Content area
Full text
Having a conversation about quality of film in Africa and more precisely Uganda is difficult without the mention of the cadres that lit the path for those yet to come.
Over three decades ago, television in Uganda was a monopoly, by then Uganda Television (UTV), which recently rebranded to Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) which is to this day state-owned.
Unbeknownst to many in today's generation is that before NTV, NBS TV, BBS Telefayina, Smart24, Spark, Bukedde TV, Wan Luo among many others, there was a TV station called Sanyu Television.
Sanyu brought fresh breath to TV, but that was short-lived when the station closed, perharps preparing us for what to expect from another privately-owned TV station, Wavah Broadcasting Corporation (WBS TV), which launched in 1999. Today however, the country boasts for up to 70 licensed TV stations, some of which are domiciled in the regions.
It can be argued that the limited number of players in the TV space slowed not just the growth but also the quality of film production. In other advanced markets with mature film industries like the U.S., media companies invest a lot into film and TV production.
Whereas Ugandan storytellers have for a long time been willing to tell great stories, there was limited demand in terms of where their films would be showcased. Considering the blow that political turmoil, economic outlook and a no owned platforms to air content had dealt on the arts industry.
WBS TV opened the way for more private television and broadcast investment in Uganda's media landscape. But not only did it do that, it...