At a time when algorithms dominate screens and attention spans are auctioned to the highest bidder, veteran Ugandan actor and playwright John Ssegawa stood before industry players with a message that felt both urgent and deeply personal: television is not dying. It’s being challenged to remember its purpose.
Speaking during the launch of events to mark 20-years of NTV Uganda, Ssegawa didn’t just reminisce. He reflected, questioned, and, at times, challenged the very institution he praised.
For Ssegawa, art is not decoration; it is a mirror. A reflection of society. And in his view, NTV has played a critical role in holding that mirror steady, especially when it comes to speaking truth to power. Through music, film, and storytelling, he argued, the station has amplified voices that might otherwise have been drowned out.
But celebration quickly gave way to concern. Technology, he noted, has reshaped the battlefield. Apps and algorithms are fast, seductive, and everywhere. For many creatives, it feels like a losing fight. Yet Ssegawa urged resilience, grounding his argument in what he called television’s three irreplaceable pillars of trust, family, and national moments.
Ssegawa called for intentional action, starting with investing in local stories. Uganda, he argued, is rich with narratives, yet screens are flooded with imported telenovelas from Latin America and Asia. “Why,” he questioned, “are we obsessed with international stories when our own remain untold?”
He also warned against lowering standards. Television, he said, must remain the gatekeeper of quality, backed by research, editorial rigor, and a commitment to credibility. Without that, it risks becoming just another noisy platform.
Ssegawa acknowledged the doors NTV has opened over two decades, transforming artists into household names, turning creatives into professionals, and bridging the gap between art and mainstream media.
He pointed to how theater itself found new life on television, with Luganda plays reimagined into episodic formats that captivated audiences and even inspired dedicated local channels.
It was proof, he suggested, of what happens when institutions believe in local art.
He, however, challenged broadcasters to engage corporate partners to position art not as entertainment alone but as a tool for nation-building, rooted in culture, identity, and shared values.