Before this pen started bleeding, I completely knew the consequences of the headline. See, in conversations about the greatest of all time, which has been abbreviated as GOAT, everyone has an opinion; in fact, there are more opinions from people who experienced whatever is being talked about in real-time.
Think about 20 or 30 years from today, when our sons and daughters will start praising some random footballer as the greatest to ever kick a ball. Having witnessed the magic and genius of Lionel Messi, you will definitely feel the same way elders do when we choose this Argentine over the other Argentine, Diego Maradona or Brazil’s Pele.
Thus, even as I ask and explore the question that is the headline, I am self-aware of the history of Ugandan TV and the strides that have been pulled over the years. For instance, That’s Life Mwattu and Bibawo by The Ebonies, held fort for nearly two decades.
They are the only production house that managed to own the two days of the weekend without much competition. That’s Life Mwattu was such an enigma that it managed to stain the reputation of Kiboga, a Ugandan town and district. In the early 2000s, it was almost impossible for one to talk about Kiboga without relating it to backwardness; by 2015, Nakawunde and Kiboga were still referenced by rappers such as Mun*G in songs such as Gira Tugire (Kyaba Too Much). It was still about the backward girlfriend who washed a laptop.
Yes, That’s Life Mwattu was so big that, to date, Sam Bagenda is still referred to as Dr Bbosa, even by people born after the show had stopped airing.
Thus, as we dive into this particular topic, the masses need to understand that no one is being disrespected in the conversation.
In 2011, probably one of the best years of Ugandan arts generally, Sabiiti Moses, Emmanuel Egwel, and Fast Track Productions gave Ugandans The Hostel. The Hostel was not the first drama to look at the drama in a school setting but was the first to focus and let the students be the drama, not their parents and the administration. Yes, we see you, Bibaawo.
The Hostel mainly took place at the hostel; there were no scenes of the cast in class or in any university. They rarely talked about what they did at school, and to the end, The Hostel did not reveal their location; in that way, we had no idea if the students living at the hostel were from Kyambogo, Nkumba, or Makerere. The ambiguity of this made everyone connected to the show, even those who were going to an institute as opposed to an actual university.
In a nutshell, The Hostel follows students as they navigate life at the higher institution; with the story, they explore the pressures at university, sex, money, sexual networks, and religion.
The show introduced characters such as Patra, brought to life by Hellen Lukoma; she had at the time made a name as a former member of The Obsessions and HB Toxic. Then we had Michael Wawuyo Jr as Brother John, Eleanor Nabwiso as Sister Hope, and Daniel Omara as Odoch.
Surprisingly, Wawuyo had initially auditioned for the role of Odoch; however, when Omara showed up, it went up in smoke.
“I did the part, and they were laughing, high-fiving; I thought I was killing it. Then I got a call from Kakai; she said Odoch had been given to someone else; I asked her who? She said Daniel Omara,” Wawuyo says.
Omara was picked for the role because, like Wawuyo, he nailed his audition and also spoke the language.
So, why do I actually consider The Hostel the most important Ugandan drama? The Hostel is one Ugandan show that became a school of Uganda’s film industry for the decade that came after it originally premiered.
The show took itself so seriously that it did not only inspire people to do better but became a springboard for a new age of local TV dramas.
It is hard to know if NTV Uganda would have acquired Second Chance Uganda, Deceptions, and The Power of Legacy if The Hostel had not been a hit. But it was not about the show becoming a hit; the show inspired a wave of creatives after it was done. Be it in the writing department, cinematography, directing, and mainly acting, the influence of The Hostel is still felt mainly through personnel in these departments.
From Eleanor and Mathew Nabwiso finessing Sanyu, Pamela Keryeko being a director on Prestige and Popi, and Michael Wawuyo Jr being one of the most sought-after actors. The long hand of the series still reaches out to date.
But above all, the show started a trend that took Uganda TV shows away from a home setting; the story for a moment shifted to the university, the office, and the coffee shop. The issues with TV series were not necessarily about co-wives, the show recognised an audience that had been bundled up in marital issues for content.
