Besigye Camp Addressing Propaganda Now Is Cool
Seeing a video by one of the FDC/ PFF leaders, Harold Kaija, addressing some of the propaganda against Besigye, made me so happy. That's the way to go, and that's what should have been done in 2018-21 when Bobi and his group did the most damaging propaganda against Besigye.
Failed propaganda often arises when the intended message does not resonate with the target audience, is based on misinformation, or is undermined by contradictory evidence. Here are some notable examples:
1. During the Six Day War (1967).
Back then, there were no TV’s in Israel, so radios were the main sources of entertainment. Pretty much everyone listened to the radio on a daily basis. During the war, the Egyptian took over some channel and broadcasted a propaganda’s piece they called “The Voice of Thunder from Cairo”.
“Voice of Thunder” was hosted by a Hebrew-speaking, heavily-accented Egyptian broadcaster who made various threats against Israel and Jews.
Reality was different - "The Voice of Thunder from Cairo" became a smash hit in Israel - as a comedy show. The ridiculous threats made by the broadcaster (“Come to Cairo, ya Dayan, we’ll take out your other eye”), delivered in a heavy Arabic accent, became a nationwide joke Soldiers on the front lines held imitation competitions based on Voice of Thunder. Even the kids would share quotes from the broadcasts as jokes.
2. The U.S. "Domino Theory":
During the Cold War, the U.S. government propagated the belief that the fall of one country to communism would lead to a chain reaction (domino effect) in neighbouring countries. This narrative was challenged by events in Vietnam, where the feared domino effect did not occur, and it ultimately led to a loss of public support for the Vietnam War.
3. Trump’s closing argument of the presidential reelect campaign is this- “YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR, NOT EVEN FEAR ITSELF!”
It sounded so brilliant that Trump could come up with one of the most famous quotes in American history, steal it away, and retool it so imaginatively, yet a lot of people thought that Trump was not so brilliant. But, guess what, Covid hit, and it was used against him; that he was telling people not to fear COVID-19.
Similarly, Besigye once said while addressing FDC MPs and leaders at Nambole stadium: “Twebelelemu is a sectarian term.” He at the time didn’t give a damn about how he was perceived, not weighing his words carefully the way a politician usually does, and Nupians used that as part of their propaganda to turn Baganda against him. But then again, that was Besigye. There was a context, of course, but context is often lost when the media gets whipped into a frenzy.
Some Nupians account of Besigye is pure slander up to now. He has been the most slandered of all the politicians in the last 5 years. He has been unfairly derided over the years by many who simply ignore the bigger picture — Without his efforts, even the few human rights Ugandans are enjoying now would probably be a pipe dream.
His enemies have continuously said that Museveni got Besigye’s wife,Winnie Byanyima, an international job despite Winnie coming out a couple of times to publicly deny it.
Propaganda is nothing more than a political tool.Like most things in the world do, it possesses a duality. Propaganda can be used to mobilize the masses to struggle with systems of oppression. It can also be used to silence the masses as a tool to uphold these oppressive systems. Its use rather than its inherent nature defines whether propaganda is good or bad, and for whom.