Remember that Koro Youth Development Association building? Remember how it was painted with an advertisement for a booze distributor? Well how did that happen anyways? It is a very common sight in Uganda to see buildings painted with an advertisement for a company, often a company that has nothing to do with what the store sells.
This store does not sell cellphones in the middle of a cornfield.
This store does not sell Maharajas. But what if it did?!?!?
I have long wondered how this comes to pass, and finally asked a couple of Ugandan friends and got an answer. Basically, a company will come into a town with some idea of how many buildings it wants to paint. It approaches store owners - usually targeting those with worn paint- offering to paint their store for free if the store owner doesn't mind that it is painted with their advertisement. As it turns out, a free coat of paint induces most shop owners to agree to this deal! Apparently these deals usually involve some sort of time the shop owner needs to keep the paint up, but there are absolutely no consequences if they change it the next day.
So there you have it! A burning question finally answered!
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