Yesterday around 2pm riots broke out in specific regions of Uganda’s capital city Kampala. If you lived anywhere else in the world, you probably dind’t hear about the story at all. The BBC World News had pretty deep coverage, but as far as I can tell from here CNN, France24 and SkyNews didn’t really pick up on the story in the same way. For us here in Kampala there were a few tense hours as we worried that our beloved city would be torn apart by ethnic-related violence. For full reporting on the incidents, visit the Observer, NewVision or The Daily Monitor.
Eventually, the Associated Press and BBC started releasing photos and news to the public. This was probably the correct response by the international media, as the situation seems to be under the control of the local authorities at this point. Even on the ground, other than a the hubs of military presence throughout the city, signs of the riots were contained to very specific areas. In fact, if it weren’t for a phone call from another friend here in town, I probably wouldn’t have even been aware of the news until much later. My neck of the woods was completely undisturbed and the smoke from burning stores we saw in the distance could have just as easily been burning trash, a rather common sight.
One of the things that surprised me was how a handful of Twitter users drove the coverage for a lot of people. As I and others like @camaraafrica, @mugumya, @solomonking heard the latest here in Uganda, we feverishly updated Twitter and Facebook, our only means of reaching the outside world. Around 8pm the local cellular networks began to buckle. There were a few unsubstantiated reports of a media blackout, but I had total access while the local news covered things as they unfolded as well as they could. The Monitor reported that one local station was shut down by the government for ‘inciting violence’. I also have to give credit to MTN, their Edge network remained solid as I’ve been able to send and receive information to and from two separate mobile devices with no major problems.
When situations like this occur, it feels like no one can get you news fast enough. In this case, I turned to my web based social networks for updates as did the people connected to me. I live here, but not having a TV or a Radio meant that Twitter, Facebook and my mobile phone became my sole news sources.
Hopefully the worst is behind us.
You can follow the coverage via Twitter with #kampala or via realtime search engines like Scoopler and OneRiot. Of course you can always follow us @appfrica on Twitter as well.
Photo: Courtesy BBC
Update 11/9/09: The reports of violence via word of mouth and the official reports are increasing. At around 8am came the first reports of continued violence, at 11am I got word that some had shifted closer to the office. I gave the staff the rest of the day off but am letting them stay there for internet and shelter if they decide it’s too dangerous to come home. Of course they are also welcome to visit other locations that belong to us. Not getting much news from the big outlets but Twitter is delivering big time…even from Uganda. Follow @solomonking for more. Hope the networks stay up today.
About the author: Jonathan Gosier is a software developer, writer and social entrepreneur. He currently lives in Kampala, Uganda where he incubates and invests in East African entrepreneurs as the CEO of Appfrica Labs. He's also a TED Fellow.
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Kampala Riots, Citizens Tweet
Yesterday around 2pm riots broke out in specific regions of Uganda’s capital city Kampala. If you lived anywhere else in the world, you probably dind’t hear about the story at all. The BBC World News had pretty deep coverage, but as far as I can tell from here CNN, France24 and SkyNews didn’t really pick up on the story in the same way. For us here in Kampala there were a few tense hours as we worried that our beloved city would be torn apart by ethnic-related violence. For full reporting on the incidents, visit the Observer, NewVision or The Daily Monitor.
Eventually, the Associated Press and BBC started releasing photos and news to the public. This was probably the correct response by the international media, as the situation seems to be under the control of the local authorities at this point. Even on the ground, other than a the hubs of military presence throughout the city, signs of the riots were contained to very specific areas. In fact, if it weren’t for a phone call from another friend here in town, I probably wouldn’t have even been aware of the news until much later. My neck of the woods was completely undisturbed and the smoke from burning stores we saw in the distance could have just as easily been burning trash, a rather common sight.
One of the things that surprised me was how a handful of Twitter users drove the coverage for a lot of people. As I and others like @camaraafrica, @mugumya, @solomonking heard the latest here in Uganda, we feverishly updated Twitter and Facebook, our only means of reaching the outside world. Around 8pm the local cellular networks began to buckle. There were a few unsubstantiated reports of a media blackout, but I had total access while the local news covered things as they unfolded as well as they could. The Monitor reported that one local station was shut down by the government for ‘inciting violence’. I also have to give credit to MTN, their Edge network remained solid as I’ve been able to send and receive information to and from two separate mobile devices with no major problems.
When situations like this occur, it feels like no one can get you news fast enough. In this case, I turned to my web based social networks for updates as did the people connected to me. I live here, but not having a TV or a Radio meant that Twitter, Facebook and my mobile phone became my sole news sources.
Hopefully the worst is behind us.
You can follow the coverage via Twitter with #kampala or via realtime search engines like Scoopler and OneRiot. Of course you can always follow us @appfrica on Twitter as well.
Photo: Courtesy BBC
Update 11/9/09: The reports of violence via word of mouth and the official reports are increasing. At around 8am came the first reports of continued violence, at 11am I got word that some had shifted closer to the office. I gave the staff the rest of the day off but am letting them stay there for internet and shelter if they decide it’s too dangerous to come home. Of course they are also welcome to visit other locations that belong to us. Not getting much news from the big outlets but Twitter is delivering big time…even from Uganda. Follow @solomonking for more. Hope the networks stay up today.