BY NKOYOOYO KEZAALA BRIAN

Director Icebreakers Uganda.

+256 712 428 906

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In  2007,  Icebreakers  Uganda  under  Sexual  Minorities  Uganda  (SMUG)  worked

hand in hand with other LGBTI activists in organizing the, “LET US LIVE IN PEACE”

campaign in Oct. 2007 and the press conference which was set up to sensitize

the government and the society of Uganda about the existence of the LGBTI

community and also  to ask for tolerance from them in  order  to live in peace

and  harmony.  This  later  led  to  a  collaboration  with  AMAKULA  Kampala  Film

festival NOV. 2007.

 

USING VISUAL ART AND MUSIC TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION

 

Using visual arts and music to speak out.

Using  artistic  talents  of  members,  Icebreakers  Uganda  has  created

masterpieces that speak out to the world about LGBTI rights in Uganda. Some

of these include:



The masks  that  spoke  out  and  raised  questions worldwide  about

the situation of the LGBTI people in Uganda during the LET US LIVE IN PEACE

press conference.



The  banners  one  used  on  the  same  press  conference  that  also

spoke  out  and  another  for  LGBTI people  welcoming  CHOGM  people’s

space.



The t. shirts used during the campaign and during Victor Mukasa’s

court case that was ongoing during that time.



T-shirts  used  by  Freedom  and  Roam,  as  well  as  ICEBREAKERS

UGANDA.

 

Still  earlier  in  the  same  year,  a  member  of  Ice  breakers  Uganda  was

approached by Mathilda  Piehl,  the editor and  project manager at RFSL , The

Swedish  Federation  for  Lesbian,  Gay,  Bisexual  and  Transgender  Rights.  She

proposed to him  an idea  of composing two activism songs to  be used  in the

 

 

 

 

 

 

film  documentary  she  was  making  on  Uganda’s  LGBTI community  and  its

struggle for their Rights.

So he took up the proposal and composed two activism songs entitled “THERE

IS HOPE” (encouraging other activists and the LGBTI community at large not to

lose hope and join the struggle against homophobia) and “LGBTI (Children of

the  rainbow  flag)”  (talking  about  the ills  of  families,  society,  government  and

religious  leaders  and  also  pride  we  have  as  the  children  of  the  rainbow  flag

despite  al   that).  With  the  financial  help  from  RFSL,  These  two  songs  were

recorded.

After hearing from several Critics and friends about the songs, this opened up

my  eyes  and  ideas  came  to  start  working  on  a  project  entitled,  “ACTVISM

THROUGH MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS”

 

2.ACTVISM THROUGH MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS.

 

Music is listened to and enjoyed by everyone around the world. It is one of the

biggest and quickest media through which messages are conveyed. ‘Activism

through music’  is  a  project  which  is set  up  to  do  advocacy  and  lobbying  for

LGBTI rights,  sensitizing  on  HIV/AIDS  prevention  among  the  LGBTI community

and testimonies from LGBTI people in Uganda through music.

 

MISSION

To  sensitize,  advocate  for  LGBTI rights  and  air  out  fundamental  issues

concerning  LGBTI  community  as  a  minority  group  through  music  and  visual

arts.

 

TARGET.

 

The LGBTI community.

The  LGBTI community  is  left  out  in  many  implementations  of  the  country.  For

example,  the  struggle  against  HIV/AIDS  and  other  infections.  So  through  this

project, songs sensitizing the LGBTI community about HIV/AIDS and other STI wil 

be produced thus educating many through music.

Still many LGBTI people don’t ful y know the law and their rights, so through this

project, many will be sensitized about the law and their rights.

The  LGBTI  community  wil   be  sensitized  and  educated  on  many  issues

concerning us as the minorities in Uganda.

 

The local community.

The  local  community  around  us  has  a  misconception  about  the  LGBTI

community so through this project, many wil  be sensitized that we as the LGBTI

community are humans and live among them and we are no danger to them

or their children and all we  need  from them is tolerance and acceptance to

live in peace and harmony.