Photography

The Wild Nightclubs Of Kampala

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Words: Monika Mróz

“All the animals come out at night… Broken eggs, bruised legs, torn skirts, laughing lads, crested cranes, packs of dogs, a wide-eyed man with a gun,” reads the introduction to Michele Sibiloni’s book ‘Fuck it’. In his series, Sibiloni reveals the wild scenes from the hidden clubs of Kampala whilst steering clear of a stereotypical portrayal of African culture.

“The occupants don’t really care whether you pity or desire them. Their lives, in the long, warm nights, go on regardless.” The photographer moved to Uganda six years ago and at first covered the news from the Great Lakes region. However, wishing to shoot something more personal, he started to focus on Kampala’s nightlife. For all its traditional conservatism and oppressive laws that limit people’s personal lives, Uganda has an extremely wild party scene. To step away from a stereotypical image of the Africa country, Sibiloni tried to photograph as many different people and places as possible. Thanks to that, ‘Fuck it’ is a diverse and original portrait of Uganda’s nightlife.

The excellent introduction to the book, written by David Cecil, says: “The stories told by these grimy vignettes are at once a cartoon strip and an archive of the ephemeral, an African symphony and a third-world catastrophe, a naughty grope and a guilty giggle. […] Lap it up with hungry eyes or flick through with bored detachment. If it makes you feel better, weep bitter tears of helplessness onto the pristine pages. The occupants don’t really care whether you pity or desire them. Their lives, in the long, warm nights, go on regardless.”