By Joel Besekesi
HE the Vice President of Uganda Prof. Gilbert Bukenya has officially opened 
the People’s Space at Hotel Africana, Kampala. The space is set aside to allow the general public to get involved in the deliberations of the much awaited Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Dr. Bukenya moved around the different tents in the People’s Space and was mesmerized by what he saw. Notable was the cultural space which the Vice President said reminded him of his childhood days as he played with some of the instruments.
The Vice President had the opportunity of joining the conversation on the People’s Blog when he moved to the media section. He said he was sure that the people’s blog would be an important way for people to air their views on the discussions at the various forums.
In a short interview conducted by Joel Besekezi, one of the official bloggers, Dr Bukenya suggested that the People’s Space should be maintained even after CHOGM so that people can continue to interact freely about any topical issues. Being the first of its kind in any of the CHOGM events, Dr. Bukenya encouraged the next hosts of CHOGM to take a leaf from Uganda’s experience on how to bring the general public on board.
If you can’t see the video below, click here.
In his speech, the Vice President expressed gratitude to the organizers of the people’s space for the efforts put in to make it a reality. He also thanked the young talents for composing the CHOGM song, under the guidance of local artiste Halima Namakula. The song talks about the beauty of Uganda as the pearl of Africa.
An excerpt from the vice president’s opening in video. If you can’t see it, click here.
All are welcome to the People’s Space at the Africana Hotel at no cost, at any rime from 12 noon onwards.
