​Finally, I wonder how identity politics and social issues will factor in. These are the topics that speak to the heart of the electorate: our religious beliefs, values, families and communities. People are motivated to defend the beliefs that shape their lives, and politicians can use this to their advantage: “vote me and I’ll ban what you believe is bad.” As a Canadian with plenty of gay friends whom I love and respect, I’m curious to see who makes a point of coming out as anti-gay... or how intelligently candidates can link this issue to Ugandan sovereignty or point out contradictions in America’s agenda toward supporting (or ignoring) human rights, freedom and dignity in Africa. Or block and bridge to tourism! Mostly, I hope the candidates will appeal to our compassion and civic responsibility, inspiring a better election.
 
The debate is the thing, and I am so grateful to be part of this one. I welcome you to share your own expectations of this debate, and what you think will make or break Uganda’s eight presidential candidates.

At Hiphop For Society 2016, I gave a short presentation on how to cooperate with media to get coverage for your event or project, sharing some of what I’ve learned in keeping with the annual theme of “cooperation.”
 
Honest self-feedback: I talked too fast and did not properly scale my communication down to the general audience, but a few people contacted me afterward to ask for a written version, so here goes…
 
This quick How-To Guide to cooperating with media includes the following:

• What is “Newsworthy”?
• Preparation
• The Media List
• Scheduling
• The Press Release
• Framing a Story

​What is “Newsworthy”?
 
Cooperation requires mutual benefit, right? When pitching a story to the media, it’s pretty important to make sure your story is actually interesting to them and worth sharing as “news.”

What is new, different or surprising about your story? There’s an old saying that it’s nothing new when a dog bites a man, but when a man bites a dog, that is “news!”
 
There are a few other elements that tend to make up a “newsworthy” story.
 
Timeliness: It has to be happening soon, right now, or very recently, and this is truer than ever these days, when news is produced 24/7 and people are used to being in the know, right now!
 
Share-Worthy: does your story include useful information? Is it educative? Is it interesting? Is it the kind of knowledge that people would want to share with friends on their Facebook walls?
 
Topical: Does your story fit into some larger trend? Mothers tend to get more media attention around Mother’s Day. Political messages get more column inches during an electoral campaign. If your story relates to an ongoing trend, ride that wave.
 
Significance: How important is your story to the people who will read or watch it? Is it local? Are there known people involved? When the audience is significantly impacted by a story, that is “newsworthy.”

​Preparation
 
Before contacting the media, get the relevant facts together. This may be obvious to a lot of people, but make sure you include the what, when, where, who, how much, your history and objectives, and why it is news.
 
Consider what you’re reaching out to the media for in the first place. Why do you want media coverage? What are your objectives? What do you want people to do with this information? Make sure you include whatever someone would need to act.

​The Media List
 
It helps to have a contact list of media people – from newspapers to TV, radio, blogs and social media influencers – but be careful not to abuse it! First, make sure the media you contact are relevant. Don’t waste a business reporter’s time on an arts story (unless you have a great business angle). A lot of people don’t mind emailing or whatsapp-spamming all their contacts whenever they want to get the word out, but I prefer quality over quantity. Inform those who are really interested and will make an effort to share your story with the appropriate audience. Being mindful of people’s interests is important, especially because people will tune you out if they get used to you broadcasting stuff they don’t care about.

Scheduling
 
Carol Beyanga, managing editor at the Daily Monitor, recommends that you inform media early in the process.
 
In the case of an event, I would recommend you schedule your media cooperation something like this…

1. Inform media contacts of the basic information ASAP (maybe a month in advance): date, time, location, event name, etc.;
2. Send out a first press release with background information more than 1 week in advance to allow for promotional stories;
3. With a big story, you can send out multiple press releases that each focus on a different element (profiling people involved, the making of, issues addressed, etc.);
4. Create a unique hashtag to track online sharing, like #HH4S2016;
5. Make sure to be helpful if media are at your event: set them up with great interviews and answer any questions they may have;
6. Send out a sum-up press release with photos the night or morning after the event.

 
Keep in mind that media folks tend to be at their busiest around noon, when deadlines loom, so make sure to get out information well before then and don’t expect them to pay you much attention during their rush hour.

