Uganda video jockeys battle it out

By Sarah Grainger
BBC News, Kampala

Video jockeys are celebrities in their own right

Crowds of film lovers in Uganda turned out this week in Kampala to watch the country's top video jockeys battle it out to win the VJ Slam.

Video jockeys are also known as the "subtitles of the community".

They simultaneously translate the latest Hollywood blockbusters or Nigerian videos from English into the local Luganda language for the thousands of people who do not speak English very well and cannot read subtitles.

During the open-air competition, the movie Blood Diamond is played out on a big screen with the VJ contestant standing under a spotlight at the front of the audience.

The majority of people in Uganda would have no experience of film without VJs Ras Jingo VJ Slam organiser

Microphone in hand, like a DJ he uses a mixing desk to cut in and out of the film soundtrack, translating the dialogue and adding explanations where he feels necessary.

"We couldn't hold a film festival without celebrating VJs," says Ras Jingo, one of the organisers of the VJ Slam, which is held as part of the Amakula Film Festival in Kampala.

"The majority of people in Uganda would have no experience of film without VJs. They're the backbone of the thousands of video halls which show movies across the country."

A VJ would usually translate an entire film, but for the competition, each of the eight entrants gets around five minutes to prove their worth.

'Way with words'

The judges are looking for good storytelling skills, correct vocabulary and also whether the audience responds to the VJ.

Different genres of film require different approaches

A good VJ will have done their preparation beforehand.

"I watch each film through at least once," says Haruna Tamale, one of the competitors.

"I need to make sure I understand it before I can translate it for anyone else."

VJs turn their hand to translating every kind of film, but Mr Tamale's favourites are detective stories and science fiction.

"I really like the Will Smith movie Enemy of the State and also The Lord of the Rings trilogy."

For love stories, you need to use all those sweet words VJ Haruna Tamale

Different genres of film require different approaches too.

"For love stories, you need to use all those sweet words," he says.

"But for detective stories with a twist, you must make sure you get the translations exactly right."

Video jockeys are celebrities in their own right in Uganda, none more so than the winner of the slam, VJ Jingo.

"He just has such a good way with words," one spectator says.

"We've grown up with him, and we really like his style," says another.

And so they can hone their VJ skills at home, the top three competitors are given prizes - television sets and DVD players.