Creatives Call for Investment to Boost Uganda’s Creative Industry

 

Creatives have called on the government and the private sector to increase investment in Uganda’s creative industry by expanding market access, providing financial support and creating platforms for artists to showcase their work.

 

The call was made during the launch of “When Illusions Crack”, a book authored by Bonita Mbabazi, who highlighted challenges affecting the growth of the sector, including high taxes, limited access to financing and inadequate market opportunities.

 

Mbabazi said stronger partnerships between government, the private sector and creatives are needed to promote innovation, create employment opportunities and position the creative economy as an important contributor to national development.

 

She said the book was written to encourage young people struggling with hopelessness and self-doubt, as well as those pursuing ambitions that are not supported by the people around them.

 

“I wrote it to speak to hopeless people out there, to speak to ambitious people out there that carry a vision that no one else believes in. This book speaks to you a resounding yes to follow your dreams, no matter who is talking down on you,” Mbabazi said.

 

She added that the book seeks to challenge a culture she believes does not adequately encourage young people to pursue their dreams, urging them to remain determined despite the obstacles they encounter.

 

Mbabazi also revealed plans to conduct school campaigns and community engagements to reach young people, particularly those vulnerable to destructive behaviours such as drug abuse.

 

Luz Aziz Al’Fadhul, the book’s editor, described resilience as one of the central messages running through the publication, saying it speaks to a generation increasingly grappling with mental health challenges, insecurities, anxiety and depression.

 

“As an editor, you get to understand the author through the content that you are editing. You get to realize a lot of emotions, and I think the most constant emotion I realized in our book is resilience. The book constantly declares that resilience is literally the only way to persevere,” Al’Fadhul said.

 

He noted that the poems in the book remind readers that they are not alone in their struggles and that others have experienced similar challenges and overcome them.

 

Al’Fadhul also urged creatives to recognize their influence in society and use their work to address social challenges, saying poetry, writing and other forms of art remain powerful tools for inspiring change.

 

“You never know what life you are saving with what poem you are writing. It could be a poem you wrote in tears and it just helps dry another person’s tears,” he said.