How Ugandans use art to amplify political voices
Godfrey Nsereko uses graphics to share content of trending political issues on his social media platforms.
A proprietor of an arts group, Theatre Focus Uganda, Nsereko poses for a photo while reading a book and he customises his desired content on the book cover in form of a book title related to existing trends.
Nsereko’s content is then shared by thousands of social media users with differing interpretations and others making fun out of it.
He believes that there is need for Ugandans to follow political conversations but they are silenced with fear of those who should share their views and self-censored media outlets.
He adds that all he does is to use art to keep people informed at a time when the civic space continues to shrink.
“Instead of starting a conversation about stolen public funds at a local function, I use art to tell it all. The beauty about art is that the people receive it easily and interpret it the way they want, instead of risking abduction by those in power,” he adds.
Nsereko says his motive is to share content and let the people interpret it but not to pave way for an anti- government narrative.
“Like any other person, I have a right to an opinion on issues that happen in our country but I am not sure how my verbal response will be taken by those in power. In an unpredictable situation, I opt for art as a disruptive form to share my views on existing political and social realities,” Nsereko notes.
In a similar manner, Bruce Nahabwe, an artist who has crafted a number of political themed works, says Ugandans have used different ways to share their political views, but through art, communication becomes more expressive and easy to understand.
The brain behind Bobi Wine campaign trail and police brutality artworks, Nahabwe notes that people can easily relate with art in the age of misinformation. Read More…
