AP Photo/Sayyid Azim
Rachael Borlase, an international trainer in Kampala, describes how the Ugandan government’s media crackdown on Kimeeza, a round table discussion or open forum, is affecting the work of the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST).
When riots broke out in Kampala on 10 September 2009, the government reacted swiftly, deploying soldiers with heavy weapons and tanks to control the streets. More than 20 people died in the clashes that lasted three days. Shops were closed, employees sent home and an eerie silence fell over the city.
The clampdown also resulted in the closure of four radio stations because the government claimed they were inciting violence. It’s now three weeks on, and all radio stations in the country must get permission from government to host a Kimeeza (meaning a ‘big table’ in Luganda), which is an out-of-studio radio discussion where people are invited to share their views on issues that matter to their communities.
Off the table
This media crackdown has put the BBC WST’s project ‘Strengthening democracy through media in rural Uganda’in a precarious situation. The project is working with six radio stations to produce interactive radio programs about good governance and human rights. This month, partner stations began broadcasting Kimeezas with the help of the BBC WST, but content was severely restricted by government in some parts of the country.
Last Sunday, Pascal Mweruka, a programme presenter at Radio Buddu, organized a Kimeeza to discuss how the police and citizens could work harder to promote security. But he was warned by government officials that the topic was “too political” and was forced to change his program to discuss HIV.
“This is the community I’m serving and people are entitled to their rights. And when I’m denied the chance of broadcasting a show about what these people are facing, then I’m not doing my duty,” he says.
BBC WST mentor, Wilson Kaija, was training the staff at Radio Buddu when government began intervening with some of station’s content. He says the government has never been comfortable with the amount of criticism it receives in Kimeezas, but also puts part of the blame on local journalists.
“When the Kimeezas had just started, people gathered and discussed real issues affecting this country and its people,” he says. “But over the years, the programmes have narrowed in focus, degenerated into personal attacks, discussing tribal or ethnic sentiments without providing a forum for balanced debate. Some of the moderators are openly biased.”
This is exactly the type of open forum that needs to be created for leaders and journalists to air their grievances, but to also learn how we can work better together
Deo Kalulgi, local councillor
Community focus
The aim of the BBC WST’s media project in Uganda is to address issues of journalism ethics and political reporting through on-the-job training in rural radio stations. Mentors like Kaija have been working with reporters, presenters and station managers to help strengthen their news content and current events programs.
Two weeks ago, the project also began a combined training for community leaders and journalists. The training is being offered in six districts as a way to help improve relations between the two sides while offering specific sessions on the role of media in good governance, interview skills and in-studio behaviour.
Despite the tension between government and the media in recent weeks, the workshops are being well-received.
“This is exactly the type of open forum that needs to be created for leaders and journalists to air their grievances, but to also learn how we can work better together,” says local councillor Deo Kalulgi.
So while the government grapples with content regulation of local radio stations, some leaders and journalists in Uganda are working towards providing more accurate and reliable information to the public. And if the restrictions on radio stations are ever lifted, perhaps Kimeezas will once again be forums for lively debates and meaningful discussions on the critical issues of this country.