S. Waziri Hassan
Jul 26, 2023
min
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Uganda Healed French Montana

Larry Madowo, a Kenyan International correspondent for CNN interviewed French Montana at his home in Los Angeles.
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Larry Madowo, a Kenyan International correspondent for CNN interviewed French Montana at his home in Los Angeles. Karim Kharbouch, better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13.  The Rapper opened up about the transformative experience of filming his biggest hit, “Unforgettable” featuring Swae Lee, in the Pearl of Africa, Uganda.

Uganda left an indelible mark on French Montana, not just for the success of the song, but also for the profound impact it had on his life and career. “Going to Uganda healed me first. It’s a powerful land. It’s like a powerful moment in my career,” Montana revealed during his interview with Larry Madowo.

The trip to Uganda became a pivotal moment, igniting a sense of healing and inspiration that shaped the trajectory of his career.

The “Unforgettable” music video not only showcased French Montana’s talent but also brought to the spotlight the talents of Uganda’s Ghetto Kids. From the slums of Kampala to the Video of French Montana, the stardom of these talents skyrocketed to other mega projects like featuring in a video of Eltee Skhillz, winning a Golden buzzer at the BGT ‘Britain Got Talent’ among others.

Montana marveled at their journey from dancing in the slums to performing in front of a global audience of over 200 million viewers. The exposure from the video and song helped propel their careers forward, earning the kids’ well deserved recognition.

Recently, French Montana celebrated the launch of his documentary, “For Khadija,” where he reunited with the Ghetto Kids once again. He flew them from Uganda to join him and Swae Lee on the stage.

“For Khadija,” a documentary of his journey from Africa to stardom. The struggles and resilience he endured. “Us watching America as kids, they sell you the dream. They don’t show you the behind buildings, the nightmare.”- French narrating in the documentary.  The realities of living undocumented in America and selling crack in the projects of Bronx, New York city, French tells a tale of triumph.

French Montana talks to Larry Madowo and attests how the journey to Uganda was a collage of things which he can’t explain how it healed him. “It is a powerful land,” French says.

Regardless of the praises the rapper has for the African Pearl, Uganda. The comments on social media are not therapeutic.

“The juxtaposition is interesting. The country tends to heal outsiders and traumatize insiders,” –tweeted Ochau Deogratius.

“I don’t know where Ugandans should go to heal. Kenya?”-Larry Madowo retweets sarcastically since Kenya sails in a similar boat has Uganda.

“So for those of us who live here and we are sick, where do we go to find our healing?”-Wilbrod Makumbi.

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