The Greater North musicians under the umbrella of Music And Entertainment Network (MEN) have threatened to boycott the meeting called by the Uganda Musician Association (UMA).
This comes after UMA in conjunction with Microfinance Support centre citing to sanitize and registers the local artists as members of UMA across the country.
The meeting was held on Tuesday 13th April at Iron Donkey to boycott a planned meeting called by UMA at Bomah Hotel, Gulu on Wednesday 14th 2021.
UMA is currently moving from region to region in the name of registering musicians from all the regions under the association/umbrella.
Nyeko Simon Peter alias Pro Usain, the President of Music and Entertainment Network said they have been receiving unclear information that there is a group of people who came from Kampala to Gulu town to register all greater North musicians under their association and they are called Uganda Musicians Association (UMA).
"We have unclear information saying that there are people who came in Gulu town who came in the name of registering all musicians from the greater North to be under their association and they are called UMA," he said
He continued to say that for them as the biggest association of musicians in greater North, they have been hearing that Kampala musicians have been storming the city and collecting money from the 4th Division Barrack and also others ended up being beaten over causing chaos in name of demanding for money from the government.
"We as the association of Northern Uganda musicians, we have been hearing about Kampala musicians coming to collect money from our present and also others came and caused chaos here and at the end, they were beaten and we were not part of it.'
According to Nyeko Simon Peter, at the time of collecting the money, they never knew about them being there and why is it that they are running back to them at this moment.
MEN President, Nyeko Simon Peter says they haven't received any official communication from UMA members and the people concerned with clear information about the purpose for which the exercise is taking place and before meeting the artists, they have to meet the executives and make known their intentions of meeting the artists.
He, however, urged Northern Uganda musicians not to attend UMA meeting on Wednesday 14th April 2021 in Gulu
He also pointed out that the planned UMA meeting is to register the artists under their association in Kampala with aim of verifying their National ID's of which they are only two bodies in Uganda responsible for the verification of National ID's (NIRA and Ministry of Internal affairs)
Meanwhile, the clearest statement coming from Uganda Musicians Association President Cindy over their coming to meet with greater North Musicians is that they're planning to beat a certain figure of members for UMA before the dateline because they are lobbying from the government so they demand to hit a certain number of members to get the money.
