RoboCop in Uganda

From travel documents, certificates and banknotes to perhaps one of the most striking products that adorn the streets: political posters. The posters not only serve as a commercial product, but also function as an act of resistance. Characterized by a Hollywood visual language, the colorful images printed on cardboard show a world in which Western world powers are challenged, and controversial political leaders are presented as resistance heroes. Using a typical low-budget aesthetic that is reminiscent of the early days of the internet, Donald Trump, Sadam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, among others, are depicted as action heroes from Hollywood films such as RoboCop, Rambo or Darth Vader. The RoboCop in Uganda exhibition provides insight into how these posters are created and what role they play within the political culture in the country.

The selection of posters in the exhibition is based on the photo book Nasser Road by Belgian professor Kristof Titeca, which was nominated for the Paris Photo Aperture First Photobook Award in 2023. For twenty years, Titeca has been collecting these political posters, which come from a small group of designers on Nasser Road. They are an essential part of the printing industry in Uganda and find their way from street vendors to hairdressers, catering establishments and living rooms.