This past week I read an article that was like one of those gusts of fresh air when you step out of a stuffy bus.
Here it is
There has been a relentless push by the government and by extension Kenyan media in trying to show that the country is vitally important to everybody and that the anti-imperialist rhetoric by our president actually means something. We have come to believe that we can overcome anything, s long as our president and his deputy are in the country. