RAP>> Politics • Uganda
“People in Ukraine took over power. Celebrated a few days, then the party went sour…,” raps Sharon Bwogi, aka Lady Slyke, on NewzBeat, a weekend show that airs on Uganda’s channel NTV in both English and Luganda, the local language. A rap rendition of a news item on the political situation in Ukraine might sound strange, but the new show in this East African nation hopes to grab audience’s attention through rap. Media censorship restricts information in this country where half of the population are under 15 years.
NewzBeat airs on free-to-air channel NTV and is recorded in an independent studio in a suburb outside Kampala. Each episode includes a mix of four or five international and local stories and a human interest, sport and entertainment piece. The show also features a 13-year-old anchor MC Loy. She is still in school but acts as one of the youngest “rapping journalist”.
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