Eng. Tony Olanya Olenge has issued a statement distancing himself from the alleged acts of extortion.
A few days ago, Music In Space boss Bjorn Vido came out and accused Tony Olenge of extorting millions of shillings from him.
It's alleged Tony Olenge alongside four others, extorted huge amounts of money from danish musician, climate activist, filmmaker, and sound engineer.
Tony Olenga is a well known political activist, CEO of Nile TV media. He has now come out and accused the Danish National over defamation, and outright false allegations on him.
BELOW READ HIS STATEMENT:
Joint Response to the Malicious Allegations by Mr. Bjørn Vidø.
It is imperative to set the record straight and expose the misleading, defamatory, and outright false allegations made by Danish national Bjørn Vidø, 58, a self-proclaimed artist, musician, filmmaker, sound designer, marketing and climate activist regarding the Music in Space Festival and his engagements in Uganda.
Mr. Vidø has recklessly attempted to shift blame for his failures by fabricating a deceptive narrative that distorts the dedicated efforts of the Ugandan team. His abrupt departure from Uganda immediately after the press conference held on Friday, March 28th, 2025, at Acholi Inn Hotel, Gulu City, without settling outstanding issues or honoring contractual obligations, raises serious concerns about his true motives.
Instead of addressing matters professionally, he fled and embarked on a smear campaign against those who worked tirelessly to realize his vision.
Mr. Vidø deceived Ugandan government officials, including Hon. Norbert Mao, with grandiose promises, such as bringing international artists like Burna Boy and Lionel Richie, yet he failed to provide a single verifiable document to back his claims. His erratic management style, serial contract breaches, and outright refusal to honor financial commitments created widespread chaos, leaving multiple individuals unpaid for their work.
A glaring red flag was his absurd "$1 Show" (UGX 3,650) model, which was doomed from the start, as it lacked any viable financial backing. This reckless approach led to logistical nightmares, unpaid stakeholders, and a near-collapse of the event due to his inability to secure sponsorships.
Under the pretense of organizing a festival, Mr. Vidø covertly used the project as a front for filming a Netflix documentary—without providing a single contractual agreement to justify his claims. Worse still, he deliberately misled multiple teams, falsely accused former partners (Michael & Winifred) of mismanaging $20,000 (UGX 72.9 million) without proof, and consistently dodged accountability while exploiting local stakeholders.
His negligence extended to critical logistics, including:
Delays in bringing the balloon team
Chaotic procurement of helium gas
Failure to coordinate basic festival infrastructure
Rather than owning up to his blunders, he blamed external sabotage, defaming the very people who worked to rescue his failing venture.
Instead of making amends, Mr. Vidø has resorted to personal attacks, baseless accusations, and defamatory remarks against artists, media teams, and local stakeholders. His failure to pay artists—including Vampino, Eezzy, Wizzy, and Laxzy, whom he promised payment by March 21st—is a testament to his dishonesty.
His abrupt escape from Uganda without addressing these grievances, only to spread misinformation from afar, exposes his complete lack of integrity. Beyond his financial irresponsibility, local authorities in Gulu raised concerns about his true intentions. Officials demanded to verify his work permit amidst rumors that he was suspiciously promoting an LGBTQ+ agenda—a matter contrary to Uganda’s laws and cultural traditions. Instead of addressing these concerns, Vidø vanished without a trace.
His erratic financial dealings and unexplained funding sources raise serious red flags about what he was truly after in Uganda. With respect to diversity, Blacks must not listen blindly to Whites at take everything as gospel truth.
Given the gravity of these issues, we are taking immediate action:
We remain committed to professionalism, integrity, and the advancement of Uganda’s creative industry. We will not allow one fraudster to undermine the hard work of genuine professionals.
The Accused!
