Philly Bongoley Lutaaya | |
|---|---|
 Philly during a stage performance | |
| Born | Gomba, Uganda |
| Died | 15-December-1989 |
| Cause of death | HIV/AIDS |
| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Citizenship | Swedish/ Ugandan |
| Known for | HIV/AIDS activism |
Philly Bongoley Lutaaya (19 October 1951 – 15 December 1989) was a Ugandan musician who was the first prominent Ugandan to give a human face to HIV/AIDS. He became a national hero because he was the first Ugandan to declare that he was HIV – positive. That was in 1988, when HIV still carried a lot of stigma.[1] Before dying of AIDS, Lutaaya spent his remaining time writing songs about his battle with AIDS, releasing his last album Alone and Frightened, including his famous song "Alone", influenced by Swedish duo Roxette's hit song It Must Have Been Loveas well as touring churches and schools throughout Uganda to spread a message of prevention and hope. Lutaaya was popular in Uganda in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he toured the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Japan. In the mid-1980s, he settled in Stockholm, Sweden. There he recorded his hit album Born in Africa, which is still popular in Uganda. Philly could play the guitar, piano (keyboards), and drums. He's music still lives on uptodate
Lutaaya's Christmas Album, produced in 1986,[2] remains his most popular album to date. The album, whose songs were written in native Luganda, remains central to Christmas celebrations in Uganda. It includes classics such as "Merry Christmas, Zuukuka, Tumusinze, Ssekukkulu, Gloria, Anindiridde, and Katujaguze. To date, Philly Lutaaya remains one of the best recording musicians Uganda has ever produced.
Lutaaya's music incorporates western pop music style as observed in songs like "Anifa sembera, Gloria, I have a dream, the voice is crying out, sirimba, sekukkulu to mention."[clarification needed]
