Impact
of Symbols in Political and Social Movement Mobilization
A
case Study of Uganda
Submitted
By
European University Center for Peace Studies
Schlaining
– Austria
Supervisor
Table of Contents
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 2: Political Movements in Uganda
2.1 Background to Political Movements in Uganda
2.2 Major Political Parties in Uganda
2.3 Registration Process of Political Parties
2:4 Impotance of Political Parties
Chapter 3: The Power of Symbols in Political
Mobilization
3.1 Definition of symbols
3.2 The Culture of Symbols in Uganda
3.3 List of Political Party Symbols in Uganda
3.4 Features of Symbols
3.5 Role of Symbols in Political and Social Mobilization
3.6 List of Symbols used by Political Parties in Uganda
Chapter 4: Symbols and Mobilization
4.1 Critical Analysis of Symbols as Tools for
Mobilization
4.3 Conclusions
Chapter 5
Way Forward
Acronyms & Abbreviations
AP
Action
Party
BP Brigade
Party
COSEVO Congress Service Volunteers Organization
CP
Conservative
Party
DP
Democratic
Party
FPU
Farmers’
Party of Uganda
FDC
Forum
for Democratic Change
FIL Forum
for Integrity in Leadership
JEEMA Justice
Forum
KY
Kabaka
Yeka
LDT Liberal Democratic Transparency
MDC Movement
for Democratic Change
NRM
National
Resistance Movement
NPP National
Peasants Party
NAPO National People's Organization
NRP National
Redemption Party
NURP National
Unity and Reconciliation Party
NYRO National
Youth Revolutionary Organization
NOD
National
Order Democracy
PAP Progressive
Alliance Party
PDP People's
Development Party
PIP People's
Independent Party
PUM People's
United Movement
PPD
Popular
People's Democracy
UEP Uganda Economic
Party
UMP Uganda Mandate
Party
UNLA Uganda National
Liberation Army
UNLF Uganda National
Liberation Front
UPM Uganda
Patriotic Party
UPC Uganda People's
Congress
UPP Uganda People's
Party
Chapter
1
Introduction
Political
support is not seen in words but the number of people that rally support for a
particular candidate. Recent politics in Uganda dictate that politicians
seek support through active mobilization. Mobilization takes the form of
applying any means possible to get the support of the people. Many times
Mobilization strategies have put to the fore the importance and significance of
political communication tools like images, signs, Gestures and symbols.
In
a country where the literacy rates stand at ….and where the majority of voters
are semi-literates, the politicians have a big task to communicate to their
electorates in a simple and easily comprehensible language. The use of symbols
comes in as a big tool for political and social communication.
Sydney
Arrow in his book "Social Movement, collective action and
politics" says "the catholic symbols that surrounded the
polish workers movement when it burst out on the Baltic coast in 1980 shows
that symbolism must be culturally resonant to fire the people's minds".
During
a political rally in 2001, presidential aspirant Kiiza Besigye flashed a hammer
in his hand and a nail in another signaling to his supporters that he had come
to pull out the nail from the regime. He however lost the election but came
back to contest in 2006 under the Forum for democratic change with a Key as his
symbol. The key symbolized assured entry to the state house.
In
Nambole stadium, the ruling National movement party (NRM) convened a party
delegates conference where all the party supporters wore yellow t-shirts with
the Bus symbol showing that the ruling party was still strong and on the move,
and not even a hammer would pull it out of its way.
Earlier
in 1996, the NRM party president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni used a grinding stone
popularly known as "Olubengo" to show that he had a big task ahead of
him and was ready to take it on. The grinding stone in many cultures is a heavy
stone found in many rural homes used to grind cereals.
All the above scenarios portray the use of symbols to
attract support and mobilize the masses into action. This paper will seek to
analyze the Nature and influence of the symbol as tools for communication and
mobilization in Uganda.
The paper will also look at some abstract and rather controversial symbols that
have worked negatively as tools of mass mobilization.
Anthony
Smith describes symbols as "part of a “quartet” of “myths, memories,
values, and symbols” that is crucial to the survival of such identities across
time".
While
John Gillis asserts that if identity and memory go hand in hand, then symbols
are the medium to evoke the shared understandings of such group memories.
Symbols are important as tools of communication and
mass mobilization partly because they provide a shared podium for
communication, elicit strong emotions and also provide easy means of branding a
political or social movement. Symbols have also been found effective tools for
evoking emotions and Nostalgia which often times works on the minds of the
people to make their political decisions.
Symbols
have been actively invoked by politicians from various points of views ranging
from student riots, violent protests, and war.
But
as Alexander Motyl, “Inventing Invention: The
Limits of National Identity Formation,” elites cannot simply invent
any symbols that they wish and have them accepted by the population; instead,
elites are tightly constrained by the life world and experiences of the masses.
For example, decades of government efforts to force the resonance of socialist
symbols in Romania
and other countries were not enough — the acceptance of symbols cannot simply
be imposed from above, but requires a complex process of grassroots
interactions over time".
With close to 30 political parties in Uganda the
quest for support becomes more competitive and pushes politicians into a strong
urge to mobilize the support of the masses with as much ease as possible.
The electoral commission –EC Act stipulates that every
political party should submit a symbol to the EC which must not be identical to
the already existing symbols.
The paper therefore seeks to find out the Nature and
Choice of symbols used by the different political parties, and their influence
on public discourse and debate and the overall mobilization efforts.
