A prominent Ugandan fashion designer whose dreadlocks were cut off after he was arrested has told the BBC he plans to grow them back “for as long as [he] lives”. Latif Madoi, who has made clothes for celebrities like late South African reggae icon Lucky Dube and Jamaica’s Busy Signal, spent just over six weeks in detention. He has not been convicted of any crime but the prison authorities nevertheless insisted on cutting the dreadlocks he had been growing for 17 years.
On Monday he was released on bail for one million Ugandan shillings (£213; $269). After settling in back home, Mr Madoi told the BBC that losing his beloved locs “was his breaking-point”. The 47-year-old was known for performing “fashion concerts” where he would make 10 to 15 dresses in just two hours.
But now, without the dreadlocks that were a key part of his Rastafarian identity, he feels “shy...
like I can’t visit places. Maybe I’ll even feel shy coming back on stage”. Police said they raided his fashion school and arrested him for possessing “uniforms declared to be for the exclusive use” of the military and police, which is illegal under Ugandan law.
But Mr Madoi, his lawyer and numerous Ugandan supporters online are convinced he was locked up for his affiliation with Bobi Wine, the opposition leader and singer whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu. The pair met when Bobi Wine asked Mr Madoi to make him some clothes for his concerts and music videos. Their relationship c.
