk. This is action,” she emphasized.

Owori, who has spent over two decades in the creative industry before joining government service, said she represents a bridge between creativity and policy. She thanked the media for partnering in telling Uganda’s authentic cultural story and called on all Ugandans to support and promote the festival.

“Uganda is one. Our culture is one. Our future is one,” she said, urging creatives to seize the opportunity created by over Shs30 billion already invested by government in the sector.

She described the Uganda One Festival not just as a celebration of talent, but as an economic engine designed to grow GDP, organize creatives, protect intellectual property and create sustainable incomes. The festival, she added, will be held annually and developed into a national marketing platform for Ugandan creative products.

Representing the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, spokesperson Mr. Joshua Kyalimpa conveyed a message from Minister Betty Amongi, affirming the ministry’s full support for the festival. He said culture and creative industries fall squarely under the ministry’s mandate and are critical for job creation, especially among the youth.

Kyalimpa disclosed that the creative sector has been aligned with National Development Plan IV, with key interventions including nationwide talent identification, infrastructure development, access to finance and formulation of a national creative sector policy. He revealed that over 4,500 creatives have already been identified countrywide.

He further announced that Uganda had signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey to support the creative industry, underscoring government’s commitment to mobilizing both domestic and international support.

The Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Performing Right Society (UPRS) described the festival as a “crossroad for Uganda’s cultural destiny,” stressing that culture is not merely entertainment but a powerful economic force.

“Culture, when organized, protected and valued, becomes commerce,” he said, reiterating UPRS’ mandate to license, collect and distribute royalties to musicians. He emphasized that music is intellectual property protected by law and called on all commercial users of music to obtain UPRS licenses.

UPRS also announced that Uganda One Festival had led by example by paying for music usage, with a cheque and license presentation held during the launch. The society is celebrating 40 years of operation this year and plans a nationwide campaign to promote respect for intellectual property.

Meanwhile, Mr. Denis Nabende, Principal Communications Officer at URSB, highlighted reforms aimed at making copyright registration affordable and accessible. He noted that registering copyright now costs only Shs50,000, and that creatives can use registered intellectual property as collateral to access financing.

“Copyright is like land. Registration gives proof of ownership and protection,” Nabende explained, encouraging creatives to formalize their works.

The launch concluded with a rallying call to artists, creators, investors and institutions to organize, monetize and protect Uganda’s creative output. Organizers said the Uganda One Festival will serve as a unifying national platform to harness creativity as a driver of economic growth, cultural identity and national unity.