​I hope you found some value in this collection of thoughts. Thanks to everyone who contributed on Twitter and all of those who taught me what I know! I welcome comments if you have your own ideas.

A year ago at Hiphop For Society 2015, I gave a talk on fundraising. It was a basic 101 for the very mixed crowd: from Ugandan youth to artists to NGO workers and dreamers of all kinds (the theme that year was 'dreams'). I meant to upload the presentation to my blog, but then I got caught up with other things and a whole year happened. Today, as I prepare a talk for Hiphop For Society 2016 about collaborating with media to cover events, I thought I might as well share the slides from my last talk now, along with a series of tweets I put out on the same topic a few months ago using #UGfundraising.

I have been assisting with fundraisers and writing funding proposals for about a decade now, and here are a few things I've learned:
​

I did a major research project for my Master's degree on cross-cultural proposals, and when I spoke with industry elite who were entering markets around the world, one of the main things they kept bring up was the importance of research! Understand your audience as much as you can before you approach them, and once you start engaging, keep asking questions, learning and adapting. 

Also, before going to ask for money, get your records organized. I tend to spend a lot of time with new clients just reviewing what records they have kept, what they have written down and captured in photos and video, and putting that into a context and solid plan that can be clearly explained.
​

A lot of people come to me asking how to find funders. Some think that I have rich friends, and while chatting about our homeland over a cold Nile Special, I will convince my friends to pour thousands of dollars into my clients' projects. It almost never works that way.

I've found that it's worth looking far and wide for potential funders, but the best bet are the ones that already have an interest in the organization that needs support. It's amazing how often Ugandan NGOs meet someone who tells them "I'd love to support what you're doing," or "have you tried following up with X? They're into that too..." and then they never follow up. In my experience, the best chance of receiving funding is to start with leads you already have, but may have forgotten about, and follow up with them professionally.
​

Your average funding proposal will probably include all of the above. You might have to fill out funder-specific applications that are usually a variation on these elements. Basically, the written proposal is just a credibility check for funders to review the details of what you have so eloquently told them about your project. The key is for it to be clear and straightforward. Don't make the potential funder waste time on any needless verbage. Also, it helps to add pictures that show your solution in action!
​

Usually I write my clients a basic, template proposal, and then we modify it to suit each funder we are targeting. Sometimes a funder will take interest early and actually help you develop your proposal. This is a very good sign that the funding will actually come through, and it's an opportunity to learn and improve your fundraising approach.

So, that's what I shared at the #HH4S2015 event. It was only a 10-minute presentation, but hopefully you gained something from its reproduction here.

I also shared the following tips on Twitter:

​Finally, if you really want to find funding, be prepared to keep at it! Be tenacious!
​

I hope this was helpful! Good luck!

*The following is a record of media generated for Break-Fast Jam. We are incredibly thankful for each and every reporter and media house who helped spread the word!

Nov 18:
 
PRESS CONFERENCE @ SHARING YOUTH CENTRE
 
Campus Bee
http://campusbee.ug/proggie/back-with-a-bang-the-break-fast-jam-finals-2015-are-here
 
Big Eye
http://bigeye.ug/break-fast-jam-to-hold-5th-annual-finals-at-ymca-this-weekend/
 
XFM @ 3:30pm
interview with Ruyonga
 
Urban TV @ 7pm
Str8 Up Jora on the hot seat
 
Social media: Buzz begins; Twitter very active.

​Working with youthful and creative people gives me a chance to throw out the PR template and experiment.

​A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about how we need to fix press conferences in Kampala, and yesterday I tested out some of my ideas at the press conference for the #BreakFastJam2015 Finals (Nov. 21-22, 3-9pm, at YMCA Kampala - 5k Entry, free for kids 10 & below).
 
The presser was set for 10am at the Sharing Youth Centre in Nsambya, where Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) members - my clients for Break-Fast Jam - hold their dance classes and practice. I asked the community’s two best photographers (Kibaazi & Kibuuka) to print 20 photos and put them up in the room for an exhibit. Then we put on some good Hip hop dance music at a moderate volume, offered drinks and snacks, and I encouraged BPU dancers to freestyle in the middle of a circle of chairs as people arrived.

