The VINTAGE OR VIOLENCE podcast is a pre-cursor to a feature length documentary of the same name and themes. 

Beginning in 2018, the VINTAGE OR VIOLENCE documentary follows podcast co-host Bobby Kolade in his journey to make a streetwear brand in Uganda. Returning home to Kampala after 13 years as a luxury designer in Berlin, Bobby faces the harsh reality of a local cotton industry devastated by the dumping of used fast fashion from the Global North. Vowing to reverse the unjust global dynamic, Bobby decides to weaponize second-hand clothing in a line called RETURN TO SENDER, carving out a path for Uganda’s future.

The Uganda he returns to is a far cry from her 60s post-independence glory: now framed by political instability; hustle not work; second-hand clothes not cotton. His journey puts us in conversation with the promise of Uganda at independence and her tenuous future of its young population at a crossroads. The poetic documentary is a microcosmic, experiential and personal look at a continent wide trend. This film is a portrait of return migration; reflections on a failed state; and what it takes to rebuild and reimagine African identities.

The challenges he faces in access to material, global markets and turning a spark of inspiration into a reality offer reflections on what is possible for innovators in urban Africa. His personal explorations shine a light on what it means to return home, and build something worth fighting for.