An inspiration for the James Bond spy novels could have come from the writings of William Le Queux, who wrote related novels between 1891 and 1931, but the films had a toll effect on many people around the world.
One of those was Benon Wanzusi, who as a youngster saw himself as the next James Bond in Uganda.
Keep Reading
“I wanted to be a spy because of the James Bond movies I used to watch then as a young kid. I was inspired by the kind of expensive lives the stars lived and yet they remained in control. I was determined to become a spy,”Wanzusi says.
He adds that in everything he did in his tender age, becoming a spy was the goal.
Fate takes course
Born in Nampanga village in the current day Sironko district in eastern Uganda, Wanzusi grew up in Kiswa, Bugoloobi in Kampala where he also attended school.
He later joined Crane High School between 2005 and 2010 for O and A levels.
He says that while at school, he was doing photography where he earned something but little did he know that fate would lead him somewhere else.
“One day, a friend asked me to escort him to go make some good money by carrying speakers. We were to be speaker boys carrying speakers for Rosh Sounds. I later realized it was something easy but also well paying,” he says.
Wanzusi says that as time went on, his love for the new job continued to grow but better things were still coming up.
He says that as he continued carrying speakers, he fell in love with what deejays were doing and was eager to learn it.
“I talked to some of the deejays and realized there was a lot of money .My mind changed all together. I decided to give it a try it. This is was the turning point.”
“So when I started deejaying, everything changed and I remembered spies don't get married because always when u have a woman, the bad guys can easily come for your family. When I got a girlfriend, my life changed but also my dream for becoming a spy faded up.”
On road to becoming a deejay, Wansuzi says he first learnt how to fix wires since it was the most difficult and technical bit of dejaying.
“I observed how the wiring was being done from the amplifier moving sound to the speaker and everything involved. I was lucky that one deejay Moses taught me how to wire the system. Slowly by slowly, I was introduced to the decks.”
The journey
Whereas he had been introduced to deejaying, it was not going to come on a silver plate and he had to think outside the box to perfect his game.
“By then, there were no smartphones and I had to pay someone to allow me use his blackberry phone to access internet so as to learn more about deejaying.”
He says all this happened in a short time as he still studied and had to find ways of juggling both work and school.
“Work at Roche Sounds was always on Thursdays, Fridays and weekends and in the evenings. It was always easy for me to do it after school.”
Having completed school in 2010, Wansuzi proceeded to Kenya’s Homeboys school for deejays for a sound engineering course that he completed after one year.
Starts own company
After completing the engineering course in Kenya, Wansuzi was now a master in deejaying and the next thing he did while back home was starting his own deejaying company he named Wa Deejays, a company and group of deejays.
“I was inspired by the name of Roche Sounds and developed love to form my own company with a catchy name. I had to come up with something that would make someone inquisitive about it. In 2011, I started the company and my first gig was in Mbale for an introduction.”
He would later contact a group of friends that came together to help push the company and these drew inspiration from the success attained by Kenya’s Ogopa DJs and Platinum DJs.
“ All of us had been mentored by the same people and it would become easy to come together. We were good at playing old music and playing party music. It would be easy to do something as a group.”
He says that the training and mentorship he got right from Rosh Sounds and in Kenya enabled the company make great strides in Uganda’s music industry.
“Having a good mentor in DJ Junior who taught us music more than the deejaying part ensured we know what we are doing. He taught us music and gave us the gift of collecting music.”
Becoming a household name
Wansuzi has since become a household name in the deejaying industry where he trades as Benon deejaywa who plays on Radio City’s The Jam Floor Fillers and sometimes on the Time Tunnel, both programs that play oldies music.
He however says all credit goes to his fellow radio presenter and celebrated tv presenter, Brian Sabiti who gave him opportunity to play at one of the shows
“He first organized silent disco and gave me a slot to play at the event. Giving me a slot made sure people get to know me. When I played local oldies music at the silent disco, it changed the game totally. This was the music people grew up listening to that people could sing each and every word. People were amazed. On the night, I walked away with shs155,000 from the fans who loved the music I had played.”
Wansuzi would later realize that focusing on Ugandan old music as his niche would play in his favour .
“I got this(Uganda oldies music) as my corner and mastered everything with it. Good enough I had collected music and up to now it is my niche. One trick I use is that I do a lot of research about the music I play.”
He consequently describes himself as a collector that enables him have a big collection of music from which he chooses what to play but insists Ugandan oldies is his niche.
Wanzusi also takes pride in his job as a deejay that he says has made him famous.
“Working at a radio station(Radio City) is of the things I am proud of but my job as a deejay is one I like so much. This job has taken care of my family. I feel so proud to have made a name. Wherever I move, there are people I find who call out my name. It is something to be proud of. Many would love to give me hugs because of the good job I do playing their favourite music.”
Wansuzi says he hopes to start the Benon Deejaywa Foundation to help single mothers’ life.
“I think of helping single mothers start a new life through business to take care of their children. I hope this year this dream can come true with a launch of the foundation. I will also be giving a helping hand to vulnerable children in slum areas by teaching them deejaying skills so they can follow into my footsteps.”
