Philly Bongoley Lutaaya (19 October 1951 – 15 December 1989) was a

Ugandan }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

musician who was the first prominent Ugandan to give a human face to

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

/ AIDS. He became a national hero because he was the first Ugandan to declare that he was HIV – positive. That was in 1988, when HIV still carried a lot of stigma. Before dying of AIDS, Lutaaya spent his remaining time writing songs about his battle with AIDS, releasing his last album ''Alone and Frightened'', including his famous song "Alone", influenced by Swedish duo Roxette's hit song ''

It Must Have Been Love "It Must Have Been Love", originally "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)", is a song written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The power ballad became the duo's third number one hit in the United ...

'', as well as touring churches and schools throughout Uganda to spread a message of prevention and hope. Lutaaya was popular in Uganda in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he toured the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, and Japan. In the mid 1980s, he settled in Stockholm, Sweden. There he recorded his hit album '' Born in Africa'', which is still popular in Uganda. Lutaaya's ''Christmas Album'', produced in 1986, remains his most popular album to date. The album, whose songs were written in native Luganda, remains central to Christmas celebrations in Uganda. It includes classics such as "Merry Christmas, Zuukuka, Tumusinze, Ssekukkulu, Gloria, Anindiridde and Katujaguze. To date, Philly Lutaaya remains one of the best recording musicians in Uganda. Lutaaya's music incorporates western pop music style as observed in songs like "Anifa sembera, Gloria, I have a dream, the voice is crying out, to mention."

Awards

In 2004, he won Lifetime Achievement Award at the

Pearl of Africa Music Awards The Pearl of Africa Music Awards (also known as the PAM Awards) was an annual national music award event held in Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan ...

(PAM Awards) Later in 2007, various Ugandan artists came together to re-record some of Lutaya's greatest hits.

Bebe Cool Bebe Cool (real name Moses Ssali; born 1 September 1977) is an African reggae and ragga musician from Uganda. He started his career around 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved back to his native country a few years later. Bebe Cool was one of the ...

sang "Born in Africa",

Juliana Kanyomozi Juliana Kanyomozi is a musician actress and entertainer by occupation. Juliana Kanyomozi is a multiple award-winning Ugandan pop musician, an R&B and Afro Beat Singer well known among Western Uganda's decent musicians. Juliana was born Novembe ...

re-did "Diana".

Iryn Namubiru Irene Gladys Namubiru, also known as Iryn Namubiru, (born 13 December 1981) is a Ugandan female vocalist. She is a light-lyric, alto voiced, Afro-pop, recording and performing artist. Background Namubiru was born in the Central Region of Uga ...

and Nubian Li of Fire Base Crew both re-did "Empisazo".

Legacy

After his death at age 38, the Philly Lutaaya Initiative Association was created by a group infected and affected peers at that time to help educate people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. With assistance from

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

, the initiative sponsors lectures in schools and communities across Uganda highlighting personal testimonials of hundreds of people infected with HIV. In Uganda, 17 October is the Philly Bongoley Lutaaya Day observed by the Uganda Aids Commission. 2014 daughter Tezra Lutaaya started a community-based organisation to keep her father's legacy alive. The organisation will help boost the socio-economic lives of AIDS orphans and widows through a Philly Lutaaya Vocational Centre in Kanoni, Gomba. This is the birthplace of Philly Lutaaya. A biopic about Philly's life is in development by filmmaker Usama Mukwaya.

Discography

Albums

*''Merry Christmas'' (1987, remastered and re-released 11 December 2015) *''Alone'' (1988, remastered and re-released 11 December 2015) *''Alone'' ''II The legacy'' (1988, remastered and re-released 11 December 2015) *''Tumusinze'' (1988) *''Born in Africa'' (1986)

References

External links