I’ll get right to it:
Dear countrymen and women, please create some online content
about our country. No, not those Facebook posts addressed to your haters. Not
the twitter wars. Not those inspirational blog posts about how you were walking
down the street the other day, realized the sun was shining and felt really blessed
to be alive. Mutuleeke naamwe. Create actual informative content about things
that are Ugandan. For example, tell us how the food called chaps is made. Or katogo for that matter.
You see, last night; I showed my daughter how to use Google
as a substitute mummy for all her whys & hows. The first search she typed
in was; ‘how to make chaps.’ Guess what? Google doesn’t know chaps. Google
thinks chaps are some kind of online payment system. That, it very well might
be, somewhere in the world but not in Uganda. You and I know that chaps, the
real chaps, is food. It is a particularly uninspired piece of cuisine that
manages to be unhealthy, flat tasting and ugly, but our food. Our very own
innovation. One of our very many unique contributions to world cuisine. Why
doesn’t Google know about it? Because, instead of running a Ugandan recipes’
blog, you are there telling us of how blessed you felt when you saw the sun
shine yesterday. Okay, now that the sun is shining again today, here is some
new material: write a post on how to make malakwang from start to finish.
Internet political pundits, stop. To be honest, our politics
is so base that opining about it with such fervor and high-brow intellectualism
just makes us go like, “oh poor Jim; entirely out of touch with reality like
that?” Write something that will put your political knowledge to actual use.
Write a properly detailed Wikipedia page for that one political party that you
feel oba tries ko to be serious?. There is none? Okay, write a page on each of
your most despised local politicians. Now that will give you occupation for the
next two years, won’t it?
I will now lead by example but not by doing. Here is a list
of example topics that will put more Ugandan knowledge on Google’s radar.
Writing Assignment |
Assigned Writers
|
The 7 different ways of drying freshly washed socks on a school
morning
|
Every Ugandan who ever had to stand for inspection on primary
school morning assembly
|
How to light a sigiri in under an hour; the no paraffin trick
|
Everybody who isn’t me
|
When the maid leaves suddenly. 3 hacks (with contact information) for
turning this everyday misfortune around
|
Every working mum
|
Wikipedia pages for local politicians and Tamale Mirundi
|
Come on Ugandan politicians, even you can do this yourself. Start a
stub and the political pundits can take it from there.
|
Updating the wikipedia page on King’s College Budo to include among
the notable alumni; Drake Sekeeba, of the Vvumbula fame
|
Actually, I will do this myself
|
Know your Kadongo Kamu singers; where is Abdu Mulaasi and Lord Fred
Ssebata now?
|
Ummm, aaaah… what do we know of Katongole Omutongole’s writing
skills? TBD
|
Uganda’s Real Estate Bubble that won’t f**king burst: From Kasuulu’s Property
Masters to Jomayi.
|
Somebody on the Buganda Land Board?
|
So, now that I have your writing juices following, please go
create some Ugandan content. Seriously, it is a shame that there is so little
actual knowledge about us on these internets.
THANKS, LYDIA!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are totally SPOT ON!
I took up the challenge and you will notice some work on this within the next few months but let's rally up many, many more Ugandans to do this! (See tripadvisor.com as well)
Yay! Looking forward to your work SK.
DeleteThis is awesome. It is true there are no stories to tell about Uganda. Me and a couple of friends have started a blog https://thisis256.wordpress.com last month to tell such stories. We have begun but not there yet. I hope us borrowing some of your ideas will be okay because they are important for our guidance.
ReplyDeleteThank you ma'am
Borrow generously
DeleteLydia, where does one submit these pieces of work once done?
ReplyDeletePK
Let's each publish an explosion of blogs post, wikipedia articles, Buzzfeed lists etc so that people can reach them through Google.
DeleteChallenge Accepted Lydia! I actually think there are quite a number of bloggers writing about their Uganda because I seem to discover blogs each day! In addition for prolific blogging, tweeting, etc we also need some organised platforms - the SMA are a step in the right direction. As is the hashtag #MyUganda256. Otherwise I might write my katogo recipe but if it's just the one post it will be buried deep in the results returned. Just my 2 cents on this.
ReplyDeletewww.mimisotherside.blogspot.com