The circle was an idea Abramz (founder & director of Breakdance Project Uganda) came up with when I told him that I did not want a high table facing a block of chairs. Breakdance Project Uganda often uses circles in their activities, like around a breakdance cypher and in team-building games. We agreed that the physical set-up of the room would influence the way people interacted, and it did.
 
“It’s interactive,” said Salim Segawa of Urban Hype. “It’s not like people are separated, as if they [speakers and press] are fighting.”
 
“I loved this,” said Toni Blaiyze of Magic 100 FM. “It inspired me to make my own hashtag #presscircle. We should do this more often.”
 
“This press conference is Hip hop,” said Ugandan Hip hop veteran and Newz Beat anchor, Survivor. “It’s not the formal corporate bull. It shows the community aspect, the easiness of it all.”

​The Break-Fast Jam press conference wasn’t perfect. It officially started at 10am, but I was still calling media at 10:30.  Apparently our event was not the only thing going on that day, and have you heard that transport is expensive and the jam! Only seven of the 23 media houses I invited actually showed up. It’s OK, though. I sent some press releases by email and set up coverage for later. The people who made it were all really into it, and they are already producing some good stories.
 
Most media and partners had positive feedback about the way this out-of-the-box event was organized (keeping in mind that it’s unlikely they would have criticized my work to my face).

​​
​Suzan Keronen, Ugandan vocal artist and director of the Pearl Rhythm Foundation, said: “This is what I call a press conference, when people are actually into it! They’re not distracted. Other press conferences, maybe 50 [media reps] come, but you only get two stories. Here, everyone who came is actually giving coverage.”
 
“This is a good set-up for this kind of press conference, because it’s entertainment,” said Brian Businge of HowweBiz blog. “It’s not, like, a beer company. The whole set up - the photos - this makes people happy. It is much better than setting things and boring people.” (Take note: the same strategy might not work for a beer company.)

​I could tell that when the Head of Digital for Vision Group, Louis Jadwong, arrived at the Sharing Youth Centre, he was thinking “what am I doing in this place?” See his tweet -> but then he stuck around, read the materials, asked good questions, and put out some great tweets using #BreakFastJam2015. 

I asked Louis for some more critical feedback. He said: “The set-up was different. You would think it was a closed group meeting – which makes it easier for everyone to talk or contribute. The venue – well did you say it was free? Ok, this is an international star so should have been at a top, classy venue.” That is something to keep in mind for future clients, though I think Crazy Legs was cool with the low-key hip hop vibe.

Louis, thanks so much for this story in the New Vision, featuring photos by BPU member and photographer Oscar Kibuuka.

Thanks for representing: WBS, New Vision, HowweBiz (story here), Chano8 (story here), Magic FM, Urban Hype (story here), Newz Beat on NTV, and shout out to Pius Enywaru at the Campus Bee for the first to publish the story, even though he wasn’t there. Same for the story on BigEye. We had a productive afternoon at Urban TV and XFM. We also filmed Smash with The Mith, and Friday is Urban Today @ 8am, PM Live @ 1pm, Magic FM @ 4pm, and The Beat on NTV @ 5pm. Several media houses will attend the event itself.

 
Lessons learned:
 
1. Create a social atmosphere. It can help speakers to open up more and media to be more invested in their stories, thus producing more and better output. 

2. A photo gallery is a plus (have high resolution digital copies ready to email people). 

3. Announcements need to be made for all the media and cameras; it can’t just be broken down into one-on-ones as I dreamed in my last blog on press conferences, but it is good to take every opportunity to set up interviews before and after. 

4. The circle was a good option for the breakdance community. It was familiar from the practice and reflected the community’s values, but probably wouldn’t work for a beer company and 50 reporters. Keep adapting! 

5. Time is subjective and fluid in Uganda. Give media folks a few days notice, but also give them a wake-up call, and plan to deliver announcements about 30-60 minutes after the official start time. 

6. Aim for quality over quantity in media representation. Greet each journalist individually, and set them up with whatever they want for their story. Follow up, and share the stories you get. 

7. It is worthwhile to try new things. People appreciate a break from the normal and mundane. I think I will use music, showcases and photography again to create a positive vibe, encouraging more one-on-one interviews and give people something to enjoy as we wait for others to arrive in their own time.

