Globally marginalised communities are often excluded or discriminated against by society in many aspects of life. This tilted ground, which contributes to unequal power relations along political, social, and economic dimensions, often pushes the marginalised groups to the edges of their society where their voices remain muffled.
Add to that, the marginalised groups —who include ethnic minorities, people living with disabilities, women, and people with disabilities, among others—are also in dire need of being heard, yet they are left out in major decision-making processes in their communities.
Fortunately, in recent years, digital platforms have emerged as potential safe havens for showing their plight to the world. But this also requires civic actors and the media to amplify their silent voices on injustices that they battle every day.
The Northern Uganda Media Club, an independent media organisation in Gulu, is now collaborating with various civil society organisations on all fronts to advocate for the rights of marginalised communities. These partners include Community Green Radio (which is under the National Association for Professional Environmentalists) in Kiboga district, Friends of Zoka in Adjumani district, Minority Rights Group and the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) in Kampala, and across the border, is DiploBrief, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Early last month, DiploBrief participated in a five-day “learning exchange program” where they visited NUMEC to learn more about its operations such as media development, press freedom advocacy, civic engagement, capacity building for journalists, and promoting access to information and dissemination.
The objective of this visit was to exchange ideas on how best the partner organisations can counter the shrinking civic space, enhance their safety and security in the complex media environment, and understand the importance of digital advocacy for marginalised communities in their respective countries.
DiploBrief also had the chance to visit Mega FM, a community radio in Gulu, that has been instrumental in promoting “peace” journalism since it was formed during the insurgency—the same period NUMEC also came into existence.
Besides that, both NUMEC and DiploBrief visited Friends of Zoka to learn about their environmental justice campaign and the Community Green Radio to learn about their advocacy for local communities in eco-sensitive environments. In Kampala, the team visited the Minority Group International to learn about their work on indigenous communities and the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) about their operations on media development, research, advocacy, and building capacity across Uganda.
“We are stronger together,” says Charles Akena, the programs administrator at NUMEC. “I believe that when we meet and exchange ideas like this, we shall be able to come up with solutions that can let the world know about the injustices that marginalised communities face. We are also able to compare notes on how to operate in a high-risk media environment by understanding the terrain in both Uganda and Kenya”.
He added that forming such strategic partnerships is instrumental in implementing stronger campaigns and advocacy programs that can uplift the struggles of marginalised communities.
Simon Macharia from DiploBrief emphasised the importance of using alternative media platforms such as social media to expose the injustices widely that the marginalised communities face, adding that “some of their struggles may not be reported by mainstream media”.
“We need to train journalists on how to use digital tools and alternative media platforms such as TikTok for advocacy. This is the way to go,” he added.
Eliud Kibbi, the founder of DiploBrief, noted the marginalised groups, especially the indigenous communities, don’t have the platforms to be “listened to so that the world can understand their side of the story because they are very few in number”.
He added that their voices, in many cases, are often suppressed by the dominating ethnic groups.
“There are very few, and the government ends up ignoring them. They often miss out on access to social services because the government prioritises communities with big numbers,” he noted.
On the bright side, Agnes Kabajuni, the Minority Group International Africa Regional Manager, called for a need to have affirmative action programs that can enable indigenous communities to hold political seats to avoid being sidelined from participating in major decisions that affect them.
She however lauded the international media for exposing the injustices that minority groups face, stressing that “we are no longer playing catch-up”.
Besides digital skills, Julius Kwamanywa, radio manager of the Community Green Radio, called for the need to invest in training journalists with investigative journalism skills to enable them to report about cross-cutting issues such as environmental and climate justice with high standards.
“We need to invest in equipment and facilities for journalists but also provide story grants for journalists so they can investigate issues in their communities fully,” he added.
