By Charles Muhumuza
On the 24th of February, a rainy Thursday, a group of creatives including writers, poets and artists, gathered at the cozy, art-filled Casa de Roy to attend a literature workshop which was held in partnership with the French embassy in Uganda.
Held under the theme “copyright law, how writers can navigate digital spaces”, the creatives gathered warmth in the knowledge from facilitators across different disciplines.
The event started with an ice-breaking game of Otyo, which after raising the excitement ended in a stalemate. Samuel Bonnaud-le Roux opened the workshop with an insightful presentation on the legal framework of copyright under the European and French systems, before Daniella Khanani, a lawyer and award-winning blogger gave a detailed analysis of the Ugandan perspective. A gem to take home from her words was that copyright law protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves. One must create the art before one claims any copyright over an idea they had.
After a refreshing tea break, Crystal, the founder of Scribe House, a Ugandan-based publishing house took over the floor and took writers through the A to Z of getting published. It is an incredibly tedious and necessary process. she also gave her two cents on the changing world of publishing in the digital world and advised that before a writer seeks publishing, they should have the capacity to sell at least 200 copies through their own networks.
Published authors Michelle Ivy and Lisa Rwaboni took us through their publication journeys, with Michelle opting for e-versions and Lisa going through with print publication. Both have been met with tremendous success despite the pitfalls they found along the way.
The evening descended into a light moment of more coffee, talk and photography. It was an educative and refreshing course on copyright for all the attendees.
Special thanks to the French Embassy in Uganda for making this happen.
Here are some photos from the event
