Tools of Protest

Brief

Design a way in which activists can effectively deliver their message without causing harm to the carrier(s).

Workshops

These were brief workshops aimed towards gaining insight into the perspectives and preferences of participants in the ways individuals engage with tools for protest at their disposal, ultimately informing their choice of methodolody. The individual workshops were conducted online through Zoom and Google Meet for average durations of 15 minutes each on 4 participants. However, due to the sensitive nature of the topic and to be able to protect the participant identities, only reference material was retained.

Workshop structure

By focussing the workshop to Uganda's specific socio-political environment, this approach ensured that the research is not only relevant but also addresses the intricacies of activism in the country, fostering a workshop that is both culturally sensitive and insightful structured as follows.

• Introductions and discussing an overview of Uganda's political stance and the evolution of protest methods. This was done by discussing recent events and their impact on the protest landscape.
• Discussing their individual choice of protest approach and its implications.
• Icebreaker Activity: Participants were requested to choose an emoji that best reflects their protest approach.
• Ideation on physicalisation of the emojis that would incorporate culturally relevant features into protest tools, emphasising the need for designs that are accessible across different demographics.
• Reflection on how the workshop insights can contribute to positive changes in Uganda's digital protest landscape.

The results are represented as a social media prototype, Instagram – designed in Figma with the chosen emoji and the underlying meaning behind them.

Participant one

The first participant chose the fire emoji, which to them signified a ‘burning’ passion for change of the status quo throught activism, viewing their involvement as a powerful force for igniting social transformation.

Participant two

The second participant chose the microphone emoji indicating a desire for amplified voices, representing a tool for activists to broadcast their messages and advocate for change on a much wider platform. This resonated with Ugandan majority opposition leader Kyagulanyi Robert who is a musician and has inspired multitudes of the younger generation through his ‘edutainment’ music.

Participant three

The third participant chose the mask emoji which symbolised the need for anonymity and protection, highlighting the reality that many activists in Uganda face potential risks and repercussions for expressing dissent.

Participant four

The fourth participant chose the peace emoji signifying a commitment to non-violent forms of protest, underscoring a desire for positive change and stability in a political landscape marked by historical unrest.

Extracting meaning

These diverse emoji choices collectively painted a nuanced picture of the motivations and strategies employed by Ugandan activists as they navigate the complex political terrain in their pursuit of a more just and equitable society. However, although unaccounted for, the workshops focussed a great deal on the individual ordeals and trying moments some of the participants went through and to this, a great error was made.

At crossroads

The realities of being from an African descent and being born in a country that has not had a change of Presidency in the last 37 years (Tripp, 2010) soon kicked in and to counter the bias, I was to interact with people from various nations in addition to utilising methods out of my normal area of reach.

Furthermore, while this project carried good intentions, some data-gathering methods would indicate a depiction of rebellion of some sort and causing unwanted attention, injury, legal repercussions or other unforeseen negative effects to participants. At the same time, the project was comprised of a delicate and sensitive topic that was going to require a substantial amount of time and input from technical know-who and know-how and inorder to neutralise this, my course of action would be to undertake it with an extra touch of ‘careful’ in addition to some research methods being done under-the-radar (Kleinknecht, Scott and Sanders, 2018).

Parking the project

However much I would have loved to see the project through, I had to park it due to the following:

• The constant feeling of a heavier weight of having to do more than I probably would have in my capacity as the sole individual on the project.
• The numerous amount of compromises to protect my research participants hindered my thought‐making process to produce a design outcome.
• My focus on the personal experiences of my research participants was perhaps not a good idea both for my mental health and as inspiration for design outcomes thus, it was a healthier option to take a break or put the project to a halt.

References

Kleinknecht, S.W., Scott, L.-J.K. van den and Sanders, C.B. (2018). The Craft of Qualitative Research: A Handbook. [online] Google Books. Canadian Scholars, Page 60.

Tripp, A. 2010. Musevenis Uganda: Paradoxes of Power in a Hybrid Regime. Boulder, USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Available here.