No Paparazzi Allowed

Last night, I went out to a club in Ntinda. I’ve always enjoyed the nightlife in Kampala because the music is a mix of hits from all over the world. No matter which region it comes from, the deejays just want to play good music. This night, the dj was particularly on point as he played music from West Africa that made me feel at home in so many ways. An artist named Priscilla even came out and did a surprise performance. Her songs were really good and she could really dance! In the states we’re often amazed at Ciara’s talent and the control she has over her body when she dances, but I’ve seen so many artist here who would kill Ciara in a dance off. One girl in particular, named Aisha, at MYDEL has so much talent, I wish she had the avenues to become a wider known entertainer…
But back to my night out, I had a fabulous time! Another thing that surprised me about Priscilla’s performance was that though she was a well-known performer, the crowd wasn’t fazed by her presence. They enjoyed her performance, but they were no where near as star struck as Americans are when celebrities are around. She performed right on the dance floor of the club and once she was done she continued dancing in the club with the other patrons. She was treated and regarded as any other person in the club.
Towards the end of the night I decided to take pictures of the group. My friend had already told me that cameras are not allowed in the club, but I had a big pocket book and was able to smuggle it in. But in the midst of my photo shoot, I was stopped by a bouncer and told I couldn’t’ take anymore pictures. He wanted me to delete the ones I had already taken, but I quickly put my camera away and assured him that I wouldn’t take anymore.
I asked my friends why people weren’t allowed to take pics in clubs and they said that some people don’t want others to know that they go to clubs. Kampala is a fairly liberal city, but there are still some groups who are very traditional and believe that drinking and dancing is sacrilegious. Even though it is against their beliefs many people still sneak off to clubs and bars, sinfully. Funny enough, tabloids in the region seek to expose members of the community who claim to be righteous, but are out and about town drinking and dirty dancing. For this reason, clubs try to protect their patrons by banning cameras.