Update: I can now confirm a 100%+ production rate from the press conference! All attending media produced stories within one day! A total 15 stories were produced in 48 hours following the press conference, across print media, blogs, TV and radio. We so appreciate each and every one!

​The other day, Ugandan rapper The Mith read my blog “Conversations with rappers 1: I am the best, according to me,” and he hit me up to arrange a meeting. Something I’d written about collaborations had hit a cord, and he wanted to meet to discuss further. I was happy to delve more into this issue, because I find that collaboration can be a fraught but valuable process, and I wanted to see how it plays out in the Hip Hop industry.
 
To “do communications,” I collaborate with artists, managers, producers, writers, designers, dancers, painters, marketers, promoters, all kinds of people. We hook up a network of talent and distill it into a form that could only be created together.

​In the music industry, it’s called a collabo. Mind you, the names you see listed on a track are not nearly all the people who make it happen (thank you managers, producers, techies, cooks, fam, etc.).
 
So, I went to meet The Mith at Talent Africa’s studio (thanks Aly), and sat down with him and Tucker HD.
 
Note: our conversation was also recorded by Salim from Urban Hype (where you can find an audio recording) and Felix from The Tribe UG.

I started by asking The Mith: who is great to collaborate with and why?
 
The Mith: Ruyonga for instance, I sent him the beat with the idea, and 30 minutes later he sent me his verse on it and a version of the chorus. The more eager guys are to work, then it makes the collaboration easier.
 
Enygma will pick you up. This one time I was shopping with my mom in Kisamenti and he called. I’m like “I’m shopping with my mother” and he’s like “cool, I am coming now.” So those are the easy ones to work with.

Anne: What are you hoping from the artistes you collaborate with?
 
The Mith: I don’t want you to sound like me. I am already there. I want you to go in and absolutely smash it. If you’re better than me at flow, be better than me at flow.

When you collaborate, you’re trying to go further. It is bigger than a Mith song. I am tapping into Tucker’s fans also.
 

Anne: Ok, now I want to talk about the collabos that fall apart in studio. What are the causes for a collabo not to work out?
 
The Mith: So many things. Some guys, you get on a song, and I’ve had a terrible verse, but I’ve never said take it out. Now people are worried about how the fans are going to take it. Are the fans going to say I got murdered?
 
I know some rappers who like to have a little sippy sip before they record. If that’s your style, it’s cool. But if you get smashed and start cursing people out in studio, that’s not cool.
 
I don’t like people directing me, because I don’t direct you. I deliver my 16, and then they say no you can change it like this. I know what exactly I am trying to get across.

And there have been situations where maybe you have a sticky relationship with someone. It's Hip Hop, so guys have a lot of beef. There could be a point where Tucker and I are not getting along. A person asks you to come on the track, you think it’s just you two, then comes a verse from Tucker.
 
The main problem is, people don’t see collaborations for what they are, which is to expand your brand. They see it to kill what’s hot. You see a dope rapper and say you’re better than them, like doing it to murder them.
 
Tucker HD: There’s this divide that is taking people away from the bigger picture. The use of collabos is to expand your market base, your reach.

Anne: Let’s get into that. Tell me about the fault lines in the Ugandan Hip Hop industry. Who doesn’t want to work with each other? Why?
 
The Mith:​ There is a division of Ugaflow / Lugafow, but I think more people are working at making sure that line gets completely wiped away and it becomes one movement which is Ugandan Hip hop. It started with St Nelly Sade working with Enygma, me, Ruyonga. And there was the female cypher.

​You can actually give a call to a guy who’s not supposed to be cool with you and say: look, would you like to collaborate?

Anne: It’s good to hear that more artistes are willing to cross the lines that have been drawn in the past, making projects possible through wider collaboration.
​
Which ‘camps’/’crews’ are most active in the industry now? Who has your respect?
 
The Mith: Whether you like it or not, you have to respect certain movements. You kind of have to respect Sylvster & Abramz. Breakdance Project Uganda is the face of UG hip hop in a way. When I watched them for 30 min on CNN, I believed! You have Ziva Muntuuyo, which is a great movement, capturing the hustle mentality Ugandans have. You have St Nelly Sade, his whole vibe, Lyrical Accents, DEG with Atlas, GMC (Lyrical G), and more. I mean we used to have so many camps like Baboon Forest, but when the young people started becoming their own, they became separate.
 
