President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni

Political protests in Uganda are taking a turn toward the literary, and meeting with censorship from the government, Rodney Muhumuza reports for the Associated Press. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986—that’s twenty-seven years—and while he was initially hailed as a part of a new group of progressive African leaders, he’s faced criticism recently for issues such as the abolition of presidential term limits and harassment of democratic opposition. With Musavesi’s government clamping down on street protestors, some activists have turned to the written word to make their voices heard.

Opposition activist Norman Tumuhimbise is the author of Behind the Devil’s Line, in which he attacks the Museveni for “arrogance” and compares him to Muammar Gaddafi. When Tumuhimbise was interrogated by police officers about who the titular devil was intended to represent, he told them to read the book and see for themselves; but yesterday he acknowledged, “The devil, to be frank, is the president. The longer Museveni stays in power, the more he becomes a liability to this country.” Retired army officer John Kazoora also wrote a book criticizing the president, condemning for making “a complete U-turn” from his promising early days in office, calling it “a betrayal.” He tells the AP that he suspects the 16,000 copies of his self-published work were purchased by government agencies in order to destroy them: “The books were quickly bought. It’s now difficult to get a copy.”

Tumuhimbise has also had trouble getting his book to the public. Local bookstores have refused to carry it, so he carries copies with him that he sells to trusted agents, also worried that the government will try to buy all copies to suppress his message. The state, meanwhile, has done its best to dismiss the books. Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo says that it’s mere propaganda that doesn’t deserve a wide readership and that “if demonizing the president can help him build his profile, then he will not be the first one. He’s joining a long list of people.”

Muhumuza reports that security forces in the Ugandan capital of Kampala have recently used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse, and that opposition politicians have had their movements restricted. With discourse and criticism of Museveni being limited this way, authors like Tumuhimbise cling to the hope that their writing can rally the public and effect political progress.