The representation of the environmental crises on Lake Victoria in Uganda’s media: A critical analysis of the Victoria Voice radio documentaries

Abstract

This article is concerned with how the environmental crises on Lake Victoria is addressed by the media in Uganda, while confining its focus on a single radio case study, and presents a critical textual analysis of the discourses and discursive practices of the Victoria Voice environmental radio documentaries aired on Uganda’s Central Broadcasting Service (CBS) radio in 2005. The analysis focuses on two representative episodes of the Victoria Voice radio series relating to the situation on Lake Victoria. It argues that the framing and construction of the situation on Lake Victoria tend to privilege the wealthy or powerful elite rather than address the root causes of environmental degradation. The marginalization of the powerless (or ordinary people) recurs in these episodes, and while their voices are included in the programmes, they are framed by the more socially powerful.

Environmental and social injustices in East Africa: A critique of the modernization approach to environmental communication

“…‗Social Darwinism' as interpreted by the notion of ‗survival of the fittest' has emerged in a number of economic reform programs undertaken by most countries in EAwhich have accelerated poverty and put pressure on natural resources. Structural adjustment programs (SAPs) for example, have resulted in lay-offs of induced early retirement and unemploymentforcing people to seek alternative survival activities or strategies, including extensive natural resource use and exploitation (Jjuuko and Prinsloo, 2014). The majority of the rural people have gone into farming and forestry products harvesting, livestock keeping (on very small scale), hardwood carvings for sale to tourists, soft wood products and pottery activities, which use natural resources (Lovemore, 2001).…”

“…Consequently, East Africa is currently underpinned with severe environmental degradation and related issues and impact. Critical concerns, according to Jjuuko and Prinsloo (2014), have mainly been with land degradation, deforestation, industrial water and air pollution, noise pollution, uncontrolled waste disposal, loss of biodiversity and deterioration of ecosystems and aquatic life. Jjuuko (2020), also notes that lack of access to good quality water for urban and rural inhabitants particularly in Tanzania and South Sudan is a major concern.…”

“…communication, and media and environmental studies v . It is also informed by the author's experiences as a former environmental broadcast journalist in Uganda, as well as her previous research project(2008 -2012) on media's representation and construction of environmental crises on Lake Victoria have informed this work (seeJjuuko and Prinsloo, 2014;Jjuuko, 2015a;and Jjuuko, 2015b).The analysis takes off from the Communication for Development paradigm to critique the discourses of development in relation to the current trajectories of environmental and a social injustice in EA. Reference is made to the three pillars employed in the modernisation approach to development namely: ‗Top-down experts of development', ‗blaming the victim' and ‗Social Darwinism'.…”

LGBT rights in Africa

“…But the Ugandan LGBT activists have been more ambitious in their use of the courts, including challenging antigay legislation for being unconstitutional, sometimes with success. 56 They have also used international legal venues: in 2012 Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) brought a lawsuit against Scott Lively for crimes against humanity to the District Court in Massachusetts, 57 and the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) brought the 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Act before the East African Court of Justice. While both cases were dismissed on technical grounds, they brought attention and credibility to the struggle.…”