People do not think very highly of Uganda in my home country of Canada. When my parents saw The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker’s paranoid, cock-eyed glare did not make them want to send their daughter there: to The Darkest of Africa! Here we call it The Pearl of Africa, and actually this country is very bright, orange and green. But Canadians know about Idi Amin, the archetypal murderous dictator. They do not know that much of Kampala’s infrastructure was built during his presidency.
The true size of Africa - Creative Commons More recently, we (in the west) have projected the gay debate onto Uganda, with conservative and liberal ideologues waging a kind of proxy Public Relations war, which in the end does not make Uganda look very good at all.
Oh, and then there’s the ebola outbreak of 2014, farther away from this country than the width of The United States, but who really paid attention in geography class anyway?
Uganda’s international reputation right now is worse than Mike Tyson’s after he split out Holyfield’s ear. That’s probably why President Museveni recently hired a D.C. based lobbying firm to represent him in Washington ($600,000 / 1 year). It seems the powers that be are now trying to address Uganda's mammoth PR challenge.
So, what can be done to improve Uganda’s image abroad? First of all, we need to be telling more positive stories about this country.
Oh, and then there’s the ebola outbreak of 2014, farther away from this country than the width of The United States, but who really paid attention in geography class anyway?
Uganda’s international reputation right now is worse than Mike Tyson’s after he split out Holyfield’s ear. That’s probably why President Museveni recently hired a D.C. based lobbying firm to represent him in Washington ($600,000 / 1 year). It seems the powers that be are now trying to address Uganda's mammoth PR challenge.
So, what can be done to improve Uganda’s image abroad? First of all, we need to be telling more positive stories about this country.
 Polo match at Kakira, Jinja |  One Love Beach, Busabala |
In the past week, I have enjoyed great food, music and dance, I’ve attended a polo match, seen the Nile and Mabira forest, and hand fed monkeys in my driveway. I have engaged in long discussions with smart and compassionate Ugandans as we watched the sun set over Lake Victoria. I have discovered that grasshoppers (“nsenene”) are delicious! Every day, I meet talented and ambitious people who are struggling to better their lives and country, but these stories never make it onto the front page of The Toronto Star or The New York Times. Why? There’s a saying: “if it bleeds, it leads.” The problem is that covering disaster every day suggests that our world is a horrible place, the zombie apocalypse is near, so it is better to lock your door and stay in bed. But people are tired of negativity. It is simply not the whole story (check out Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story). Personally, I am not going to let the fear of death stop me from living. As I always say: there is a good and bad side to everything, and I’m focusing on the good side!
Uganda is not the dangerous and hateful place that western media would have you believe. It is chaotic and nonsensical at times, but within the daily doses of anarchy exist exceptional opportunities. The political issues that define Uganda in the west do not play a major role in the daily lives of most Ugandan residents. What matters to people here is what matters to people everywhere: the best future for one's children, satisfaction in careers and relationships, and to feel respected and happy. Society here is also steeped in a remarkable history: civilization and culture were thriving in East Africa before the Europeans ever figured it out! Personally, I find great pleasure in escaping the Canadian winter to enjoy the average Ugandan temperature of 27 degrees, every day of the year. But that is just one small piece of what makes this country so wonderful.
If you want to experience Uganda, come see it for yourself! Or, before investing in plane tickets, get a digital taste… Please follow me at @WhiteheadComm on Twitter and @WhiteheadCommunications on Instagram.
While you’re at it, check out these Tweeters:
@Skaheru – Simon Kaheru: brilliant Kampala-based media mogul
@AbramzTekya – Abramz: good hearted Breakdance Project Uganda founder
@TheSoundCup – café in Garden City Mall, Kampala, founded by vocal artist @MauriceKirya
@mjwilkerson – Michael Wilkerson: fellow Canadian, running boda (motorcycle taxi) NGO, Tugende
@EddyKenzoUg – Ugandan artist currently riding high on fame from Sitya Loss hit
@kansiime256 – Anne Kansiime: award-winning Ugandan comedian with a top notch first name
There is a lot more to say on this subject, but I’ve got to go analyze footage I shot of a practice interview now so that I can help my client address Uganda’s reputation in upcoming engagements with foreign media. One story at a time...
Thanks for reading! Please share and comment below.
- Anne Whitehead
Uganda is not the dangerous and hateful place that western media would have you believe. It is chaotic and nonsensical at times, but within the daily doses of anarchy exist exceptional opportunities. The political issues that define Uganda in the west do not play a major role in the daily lives of most Ugandan residents. What matters to people here is what matters to people everywhere: the best future for one's children, satisfaction in careers and relationships, and to feel respected and happy. Society here is also steeped in a remarkable history: civilization and culture were thriving in East Africa before the Europeans ever figured it out! Personally, I find great pleasure in escaping the Canadian winter to enjoy the average Ugandan temperature of 27 degrees, every day of the year. But that is just one small piece of what makes this country so wonderful.
If you want to experience Uganda, come see it for yourself! Or, before investing in plane tickets, get a digital taste… Please follow me at @WhiteheadComm on Twitter and @WhiteheadCommunications on Instagram.
While you’re at it, check out these Tweeters:
@Skaheru – Simon Kaheru: brilliant Kampala-based media mogul
@AbramzTekya – Abramz: good hearted Breakdance Project Uganda founder
@TheSoundCup – café in Garden City Mall, Kampala, founded by vocal artist @MauriceKirya
@mjwilkerson – Michael Wilkerson: fellow Canadian, running boda (motorcycle taxi) NGO, Tugende
@EddyKenzoUg – Ugandan artist currently riding high on fame from Sitya Loss hit
@kansiime256 – Anne Kansiime: award-winning Ugandan comedian with a top notch first name
There is a lot more to say on this subject, but I’ve got to go analyze footage I shot of a practice interview now so that I can help my client address Uganda’s reputation in upcoming engagements with foreign media. One story at a time...
Thanks for reading! Please share and comment below.
- Anne Whitehead
