The battles I fought at the BBC - Allan Kasujja

Ugandan journalist Allan Kasujja has opened up about the challenges he faced during his 13-year tenure at the BBC, where he dedicated his efforts to pushing a fairer and more representative narrative about the continent. 

In an interview on ‘The Long Form Podcast’, Kasujja reflected on his decision to leave the broadcaster, revealing that he ultimately felt the institution had ceased to meet his personal and professional standards for African coverage.

Upon arriving at the BBC, Kasujja says, he quickly realised he was no longer ‘a big fish in a small pond’ that he used to be in Kampala. 

He was immediately struck by the sheer volume of talent and experience surrounding him. 

“The first thing you realise when you start working at the BBC is that even if you were a big fish in a pond, here you are going to be a big fish in an ocean,” he noted. 

He described finding colleagues with deep expertise, people who had “met presidents and prime ministers and worked in countries you have never heard of.”

However, this intellectual disparity was also his secret weapon. He realised that while his colleagues might possess impressive academic qualifications, they often lacked lived experience on the continent. 

“While these people are educated and have PhDs in certain fields; they don’t know what Kampala is; they’ve never been to Kigali; they have never lived the way I have, they don’t speak the language that I speak. I would rather use that to my advantage.”

Kasujja framed his time at the BBC not as a subservient role, but as a reciprocal relationship. He believes the institution had to work for him by allowing him the platform to challenge entrenched perspectives. 

“I believe the BBC was working for me. I was not necessarily working for it,” he explained. He stated that when the broadcaster stopped meeting his personal key performance indicators (KPIs) for promoting a balanced African view, it was time to move on.

The journalist revealed he "fought so many wars" and pushed hard to ensure that “the important questions are asked and that African nations are seen and given a fair shake.”

He alluded to specific, sensitive disputes, stating that he “fought battles that I will never discuss.” 

While he was never directly instructed to follow any official editorial line, he understood that narratives are often driven by powerful, like-minded external pressure groups. 

“You must understand how the world works. You will find that if there is a person who doesn’t like President Paul Kagame. He will find some like-minded people and they will make sure that they are visible to the BBC and the BBC will ride on it."

Despite praising the many Africans doing “incredible work” inside the BBC, Kasujja said Africa’s stories must originate from Africans themselves.

He stressed that the ultimate responsibility for shaping Africa’s story lies with Africans themselves.