Now u find camps are rapper-producer duos: Timothy Code - Josh SB; Tucker HD - Sam Lamara; Flex d paper & Navio – Aethan; Benezeri – Izaya; St. Nellysade - Urban Aksent; The Mith - Koz n Effekt; Big Tril – DeWeezy; Rugonga – Baru… It’s more of a guy moving with a person who understands his sound best.

Which artistes/crews are friendly, and how are those alliances made and maintained?
 
The Mith: It’s still sticky out there. There’s still tension. You see it at events. You see guys like *giving eyes*. One of the things everyone is mad about: at some point, people chose sides. Bavubuka All Stars, which is run by Babaluku, had issues against us guys that died out real fast. You find that now myself and Cyno MC [Bavubuka alumni], with guys who we’re not supposed to be cool with.
 
What it is: guys have understood that it’s bigger than riding with your crew. We have all understood that there’s strength in numbers. People support one another, need that support.
 
Tucker HD: I agree, the tension is still a bit there. People might still feel it’s not ok to contact someone from another camp.
 
The Mith: That beef. Even if you’re cool with someone in that camp, you send each other SMS’s or whatever, but don’t talk when your crews are together. It’s safer. But guys are more mature now. The younger guys don’t really care. They’re just happy to be here, want to record music.

As I go to ask my last question, I can see The Mith is worried that I am going to keep pushing him on the specifics of Ugandan Hip Hop’s ongoing cold war (which seems to be heating up lately), but I assure him that is not my intention. I am just trying to find a road map to effective collaboration.
 
Anne: What is the formula for a great collabo?
 
The Mith: It’s something we apply in recording sessions as Klear Kut: leave your ego in the car. We don’t care about your status, how hot you are at that moment, who called who. The whole vibe in studio has to be comfortable. You can’t just play beat, record, and goodbye. You have to have a nice back and forth. Talk about girls instead of rap music. Don’t talk about how “yo, Mith they dissed you on twitter, what u doing to do?” Keep the conversations in studio light and record.
 
Tucker HD: The word he was looking for is chemistry. You have to be in the same bubble with the person you’re working with. 

Anne: Final thoughts?
 
The Mith: I would like to get in studio with most of the rappers in Uganda, but people think we charge for collaborations. I need to start charging! Be like a million per verse, haha. People have this whole thing like they can’t approach The Mith. Contact me! If it works, it works. Timing has to be right.
 
There was this one kid. He wanted to do a song with me and he met me in a bar. Ok. He introduces himself, says he wants to do a collabo. I am just wrapping up my album last year, so I said yeah, ok, when I am done with this stuff, then we do Navio’s concert, then Lira, then my concert, so any time after that is cool. He was like “no, I need the song now!” And I was like, “Guy, I have told you my stuff, but let’s get together Oct 18 onwards”. He was like, “Oh so you’re not going to do a song with me?!” No. I am not going to. Not now.
 
The Mith concluded by reemphasized the value of bringing your own unique talent and style to a collaboration.
 
The Mith: There’s a reason I contacted you. I did a collabo with a guy who tried to rap like me, I have kind of mastered that slow flow, so I killed him. I want it to be like: you introduce him to different fans, he introduces you to different fans. I want each artiste to sound different, different styles coming together. I never want to get into studio with a Luganda guy and he feels he has to rap in English. Hell no. don’t even say yo. I want you to rap in Luganda and dismantle!

In short, to successfully collaborate, according to The Mith and Tucker HD:

1. Be eager to work;
2. Don’t fight or cause drama;
3. Be yourself - bring your own unique talent;
4. Don’t push collaborators to do everything your way – respect their needs;
5. Create a relaxed, friendly and fun environment;
6. There is strength in numbers.

 
I, like The Mith, am very open to collabos, as long as the other person is bringing a talent that can complement my own, and they are eager to work professionally (and somewhat casually – let’s enjoy ourselves) to create something great. We can achieve more when we work together than when we try to tear each other down.