Philly Bongoley Lutaaya (19 October 1951 – 15 December 1989) was a Ugandan musician who was the first prominent Ugandan to give a human face to HIV/

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. 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 Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second a ...

's hit song '' It Must Have Been Love'', 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, Kenya, and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In the mid 1980s, he settled in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

. 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 The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...

, 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 (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 ...

sang "Born in Africa", Juliana Kanyomozi 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 Nubian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Nubia, a region along the Nile river in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan. *Nubian people * Nubian languages *Anglo-Nubian goat, a breed of goat * Nubian ibex * , several ships of the Brit ...

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, 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 Usama () "Osam" Nyanzi Mukwaya (born 12 December 1989) is a Ugandan screenwriter, film director, producer, actor and former television host. His major films include ''Bala Bala Sese'', directed by Lukyamuzi Bashir with which Mukwaya is credited ...

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