On March 3, Ugandan pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, tweeted a photo of a video conference between himself and former Venezuelan deputy, Juan Guaidó, the US-manufactured and funded imposter who pretends to be the president of Venezuela.

“Very happy to speak with President @jguaido of Venezuela this afternoon,” Wine tweeted. “We talked about the way forward for both countries and the need to create synergies for the defense of democratic principles and human rights throughout the world.”

Overwhelmed by criticism and ridicule from Uganda and various parts of the world in response, Wine deleted the tweet the next day.

Bobi Wine, who was the presidential candidate of the National Unity Platform and was defeated by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in the elections that took place in January this year, has deleted the social media posts publicizing his virtual meeting with the “president” of Venezuela. However, he has neither apologized nor given any explanation to his supporters.

In his posts, Bobi Wine referred to Juan Guaidó, the puppet of the United States, as president of Venezuela, which provoked criticism and ridicule on the part of social media users, as it is known that the only president of Venezuela is Nicolás Maduro, recognized as such by the United Nations.

The tweet has sparked intense debate about Kyagulanyi’s true intentions, as his alignment with Guaidó is considered by many to be a political ploy driven by the United States and Western interests, which support both politicians, even though neither of them could win in the electoral processes of their countries. In fact, Guaidó could barely reach the position of a substitute deputy for the former Vargas state (present La Guaira) in 2015.

While dozens of Ugandan Twitter users describe Bobi Wine as the “true president” of the country, there are others who wonder what he could have achieved in that meeting with Guaidó and question his presumed naivety. Some have outright withdrawn their support, calling the Ugandan opposition leader a political puppet. “This reeks of naivety,” was the simple response from one Twitter user.

For his part, the Press Secretary of the Ugandan Presidency retweeted Bobi Wine’s tweet adding: “But surely. Who doesn’t know that this guy is an opposition leader in Venezuela? Or is it a case of ‘fake it till you make it’?”

Regarding this matter, organizations such as Black Agenda Report have questioned: “Why did Wine, at this moment, feel the need to express his public support for the imperialist lackey Guaidó?” while sternly pointing out that this tweet was not “an isolated incident,” given “Wine’s association with some key US institutions.”

Some examples of Wine’s association with US institutions are his repeated meetings with the United States Ambassador to Uganda, Natalie E. Brown, and Wine’s presence as the special musical guest at the Annual Awards Ceremony of the International Republican Institute (IRI) in October 2020, where former US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo received the John S. McCain Freedom Award.

Additionally, in 2011 Wine was hired by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to produce a song about electoral violence as an appeal to Ugandan youth.

Whatever reasons Wine may have had for virtually meeting Guaidó, the truth is that he quickly realized his error of having had any kind of connection with such a toxic figure, whose imposture is not tolerated in Africa.

Featured image: Juan Guaidó is a repudiated figure in Africa (Photo: Manaure Quintero / Reuters)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune