Want a free ride to work? Hop on the Minibuzz. The only fare to pay is your two cents - that is, your opinion. Passengers on this Kampala-bound minivan are filmed as they discuss the news of the day.

"Minibuzz is the only platform in Uganda where ordinary people have a voice," says 28-year-old Brian Mulondo, the presenter of this popular TV programme that is shot and produced in a minivan. "The show is unrehearsed, not scripted and the people are not screened."

The concept is simple but effective. The Minibuzz drives from the outskirts of Kampala to the city centre, picking up commuters. Sometimes it goes upcountry to gather opinions from different parts of the nation.

Along the way, whoever accepts the free ride enters the minivan. Wherever a passenger sits, a camera is ready to film and a microphone ready to record everyday people discussing current affairs. As Mulondo and his co-host, Anne Kansiime, get an animated debate going, a technician sitting next to the driver is already doing some pre-editing as he picks the best shots.

In the evening, hundreds of thousands Ugandans tune in to watch the show on TV.

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Influence

"Our programme has a lot of influence," says Mulondo who also presents the shows Trickstars and Better Living. "Recently, we recorded the programme in Arua, in the far north-west of Uganda. People there complained that they were only given electricity for three hours per week. Soon after that episode was broadcast, work on a nearby hydropower dam suddenly resumed, and a few months later, it was completed and Arua's power supply increased dramatically."

Minibuzz is aired on Uganda's most viewed channel, NTV, which is part of Kenya's Nation Media Group. A similar programme is broadcast in Kenya, though the idea was first put into practice in Tanzania's financial capital, Dar es Salaam, and its format originates from Dar-based TV producer Frank Bierens.

"This is an example of project that is funded by aid money which has a great impact," says Mulondo, referring to financing by the Dutch NGO Hivos.

Minibuzz producer Ssanyu Kalibbala notes that the programme offers employment to 14 people.

"Eventually, we want to become self-sustainable," she adds.

Balancing act

The makers of Minibuzz are highly aware of the power of the media.

"We don't allow people to be abusive," says Mulondo. "It happened only once that we really got into trouble - that is, when some insults were made about a certain ethnic group in western Uganda. We agree that this can be dangerous. Look at Rwanda in 1994, after all, it were the media that played a large role in the genocide."

Though Minibuzz seems keen to push boundaries, its makers are also sensitive to how Uganda's democratic space seems to be narrowing. In recent years, there have been several cases of reporters being jailed or beaten.

"Definitely there are topics which are off-limits for us," says Mulondo. "In fact, we argue in the office every day. Should we do this, can we do that? I would love to hear the views of the people about a female president, but Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni once came out and said that discussion is closed. So we can't bring on that topic."

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