About social media exhibitions

As many reports have documented, nationwide, the space for civic space is shrinking: Government, political leaders, security organs and sadly corporate actors are increasingly restricting fundamental freedoms and repressing any form of dissent.  In the context of political, social, economic development and transformation, many Ugandans are being tortured, ravaged in detentions, and many civilians are being tried in military courts and others. Amidst all these threats, Ugandans must remain brave to create an environment for enjoyment of inherent rights. 

Many challenges faced by ordinary Ugandans are being exhibited in the ongoing famous exhibitions spearheaded by Jim Spire Ssentongo, Godwin Toko, Agather Atuhaire, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and others. These Ugandans are doing the most important role in keeping the State and other non-state actors in check and ensuring that the State and the non-state actors not only protect, but also promote human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Uganda. 

This is exactly what Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHCR), development partners and other agencies should be doing, nonetheless we need braver Ugandans to hold government institutions accountable.
In the context of development projects, community members and people expressing concerns, voicing their opinion, or sharing information are often threatened, criminalized, attacked, and even murdered. These reprisals and threats send a chilling message to the wider community, curtail the opportunities for participation and engagement, and end up jeopardising the success of the project itself, and this justifies why Uganda’s oil projects are struggling to get funders and insurers.

To build a Uganda that guarantees enjoyment of all inherent rights in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect equally, all Ugandans must realize that the promotion and protection of human rights is a shared responsibility.  Amidst victimisation, misinformation, fabricated criminal charges, forced disappearance, imprisonment, torture, intrusion, intimidation and unlawful restrictrictions, we must join the exhibitors as all Ugandans to impose specific obligations to ensure that our communities and marginalised groups have the information, resources, protection and power to shape our country, access social amenities, participate in, or oppose development activities, and to hold development financiers, government and companies accountable.
 
With collective effort, we can build a Uganda in which individuals, communities, groups and peoples are able to exercise their fundamental human rights, determining and pursuing their own priorities about their lives, their futures, their lands and natural resources. 

Brighton Aryampa         
[email protected]