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Essays of a Revolutionary MC: At Lviv National Opera, Ukraine
Bana Mutibwa
September 30, 2024
September will forever hold a special place in my heart. I had the privilege of traveling to Ukraine twice – first to Kyiv at the start of the month and last weekend to Lviv, where I performed at the magnificent Lviv National Opera. I also visited Tbilisi, Georgia, but today, I'll focus on my Lviv experience.
Bana Mutibwa performing at Lviv National Opera during IT Arena 2024. Photo by IT Arena
My aspirations to travel to Ukraine started last year, but it didn’t go as planned. Despite having lived in Denmark for almost 10 years, I still travel on my Uganda passport. I assumed, like Moldova and Georgia, I could enter Ukraine visa-free with my Danish residency. Unfortunately, I discovered late that I needed a visa, and with only a week left, I had no time to secure one.
I made it as far as Chelm, a city near the Polish-Ukrainian border, before having to turn back to Warsaw. There, I coordinated the event I had planned from a hotel room. It was a successful yet bittersweet reminder of how borders can limit our freedoms.
Instagram Post, Dated October 3, 2023
This year, I prepared early and secured my Ukrainian visa, allowing me to travel to Kyiv and Lviv rather more smoothly. However, I still face challenges – from having my fingerprints collected to being questioned at borders. In Lviv, I shared this reality with the audience, urging them to advocate for better travel conditions for freedom and democracy defenders like myself. I emphasized that true freedom means being able to travel the world without barriers.
I also used my music to highlight Uganda's struggle for freedom and democracy. I performed "Power to the People II" with clips from "Bobi Wine: The People’s President" as my backdrop, urging everyone to watch the documentary. As we wait for the official footage from IT Arena, here's a short clip recorded by a friend in attendance.
To end, let me share a heartfelt message I received from Daniel, one of the attendees:
After your speech yesterday, I opened my browser and started searching for news about Uganda. I was shocked that I hadn’t heard about it before. So many difficult things are happening in your country. I read about the president who is serving his 9th term, and it struck a chord with me. I understand the struggle for democracy all too well, as we faced a similar situation in Ukraine during our Maidan protests, which eventually led to the war we are still fighting today.
We're still fighting corruption within our country. Yesterday, you spoke to some of the top tech professionals, but in my view, many of them seem distant from fully grasping the weight of your message. If you asked any simple Ukrainian on the street, they would be proud of what you’re doing and stand with you in your fight for freedom and justice!
Thank you all for your continued support. I’ll be sharing one email per month about my music, life in Denmark, or Uganda. If you enjoyed reading, feel free to follow up or share it with a friend. Stay tuned for more!