Uganda needs the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity
Ugandans place culture within the confines of traditional dances. Music and dance manifest our specific cultures, but so is literature, language, fashion, utensils, poetry, visual arts and theatre. Culture is the sum of who we are, our lifestyles, values,
Naomi Wabyona
Ugandans place culture within the confines of traditional dances. Music and dance manifest our specific cultures, but so is literature, language, fashion, utensils, poetry, visual arts and theatre. Culture is the sum of who we are, our lifestyles, values, identity and well being.
Even in the shadow of an expanding western culture that has been imposed on us through the Internet, television and other media, our cultural beliefs have managed to thrive. The beliefs should be encouraged, rather than made to disappear within the larger ‘world’ cultures.
The Uganda National Cultural Policy developed by the Ministry of Gender and Labour Development in December 2006 aims at promoting harmonious co-existence and encourage inter-cultural exchange of Uganda’s diverse communities.
For developing countries like Uganda, protecting our identity amidst the invasion of Western culture through media and ICT is a big challenge. What we need is to endorse the UNESCO Convention of 2005. The convention provides for the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties. It promotes freedom of ideas through culture and creating conditions for participation by citizens and private groups.
The convention explicitly acknowledges the value of cultural goods and services as vehicles not only for identity and meaning of a people, but for economic revenue. Uganda sanctioned the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act in 2006, but our musicians and filmmakers continue to suffer piracy.
A Ugandan aspiring artiste or filmmaker aims at producing music videos like Kenyans or Nigerians. While the cultural industries in Kenya, Nigeria, Jamaica, South Africa and India, will continue to draw strength from the UNESCO Convention, Uganda may lag behind as we risk losing our identity and economic revenue.
So long as our country continues to postpone ratifying the UNESCO Convention on diversity, our cultural industry is in great peril.
The writer is a communications officer at The Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda
Ugandans place culture within the confines of traditional dances. Music and dance manifest our specific cultures, but so is literature, language, fashion, utensils, poetry, visual arts and theatre. Culture is the sum of who we are, our lifestyles, values, identity and well being.
Even in the shadow of an expanding western culture that has been imposed on us through the Internet, television and other media, our cultural beliefs have managed to thrive. The beliefs should be encouraged, rather than made to disappear within the larger ‘world’ cultures.
The Uganda National Cultural Policy developed by the Ministry of Gender and Labour Development in December 2006 aims at promoting harmonious co-existence and encourage inter-cultural exchange of Uganda’s diverse communities.
For developing countries like Uganda, protecting our identity amidst the invasion of Western culture through media and ICT is a big challenge. What we need is to endorse the UNESCO Convention of 2005. The convention provides for the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties. It promotes freedom of ideas through culture and creating conditions for participation by citizens and private groups.
The convention explicitly acknowledges the value of cultural goods and services as vehicles not only for identity and meaning of a people, but for economic revenue. Uganda sanctioned the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act in 2006, but our musicians and filmmakers continue to suffer piracy.
A Ugandan aspiring artiste or filmmaker aims at producing music videos like Kenyans or Nigerians. While the cultural industries in Kenya, Nigeria, Jamaica, South Africa and India, will continue to draw strength from the UNESCO Convention, Uganda may lag behind as we risk losing our identity and economic revenue.
So long as our country continues to postpone ratifying the UNESCO Convention on diversity, our cultural industry is in great peril.
The writer is a communications officer at The Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda