Re-inventing a royalist ‘public sphere’ in contemporary Uganda: the example of Central Broadcasting Services (CBS)

Abstract

This article sets out the daily negotiated and relatively stabilized rules of expression which govern a royalist ‘public sphere’ in contemporary Uganda. It is based on the idea, inspired by Habermas, that the analysis of day-to-day rules of discussion leads us to understand better political and moral ideals. Away from a normative approach of the issue of the ‘public sphere’, this article analyses the formation of specific practices and rules of deliberation, at the crossroad of the transformations of the Kingdom of Buganda, the consolidation of journalism as a profession and President Museveni's regime's hegemonic project. CBS, the radio station of the Kingdom, is a privileged empirical point of entry to seize these processes, both because it is a central sphere of the reinvention of language and expression and because of its central role in the reestablishment of the Kingdom on the national political scene. Ekiwandiiko kinyonyola enteseganya nengeri enungamu abantu gye beetaayizaamu mu Uganda ya leero. Kyesigamiziddwa ku nsonga ezikubaganyiziddwako ebirowoozo Habermas, nga anynyola enfuga egobererwa ekikuleetera okumanya eby'obufuzi, n'empisa ezigobererwa. Okuva kungeri bo ba nansi gye balabamu ensonga n'okuzisengeka. Era ekiwandiiko kye kimu kitunyonyola ebintu ebitali bimu nga,ensonga z'okwenunula, enkyukakyuka mu bwakabaka bwa Buganda okukuumira ba namawulire ku mutindo gw'omulimu gwabwe, mpozi nenfuga ya presidenti Museveni ebutikidde ekisanja kye nga mukulembeze. CBS, ladiyo y'obwakabaka nga kye kibondo abamuwakanya we bayisa amaloboozi. Olw'okubanga eweereza mu lurimi abantu abasinga lwe bawulira, era etakabanye nnyo okulaba nga eteeka ensonga z'obwakabaka mu by'obufuzi bye gwanga ku mwanjo.