Personally, I regard Jesus Christ as among the first spokespersons on Earth, because he spoke for a religious cause on behalf of Him who sent him. Others in this class are Muhammad (PBUH). Spokespersons can be hated or liked in equal measure, but above all, one must be passionate about what he is doing. He must have a command of policies and other protocols of the organization at his fingertips.
Spokespersons like Jesus Christ, who had been deployed here to drum up the cause for Christianity, suffered at the hands of a ruling class and other sinners at that time. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was almost killed by his own relatives for his message of telling the Meccans to turn away from their evil practices.
Spokespersons face harassment and can be killed or arrested for defending the cause of the organization. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently, the M23 Rebel spokesperson was among those who were sanctioned by the Western world for speaking in favour of the M23 rebellion.
He was sanctioned for doing his work. During the Iraq war, the government spokesperson was among those deemed as dangerous by the Americans, and thus he was sanctioned. When the USA captured Saddam Hussein in 2003, the spokesperson fled, and later on, after some years in hiding, he resurfaced. However, on checking the list of the most wanted persons under Saddam Hussein, the spokesperson had been exonerated. I think somebody realized this man was merely doing his job.
But who is a spokesperson, and what are his roles in an organization (cultural institution) or government department?
Two useful definitions can be suggested here on who a spokesperson is. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, a spokesperson is a person who speaks on behalf of an organization, and his role involves conveying information, opinions, or statements to the public.
More or less in support of the above, the Law Dictionary, an online legal material, defines a spokesperson as a well-known person serving as a regular voice for a cause.
Spokespersons, either for the military, cultural institutions, police, or any government department for that matter, speak officially for that particular organization. In many cases, their word counts more than anybody else’s on policy positions of the organization or clarifications on particular issues.
Spokespersons act as the official voice of that organization, and one’s primary role is to communicate information, official positions, and policies of the organization to the public, media, and other stakeholders.
This normally involves conveying the entity’s views accurately and professionally, even when his own opinions are contrary to what he is saying.
The spokesperson disseminates information about the organization’s activities, policies, and initiatives to the public through the available channels like press releases, media interviews, and public addresses.
Other roles executed by spokespersons of whichever organization include representation. The spokesperson represents the organization’s official position on various issues, ensuring consistency and clarity.
The skills and popularity of a spokesperson are also put to the test during a particular crisis in an organization, e.g., sacking of particular persons for whatever reason. Sometimes the sacking of particular officials, if they are reasonably senior, may plunge the organization into disarray. You need good public relations skills to calm the storm.
As a spokesperson of the Bugisu cultural institution, when the government made corrections on the name of the cultural institution from Inzu Ya Masaba, which was a company name, to Bugisu Cultural Institution in line with Article 10 of the Ugandan Constitution and Schedule 3 of the Constitution of Uganda, a few persons wanted to tag this corrigendum on us as the current leadership of Bukuka. Using radios, UBC TV, and media platforms such as Daily Monitor, Daily Express, and The Ankole Times, including press releases, we were able to inform the Bamasaaba on the true facts. Corrigenda can only be effected by relevant ministers, not just anybody. It is only the Gender Minister clothed with the power to correct names of cultural institutions in line with the law. To this, our people listened to us and knew the minister’s role in making any corrections that were uncorrected before.
Spokespersons must develop the art of taking on such wrong groups, which by nature are determined to distort the official position of an organization and create a contrary position, different from what is envisaged by the organization. Spokespersons must softly dismantle such negative groups by bringing them to order and giving the official versions of their organization.
I recall with nostalgia how one Dr. Khisa wrote a very serious missive against the person of the cultural leader of the Bamasaaba people, and I went for him in the same way, until he apologized to His Highness, the Umukuka of the Bamasaaba people.
To achieve the above objectives, one needs to have a command of basic media skills, legal skills, and writing skills, and broad knowledge on a number of issues. Incessant consultations on what to say in a press release may demonstrate incompetence.
The spokesperson should be a respected person to push the cause and well-trained, or should continuously be trained by the organization. He should be a pro-people person or well-known in order to be listened to, otherwise the cause may fail.
In 2020, when the current Umukuka was fighting for leadership of Bukuka, he contacted me through his agents to use my media links and promote him as Umukuka after he had been elected and other claimants surfaced fighting for the same. I said I would take up the task, and here we are now. We pushed for the gazette, and he was gazetted in 2023, and he is serving his people with many projects around. I am moving in schools to talk to all learners in primary, secondary, and university about education.
The writer is the spokesperson of the Bugisu Cultural Institution
Tel: 0782231577
