Meet the Ugandan community who made a parody rap video to attract investors

“Do you ever wonder why the rich always get richer, and the poor always get poorer?” asks the protagonist in the intro to Money Makes Money. The answer is to fake it til you make it, counters his co-star. “If you look rich and successful, people will trust you, invest in you, and money will come.” But how do you do that when you live in a rural Ugandan community? A team of directors, producers, actors and rappers from Bulambuli have come up with a solution that is both pure joy and a feat of craftsmanship: a parody rap video built entirely with DIY props, from handmade money and bling to cardboard cars and even a chopper.

The video launches today as part of the community’s Just Giving campaign, aiming to raise £30,000 for businesses of the Bulambuli region, which have been significantly effected financially by the Covid-19 lockdown. The region is now trying to recover, like many around the world, but lacks some resources that would allow it to encourage investment. This project aims to dispel the myth that entrepreneurs only exist in global finance hubs, and demonstrate the inequality of opportunity that exists for business people in the developing world. The money raised will be used to create five new local businesses, support ten existing businesses, and provide 250 entrepreneurs with financial education and support.

Employing recognisable tropes from rap videos past, the film sees its cast sporting jewellery, playing golf and riding flashy cars made from cardboard, paper, recycled straws and plastic bottles, brought to life with a makeshift greenscreen. The soundtrack is incredible too, featuring vocals in English, Luganda and local language Lugishu from rappers Byg Ben Sukuya, MC Yallah and Jora MC.

Director Isaac Nabwana says that people living in Uganda are “used to being overlooked when it comes to investment, which is why we wanted to create something that proved to the world that Uganda is somewhere worth paying attention to”.

“I wanted the final product to show that Ugandans have creative talent and a sense of humour, but also that we’re serious about improving our communities. We want Money Makes Money to entertain people as well as offering them a way to help our village grow and succeed.”

The production was spearheaded by Uganda’s best known film studio Wakaliwood, based in the Kampala district of Wakaliga, which is known for ultra-low budget films produced by Nabwana. The project was created in partnership with Communities for Development, a charity dedicated to empowering Ugandan communities to become self-sufficient through saving groups, training and financial support, with creative agency Dude London and PR agency Third City.