UGANDA: DJ Wednesday

Our profile for today is on Alex Ndawula one of uganda's oldest dj and Radio presenter we share his story on how he started his road to expertism 

DJ Alex. He is the longest serving presenter on capital fm, he is a master of his game, ever green and researches a lot well into his 50’s and he is still top notch after starting out with Soul Disco working on Radio full time hasn’t impeded his touch.

Alex Ndawula is the Patriarch of private FM radio broadcasting in Uganda. Alongside music entrepreneur Chris Ireland and DJ Chazzo, the trio held the nation captive in the early days of FM radio when Radio Sanyu went on air a week to Christmas in 1993. Alex would later jump ship to the more streamlined and definitively urban 91.3 Capital FM as host of its breakfast show. He went on to “pioneer” the Morning Crew format at the same station later in 1996 and continues to roar despite relegation to a cluttered threesome on a now sedate drive show

Basing on his various interviews and interactions with different sources we have been to be able to trace the history of where Djeying started out in Uganda and how everything was back in the days,

“The only club where they used to do professional mixing was this club across KCCA – it’s now an office. There was no real DJ in Uganda per se. In Kenya, they were a bit upfront. Though at the time, Club Clouds run by Capt Twagira was a mere image of a popular club in Nairobi

After I went to Club Clouds and it became big. Most of the people who were coming were my friends. Actually it was Clouds which changed to Ecos because the management changed. 

People didn’t even know that DJ means disco jockey they used to call it Disco Joker.”

Alex speaks out on how the Ugandans don’t believe that these entertainment related careers are not regarded as real jobs by most people,

“Basically, the performing artists, not even DJs– but musicians, actors – in Uganda, you know we were taken very derogatory in the olden days, especially by our parents: that it’s not a career and it’s still like that now.

When he started his career on radio he had to struggle through the double lives,

“I was still a deejay – by that time I was now djaying in Silk. So, I would run from Silk and bring myself to the radio at 5am and to do the morning show. As we went for about five, six years of that, William told me: ‘Look Alex, do you want the radio or do you want the nightclub: make a choice.’”

Alex believes that DJs in Kampala should be paid very well because they do a lot more than what the public perceives them to be.

“for some reason, djaying should be paying a lot but in Kampala, it doesn’t. Why: because the owner of the club doesn’t want to pay. I’m sorry to say it but when you go out, DJs are paid by the hour. And the bigger the DJ, the more they give him.”

But club managers of Kampala do not see their value they will tell you this is my club; these are my machines” and you look at the person and you say: “They are your machines but if you don’t have anyone who can make the combination, they will be silent.” Ugandans we are stubborn.

He is an inspiring character especially in the entertainment field and he has very many people looking up to him.

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