There is an increasing new trend where many youths are now glueing themselves to watch the international western Mainstream Media such as BBC, MultiChoice DSTV, super sport, CNN, Al Jazeera, France 24,CGTV, The Economist and Washington Post propaganda media channels, than to seat and watch their own local media content.
Most coverage on these channels is purely aimed at propagating embarrassing negative and divisive massages that are dimensional, shallow, stereotypical and predominantly negative, instead portraying the country not as Pearl of Africa but a source of endless wars, diseases like HIV Aids, Ebola, famine, poverty, corrupt leaders and with bad governance, among others.
The aim of pushing local mainstream media aside by poaching the most talented Ugandan journalist the likes of Shaka Saali of the famous Straight Talk Africa VOA, Angelo Izama, Solomon Serwanja from the local media houses compromise them with dollars to staff their offices while leaving vacuum of who to tell our story has fed into the desperation of many of country men into believing and adopting their poisonous negative narratives.
The CNN has devoted their energies by creating six programs all dedicated to Africa, BBC recently spent $360 Million USD to set up their biggest Africa media bureau in the name of portraying us in a negative manner because they don’t want the rest of the world especially Europeans and Americans to know how beautiful and resourceful our country is. Aljazeera is popularly known for influencing the African governance crisis by amplifying violence, creating a culture of impunity and suspicion among the African democratically elected leaders and the population.
While the Chinese use their CGTV channels to brain wash our youths with their hidden agenda by manipulating our cultural norms and values with their comedies, soap operas, music, dramas, adventure series, and cartoons among others to impose to us their unfriendly alien cultural imperialism.
MultiChoice super sport on DSTV that broadcast top Europe leagues matches on the other hand has affected the stadium attendance’s of insignificant indigenous sports among them the local football leagues hence affecting our local talents and gate revenue collection.
They sometimes use these propaganda media houses to promote their multinational companies agenda equipping and boosting their industries at home while affecting our young entrepreneurs. Shell, Coca-Cola and Pepsi for example have invested unfathomable amounts of money to CNN television commercials to ensure that Uganda people crave their core products.
And not concerned of fighting concerns about the health effects and environments protection issues brought about by disposal of plastic bottles.
Corruption scandals, kidnaps, Conflicts, bad governess and deadly disease occurring in Europe and USA relatively make headlines and attract vast coverage in the international media like the Ugandan issues would be.
Major positive historical events in the Country have gone un reported, the Countries unique fauna and flora features, the beauty and humility of our people are never given space, instead they would show Asians in Africa changing his life, in the wild life documentary they show white cow boys in the African jungles.
Unless we create our own global story-teller, the oppressors will always have the best part of the negative story. To free ourselves as a country from oppression, we must tell our honest story of justice to our sufferings and our struggles from our own viewpoint.
