By Alinda Shivan Muhwezi and Mary Diana Nangobi.
Edutainment is a term used to refer to content that is both educational and entertaining. TikTok, a popular social media platform, has successfully merged the use of entertainment and digital social spaces to educate people online.
With millions of people subscribing to the platform to create content on food, art, dance, health, fashion, medicine, and business, even lawyers are taking this novel bull by the horns and using TikTok as a platform to showcase their work and share both information and knowledge of how the law works.
BarefootLaw, as a leader in the digital innovation space, has also contributed to the wealth of knowledge online by creating and curating content specific for the TikTok audience.
In Uganda, the statistics show that 5.5 million people use the TikTok platform and 69% of these are aged 25–34 years.[1] This presents us with a unique demographic that enjoys being entertained yet also faces day-to-day legal issues such as employment matters, domestic cases, and contractual disputes, among others.
Considering the above, BarefootLaw in 2022 opened a TikTok page dedicated to posting light yet engaging legal content to target this demographic. The nature of the content put on the BarefootLaw page is short video clips that usually narrate a legal challenge and its consequent solution.
The page has had incredible success, growing from 3,000 followers to 37,000 followers in less than three years. It is an innovative way to reach younger audiences who are not on Facebook but still face legal challenges in their day-to-day life.
In the two and a half years of the page’s existence, we have found that it is easier to relay legal information to people by telling short and interesting stories that relate to daily experiences followers could find themselves in.
These videos equip our audience with legal knowledge to tackle day-to-day legal challenges. In cases where persons have questions or cases to report following a video, BarefootLaw offers free legal guidance and information services to those who reach out.
These legal consultations may come in as walk-ins (where people look up our address and come physically to the office to meet a lawyer), or as online engagements through WhatsApp or phone calls.
BarefootLaw is a pioneer in using social media to deliver legal information to the public in a fun, simple, and accessible way. By doing so, it helps bridge the access-to-justice gap by empowering people with the knowledge they need to take legal action and protect their rights, interests, and freedoms.
For example, BarefootLaw posted a video on how to apply for a change of name from the National Identification and Registration Authority. This video went viral, reaching over 400,000 people. As a result, hundreds of people contacted BarefootLaw to learn about how to acquire National Identification Cards, how to correct errors on these cards, and other related issues. This information shared in a TikTok video allowed these people to enjoy their right to citizenship, including owning a valid National ID.
Similarly, BarefootLaw posted a video addressing the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. The result was hundreds of people reaching out to our lawyers to review their tenancy agreements, to guide them on how such agreements should be written, and to advise on how to legally handle tenancy disputes. This information equipped our followers with the knowledge and tools to protect their rights to property and the rights guaranteed under the Landlord and Tenancy Act.
TikTok is a communication tool that allows people around the world to share their experiences and tell their stories. BarefootLaw has harnessed the power of this tool to serve our vision—to see communities thrive and people live peacefully.
As the videos go out, we are committed to not only demystifying the law but also making access to legal information as easy as having a TikTok account.
The Uganda Communications Commission Annual Communications Sector Report 2023. ↑
