🔅 Hollywood's Cinematic Translators
Plus, Mo Ibrahim’s Message to Africa
Good morning from… can you guess where? (Answer at the bottom!)
Hollywood Meets Katwe: How Uganda’s VJs Are Rewriting Movie Scripts Quite Literally
A dim shack, a bootlegged Hollywood film on a small screen, and a crowd of young men hanging on every word – not of the actors, but of VJ Junior, Uganda’s cinematic translator-in-chief: Welcome to Katwe’s local cinema in Kampala.
Forget subtitles: In Uganda, movies do not get translated; they get reimagined. Thanks to the country’s beloved Video Jockeys (VJs), a Marvel film or a Filipino soap transforms into a Luganda-laced remix, complete with sound effects, cultural asides, and punchlines that would make a stand-up comic jealous.
Take The Monkey, a horror-comedy: In the original, a father talks about inherited trauma. In VJ Junior’s version? He’s battling spiritual afflictions, demonic forces, and ancestral curses. Same vibe, just way more local flavor.
The king of the scene is Marysmarts Matovu, aka VJ Junior, who first picked up a mic in 2006 after inheriting a recording studio from his brother. His breakout moment came in 2009 with a hit translation of The Promise on Bukedde TV, and he’s been a household voice ever since. Every week, he dubs around 10 films or episodes, blending humor, pop culture, and spiritual insight like a movie pastor with a mic.
And audiences love it. At Ronnie’s Entertainment, a buzzing video shop in Katwe, customers queue to get Marvel films, Prison Break, and 24 – not in English, but in VJ Junior’s Luganda narration.
The roots of the VJ scene stretch back to colonial-era evangelism, when Christian films were translated live. By the 1980s, as VHS tapes trickled in, video halls turned into cinema-meets-comedy clubs, with VJs narrating movies in real-time. Today, the movement has gone digital with streaming sites, dubbed local content, and even translations into languages beyond Luganda.
Still, it’s not all applause, and you can find out why right here.
Mo Ibrahim’s Message to Africa: Invest Yourself
“The decline of aid should not be seen as some sort of cliff-edge moment for Africa. It was never going to be enough to finance Africa’s development — and our huge continent’s place in the new global economy should never be determined by the generosity of international partners.
“This is an opportunity to rethink how we finance development on the continent. Africans must not fear Africa. We need to start investing in ourselves.”
For more on what he had to say, and how he built the fastest-growing mobile phone network on Earth, follow this link.
China Hands Africa a Zero-Tariff Golden Ticket, Just as the U S Packs a Tariff Hammer
Beijing’s latest love letter to the continent: “Tariffs? Nah, you’re good.” At a China-Africa summit, Beijing promised zero duties on imports from every African nation it recognizes: 53 in total. (Sorry, Eswatini, your Taiwan ties still put you in the naughty corner.)
Why now?
U.S. clouds loom. The Trump administration is threatening sticker-shock duties, unless “good-faith” talks magically materialize.
Trade math. Africa sold China $170 billion in goods last year, mostly raw materials. The U.S.? $40 billion. Beijing sees an opening for an even greater share.
Bigger basket. Last year’s duty-free club covered 33 “least-developed” states. Now heavyweights like South Africa and Nigeria join the VIP lounge. The date of effect is still TBD, but the mood music is unmistakable.
Fine print
The joint ministerial statement politely dragged unnamed countries for “unilateral” tariff tantrums – they really meant the U.S.
For Africa’s exporters, the move hedges against a possible derailment of the AGOA free-trade deal with the U.S. that is up for review in September.
Bottom line: Beijing just flashed a zero-tariff grin while Washington waves a tariff stick.
Food for Thought
“Nothing is impossible to a woman of will.
— Guinea Proverb
And the Answer is…
The photo is from Place de Yaoundé, Cameroon. You can also send in your own photos, alongside the location, and we’ll do our best to feature them.