When anyone mentions Busabala, one love beach is the destination that comes to every layman’s mind and that’s where we set foot on Sunday. Although the route that leads to this popular beach isn’t one you’d wish to take when promised to see the paradise, trust me the dust that irritates your nose and forces your eyes to blink every second is worth the effort.
When you set foot on the place, you’re welcomed by the cool winds blowing off the shores of Lake Victoria. The vast green grasses all over and the palm trees that stand tall, only define beauty while the small housing units still under construction only tell you that the best of this amazing place is yet to be unveiled.
The proprietor of ‘One Love beach’ Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine is a man that needs no introduction. His musical stardom literally tells you everything you need to know about him, but what it doesn’t tell you are the secrets behind his remarkable life as a husband and a father.
Over the weekend, Bobi Wine opened up to Mikolo writer James Kayindi on these secrets. But shortly before our interview, as I stare at the swash waves on the beach in disguise, waiting for the ‘Ghetto Gladiator’ to have his lunch, among other things, a passionate fan cashes him with a brand new glittering ten thousand shilling note as an expression of the love for his music.
In a chit-chat with his wife Barbie, Bobi says “should I give it to you and you keep it for me; naye neda ojja kuzitwala (which translates that, but no, you will take it.)” Barbie then reaches out for her wallet to get 5,000 shillings as the share the money in half. That simple moment tells you how close they're as a couple.
Question: How do you handle your marriage as a celebrity with all the publicity that comes with it, often crossing lines with your marriage?
First of all, the person I’m married to is my friend. So I make sure I maintain that friendship above everything, even above the marriage. That helps me that she understands me especially when I explain. She knows my kind of job but I always keep on explaining my kind of job and of course, the more I continue to grow is the more I try to keep away from compromising situations even if it’s in the confines of my job.
QN: Do you also explain to your children what’s going on every time?
Yes, my children are artists like me. They are actors and actresses, so they realise that the work we do, we just act. Besides, it’s been quite long since I started having children. I have not been in compromising depictions.
QN: How do you deal with negative media coverage especially from tabloids and blogs?
Well, that doesn’t all apply to me and my marriage. Me and my wife, we decided to see only the positive things about each other and we were not wrong.
QN: According to a Bride & Groom magazine of 2011, you said and I quote. “The first time I met Barbie, we clashed. We had totally different ideologies.” I assume that it didn’t just stop there. How do you manage to agree on certain where you don’t share the same opinion?
Well, we clashed. We always clash in ideology but like I told you, we are friends and what are the elements of friendship. First of all, there is respect. We have the ultimate respect for each other. We disagree on so many things but we just reason it out; because she’s a woman and I’m a man. We have different opinions on certain things—of course, we have a similar mind on very many things but there are also those we disagree on. Our bond is much stronger than anything else.
QN: In between your music career and managing your other businesses, how do you manage to find time for your wife and children?
I don’t just find that time. That time is there. Me, my children and my wife stay in the same house; so every time we link up, we try to make the best of it. Chill, talk, play and punish those that cause trouble while I was away. I be a dad, I be a friend, I be a husband. We complement each other, so we definitely find time.
QN: When you say you punish, what do you mean punish? Kids can be stubborn sometimes.
“His lips part into a big smile when he starts talking about his children,” I observe. Yeah, of course, I have children. My first born is 11 years, my daughter is eight and the son is six, you expect some trouble around the house sometimes when the father is away. This one has broken this, this has caused this trouble; so when I come back home, that’s my time to reward those that have behaved well and punish those that have misbehaved, and then to bond as a family.
QN: What is your mode of punishment for those that have misbehaved?
It depends on what wrong a child has done but me, all fatherly punishments are on the table. You understand. Ahhhh….of course, there’s no fighting in my house. Anyone that fights is canned, there those that I deny television, there those I won’t take to the swimming pool. It really depends on the wrong they have done.
QN: Lastly, tell us about One Love Beach being a potential venue for weddings and other events?
Well, with matters regarding the beach and parties or anything like that, go talk to Barbie. She’s more informed about those things than I am.
