Before organizations had names. Before we had the words to call ourselves a movement. There was music. There was a place to breathe. There was DJ Rachael.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Uganda’s queer community was scattered, hidden, and surviving however we could. There were almost no safe places to just exist. But in Kampala, a small bar called Dizzy Drop became something more than a bar. It became home.

Behind the turntables was Rachael Kungu—DJ Rachael—East Africa’s first female DJ. In a world that never made space for women, she made her own. Her career has spanned over 25 years, and her music moved across every boundary—genres, borders, identities. She made people dance. But more than that, she made people feel seen.

At Dizzy Drop, queer Ugandans could finally exhale. Under the pulse of her music, people met. They connected. They dared to imagine something freer. In those dim lights, with the bass humming through the room, the first threads of our community were quietly woven together. Before any formal LGBTQ+ organization existed, there was just us—holding on to each other, held together by people like Rachael.

She didn’t just play music for us. She opened her home. Activists who needed safety, friends who needed shelter, anyone who needed rest—they found it with her. She gave everything.

When Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) was founded—the first organization for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women in Uganda—Rachael was there at the beginning. She helped build what would become the foundation of LBQ organizing in this country. FARUG was born from the same spirit she carried behind the decks: connection, defiance, and love.

What Rachael has done for Uganda’s LGBTQ+ movement cannot be measured. Long before we had structure or funding or even language for what we were building, she was living it. She made herself visible when the world wanted us erased. She bridged art and activism. She showed us that revolution could sound like rhythm. That joy itself was resistance.

DJ Rachael became recognized internationally—BBC Radio 1Xtra named her one of Africa’s top DJs in 2015, and she performed everywhere from Spain to Chicago to Berlin. In 2016, she founded Femme Electronic, mentoring young women and creating space for the next generation. She taught them that owning your sound is power. And for Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community, she remained one of our quiet architects—the kind of ancestor you don’t need to have met to feel guided by.

Now, DJ Rachael is fighting for her life.

She has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to her brain. The woman who once commanded stages and turntables has been forced to step away. The illness has weakened her body, but not her spirit.

In her own words:

“My life suddenly turned upside down in these last three months. I cannot work anymore, and my spouse can’t work fully either because she’s the only one I have to take care of me, drive me to the hospital, cook, and care for me all the time.”

Rachael, her spouse, and their teenage son are now facing overwhelming emotional and financial strain. She needs help covering medical costs, rent, and basic living expenses as she undergoes treatment.

This is our moment to show up for her.

When we look back at how far we’ve come, we see Rachael’s fingerprints everywhere. In every campaign we run today. In every organization that dares to exist. In every queer artist who takes up space. There is an echo of her music, her defiance, her love.

This isn’t just about helping an artist through hard times. This is about honoring a life that helped build who we are. This is about showing up for someone who showed up for us before we even knew how to show up for ourselves.

For those who never got to meet her: DJ Rachael was among the first to believe in a freer future for us. She was the beat behind our beginnings. She was warmth in the darkness. And now, she needs us to stand beside her.

How You Can Help

Support DJ Rachael Through QuchuCoin

What is QuchuCoin? QuchuCoin is one of the bold outcomes of the How Change Happens project. It was created to address the growing funding gaps facing LGBTQ+ communities across Uganda. QuchuCoin seeks to:

1. Provide financial support to LGBTQ+ individuals, especially those with limited or no access to resources, organizations, or donors.
2. Support underfunded initiatives that promote wellbeing, education, and community resilience.

The vision is simple: to build a sustainable fund that allows LGBTQ+ individuals to live safely and with dignity.

You can make your QuchuCoin Contribution through:

MTN Uganda

1. Dial *165*4*4#
2. Enter Merchant Code: BEYONIC
3. Enter Payment Reference: DJ RACHEAL
4. Enter the amount you want to send
5. Enter your MTN Mobile Money PIN
6. You’ll receive a confirmation from MTN Mobile Money

Airtel Uganda

1. Dial *185#
2. Select 4 for “Pay Bill”
3. Select 9 for “Others”
4. Enter Business Number: 998998 (Beyonic)
5. Enter the amount you want to send
6. Enter Reference Code: DJ RACHEAL
7. Enter your Airtel Mobile Money PIN
8. You’ll receive a confirmation from Airtel Mobile Money

International Support

If you’re outside Uganda, you can also contribute directly through her GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/ff02235fb

Why This Matters

The story of Uganda’s LGBTQ+ movement cannot be told without DJ Rachael’s name.

She made the music that moved us from fear to community.

And love, like rhythm, never dies.

Let’s make sure she feels that love now.