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The Royco brand is widespread on the African continent
Photo:
Sabine Beyerle / IMAGO
In mid-April, women with placards suddenly appeared at several intersections in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
They call themselves the »Association of Wives«, and their demands on their husbands sound little feminist: »Increase our pocket money!«, »Rivals are destroying our marriage!«, »Wives sometimes deserve trips to Dubai!«.
They complain: "Our men no longer eat at home."
Atuki Turner sees these pictures on the Internet and suspects that something is wrong here.
The Ugandan is a feminist activist by conviction.
She likes women per se who protest for their concerns.
But nothing like that has happened to her before.
"I wanted to express my criticism directly, because these demands were really weird," Turner recalls.
But she hesitates, not wanting to publicly stab women in the back.
But research by SPIEGEL now shows that the alleged women's rights demonstration was actually part of a guerrilla advertising campaign by the corporate giant Unilever.
For several days, an alleged women's movement was faked, sexist stereotypes were served - in the end to advertise the Royco brand, an aroma powder that is widespread in Africa.
Unilever owns 400 brands worldwide, which are sold in more than 100 countries.
The group has attracted attention in the past with traditional role models, but rarely has an advertising campaign been as sexist as it is currently in Uganda.
A spokesman for the police in Kampala said: »We registered the action as a promotional event for Royco.
But then these women suddenly appeared with their posters.« The officers then arrested the alleged activists – according to media reports, they spent 20 minutes at the police station.
However, SPIEGEL has information that even this detention was agreed with the police so that the campaign would attract even more attention.
An extremely cynical action in a state where government opponents are regularly arrested arbitrarily.
But the obvious goal of the PR campaign had long since been achieved: numerous media reported on the supposed demo, the hashtag #getmorefromyourhusband made the rounds, "get more from your husband." The topic went viral, Uganda suddenly discussed whether housewives more should get "Kameeza money".
Kameeza is a local term for a type of pocket money that husbands literally leave on their housewives' bedside tables so they can treat themselves.
If you try to reach the organizer of the "protests," you end up with the employee of a PR agency.
She is audibly annoyed and refuses to answer any questions.
Please leave the customer out of the picture, she says contritely.
The next act of the sexist play follows two days after the staged protests.
The alleged demonstrators are organizing a "women's conference" with an ambiguous announcement: the secret of a sparkling marriage is to be revealed.
In the end, something is actually revealed, and it's an oversized can of Royco, sort of beef.
A Ugandan television station reports live and continuously posts quotes from the alleged women's conference on Twitter.
Some examples:
“Women should learn to cook.
Put Royco in your food.
You won't complain anymore that your husband won't come home."
“If you want your husbands home, cook them something with Royco.
You will come back.'
A man also has his say: »Dear women, if you really want to see us at home, then respect us, leave us alone and cook us a good meal.«
DER SPIEGEL reached the moderator of the »women's conference«, Karitas Karimbi, on the phone.
She defends the event: »Royco only initiated the discussion.
But these are real problems in our society,” she claims.
Lydia Ndagire can only shake her head at this.
She heads the Resilient Women Organization, which works for women's rights in Uganda.
»Women are expected to beg money from their husbands instead of going to work themselves.
And Unilever wants to do dirty business with these stereotypes.«
Atuki Turner feels the same way.
Her organization Mifumi cares for victims of domestic violence.
"This campaign is not only malicious and cynical, but also dangerous," complains the feminist.
Numerous physical assaults against women in Uganda have their roots in disputes over food.
It doesn't need more reason to strike.
»The advertising campaign now strengthens the perpetrators' backs.
Unilever should be ashamed and stop this immediately,” Turner demands.
But even after the supposed women's conference, Unilever continues happily.
In the days that followed, posters popped up all over Kampala depicting a smiling woman in an apron with the perfect home behind her: “Get more from your husband.
The secret is Royco«.
Unilever country chief Joanita Menya is quoted as saying in a Ugandan online newspaper: »Women who cook with Royco make for grateful husbands.
This is how you can get your husband to increase the housekeeping allowance.”
After a written request from SPIEGEL, the Unilever group responsible is now trying to limit the damage.
The press office in London does not respond to specific questions, but says in general: "We are very sorry that the campaign has reproduced stereotypical gender roles.
We should have behaved differently and we will work it out to prevent something like this from happening again. "The campaign will end immediately.
As early as 2016, Unilever pledged to refrain from using sexist stereotypes in advertising campaigns and asked the competition to do the same.
Unilever marketing chief Keith Weed told the British BBC at the time that one has a responsibility to work for change “on a broader societal level”.
The group has probably not lived up to this claim.
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