Select any literary text (song, novel, movie, play, poem) art and justify why it should not circulate in Uganda’s public sphere. Refer closely to the anti-pornography act 2014: Katushabe Jean

Anti-pornography act 2014 was signed into law by His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on 6th February 2014. It summarizes the expected code of conduct in society to prevent crimes. Pornography means any representation through publication, exhibition, cinematography, indecent show, information technology, or whatever means of a person engaged in real or stimulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a person for primarily sexual excitement according to the Anti-pornography Act 2014. Publish means to put written information or make available written information to the public or any person through any print medium. John Francis Onyango one of the lawyers representing the petitioners notes that “the definition of pornography as stipulated in the Act and the use of vague terminology as ‘sexual excitement’ creates an offence that is overboard, vague and subjective in character in contravention of the principle of legality guaranteed by the constitution.” Prof. Sylvia Tamale says; “It presents a significant challenge to the gains made on the legal front around ensuring freedom over one’s body ad sexuality and must be seen as a dangerous step towards further infringement on civil rights and freedom of expression”. Traffic means to deal n or cause or permit or aid the provision or circulation of pornographic matter by way of trade or publishing or entertainment or programing or unrestricted internet access or any other means or purpose. The chairperson of the committee on legal and parliamentary affairs Hon. Stephen Tashobya said “Pornography is prohibited because of the dangers it poses to individuals, families and communities.” It is a threat in a way that some people get addicted to sex due to watching different blue movies. These people show many different sex styles which make people sexually aroused and want to try them out. This in the end leads to sexual immorality, fornication and unfaithfulness in marriages. This further leads to a wide spread of diseases like AIDS or any other sexual transmitted disease that threatens the growth of Uganda’s population. When the bill was introduced, a headline in Daily Monitor read; “Gov’t Tables Bill to outlaw Miniskirts”. The media houses crowned it by terming it as the “Anti-miniskirts bill”. However, all this was feigned because when the bill was signed, it never had any idea of mentioning about miniskirts. Pornography should not circulate in Uganda’s sphere mainly because it encourages or increases on immorality rates in the country for example in a movie “addicted” directed by Bill Woodruff in 2014 sex is the major theme through the main character who is a sex addict. This arouses sexual excitement especially in the teenagers which might lead to rape cases. This further brings about psychological torture to both the rapist and the victim who does harm to the latter. The rapist might be influenced because he is badly in need of sex due to the influence from the movie and regret it later. Miria Matembe a women rights activist argues that putting on short things which is strictly addressed to women is not pornography but instead pornography is on vivid things that lead people/men to fornication and other crimes. She is against the anti-miniskirts law and argues that things like blue movies, romantic literature, songs or any other publication can encourage immorality especially among men a reason to why it should circulate in Uganda’s sphere. This is against culture because it expresses sex as a public matter when actually it is a private matter hence not fitting to be in circulation. Pornography should not circulate in Uganda’spublic because it promotes health hazards like homosexuality and lesbianism which may lead to sexual addictions or spread of sexually transmitted infections. For example though the anti-pornography act,certain songs were put to a ban because of the messages involved. A song by Shakira and Rihanna titled “I can’t remember to forget you” was stopped from circulation in Uganda especially its video on televisions because it was luring people especially the youth into lesbianism due to Rihanna and Shakira’s moves, actions and message in the song. This makes it unfit to be in circulation because it corrupts morals. After passing of the anti-pornography Act 2014, different media houses banned the circulation of some videos especially on television stations like NTV, WBS and UBC. Most Jamaican music videos were stopped from being played on televisions because of their dirty content and messages in the songs. This is because such songs/videos promote indecency especially among the youth who try to copy the changing trends in fashion. Mid this year (2015), the media was restricted from publishing and showing blue movies especially from our fellow Ugandans like Desire Luzinda, Anita Fabiola and Robinah Mweruka by the anti-pornography Act 2014. All these were and are not fit to be in circulation because they encourage moral degeneration, loss of self respect especially to people involved in them and destroys the country’s image. In conclusion, pornography should not be permitted to circulate in Uganda’s public sphere due to different threats it poses to the public. Threats of pornography majorly aim at destroying people’s lives especially the youth instead of being used for the right purpose which could only benefit the married people in some cases. For this reason, the anti-pornography Act 2014 puts a penalty of 250,000 or not exceeding five years imprisonment or both incase one commits an offence through producing, publishing, broadcasting, procuring, importing, exporting, selling, or abetting any form of pornography. References Anti-Pornography Act 2014 Movie: Addicted by Bille Woodruff, 2014