By Ahmad Muto
Celebrated disk jockey Michael Owor, popularly known by his turntable name, DJ Bushbaby, has spoken to The Kampala Sun on the issue of the growing number of female DJs vis-à-vis criticism.
The last few months have seen DJ Alicia, who has received quite the backlash from a section of Ugandans, get joined by media personalities Zahara Toto (DJ Zato), Lynda Ddane and Etania Mutoni, starting a new wave that has threatened some stakeholders.
However, according to DJ Bushbaby, it is a sign of growth of the industry and, therefore, shows that there are available opportunities, a thing he thinks should be embraced.
“If DJ Alicia comes in and she is amazing, pretty and can use her body responsibly to make money, what is the problem? If Etania can come in and do the same, what’s the problem?” he wondered.
He, however, downplayed the criticism of the female deejays, saying they have it easier compared to their male counterparts.
The veteran deejay argued that for men, it is difficult to get a footing in the industry because of the amount of work one has to put in to reach the level of success that a female DJ can just achieve overnight.
“For a guy, you will have to work 10 times harder, while for a lady, as long as everything has aligned itself as per our local standards, she will become an overnight sensation. The industry has grown, it has evolved, creating so many avenues and the smart ones are taking advantage. And for the ladies, it is easy to market.”
In retrospective, DJ Bushbaby noted that some of the female personalities being trolled are very hardworking individuals with remarkable work ethic and career compass.
“We are in a liberal society and this is also a generation of dare. You see Zahara Toto, I know her, I have worked with her, I have shared office space with her and she has great work ethic that has taken her places,” he said.
What about quality of the female deejays’ performances?
According to Bushbaby, quality is relative.
“Quality is your customers being satisfied. I have attended kwanjula and wedding meetings; every time they talk about water, it is Spice Diana Water. Why? It is not that it is better than the rest. The consumers are happy either because it is affordable or it is top-of-mind awareness, or perhaps clever marketing.”
He added: “Quality is not about the Uganda National Bureau of Standards’ approval. If Alicia plays and leaves the crowd happy, that is quality. There are no rules, it’s an open economy. You also go and twerk and see if you will get the same reaction.”
Bushbaby blamed all the hullabaloo on envy, entitlement and fronting standards.
He asked the male deejays that have found the influx of female DJs discomforting to also do the same thing they are accusing them of doing – playing non-stop mixes – and see if they will get the same results.
