CitizenUganda is a new site covering politics, business, fashion, citizen media (including a series of blog profiles that’s hit up Dennis and Glenna so far, among others) and other goodies.
The site’s still under construction, but a steadily growing body of editorial posts already talks about Facebook, the iPhone and the Daily Monitor’s redesign.
XOXO, and can’t wait for more.
Originally posted October 25
EDIT: They apologized. “Freelance journalist in Uganda,” you should be ashamed.
In Uganda I held the Economist as the Holy Grail of Western media. I had a friend who had somehow connived his way into a free transfer of his subscription, and Post Office Mondays were better than weekends because I knew I would find the magazine cradled in the box like a gift from the heavens. The Economist could do no wrong.
Until now, with their article on Iraq and Uganda.
I don’t take issue with the content, and I think it’s great that they’re spreading the reporting love around. Only it’s not exactly reporting, is it, to rip all your information from a Daily Monitor article written two months ago.
Imitation is supposedly the highest form of flattery, in which case David Herbert should be thrilled, but if I were him I’d be composing a very angry SIR— right about now.
My latest piece is up on Global Voices Online:
Ugandan blogger and radio personality Dennis Matanda’s provocative opinions on African culture, Idi Amin and recolonization have been covered on Global Voices before. Dennis caused another stir last month when he posted on his blog under the title “How to Be Dead.” The post chronicled the radio show, ensuing threats and frightening act of vandalism leading up to his flight from Uganda, a decision met with a mixture of support, bemusement and skepticism by his fellow blogren.
Now living in the United States, Dennis is working on his
first fiction piece: a novel titled Master of the Sagging Cheeks, which he hopes will bring a change in the way the world views African leaders. He agreed to share his story with Global Voices.
I met Andrew Mwenda earlier this year at the Royal Ascot Goat Races. He was wearing a tie and put his arm around me, and together we watched the Casino Simba girls perform a blend of Kazakh-traditional and Britney-exotic dances.
This is how I will always remember him, though Mwenda is known for other things: his passionate argument against foreign aid to Africa during this year’s TEDGlobal conference is one. His run-in with the Ugandan government for reporting openly on the death of southern Sudanese leader John Garang is another.
This month will add another line to his CV: after spending a year as a Knight Fellow at Stanford, Mwenda is back in Uganda, and he has big plans. He’s leaving the Daily Monitor, where he has served as the political editor since 2004, and starting his own paper:
The newspaper is already registered. It is called The Independent. It is going to live up to its name – to be a platform through which Ugandans and other interested parties of all persuasions can freely discuss public issues. It will also be a forum through which national issues can be covered without fear or favour of any person or authority.
The aim of the paper will be to support the democratic process in the country, defend human rights, freedom, liberty and accountability.
The maiden issue of the paper is supposed to come out on October 19. It is going to be unique in that it will lift the level and quality of public debate a lot higher. A lot in its opinion pages will discuss the fundamental problems and solutions for Africa.
And maybe, just maybe, it will feature a picture of us at the goat races.
Radio Katwe is a independent Ugandan news radio station that gained international attention from Reporters Without Borders last year when its website was blocked by the Ugandan Communications Commission just before the presidential election.
Despite the block, the site is still going strong, publishing a daily mixture of hard-hitting journalism and amusing gossip. The following article falls in the latter category:
British etiquette experts in Uganda to train M7 in table manners
We got some information some months ago that as the CHOGM plans continue to gather momentum, some British experts in protocol and etiquette were flown to Uganda to help Museveni get CHOGM compatible.
Those people who have sat in the same room with him at state dinners know that M7 is a very crude man. He eats like a greedy pig and it is an embarrassment to people.
Impartial? No. Hilarious? Yes.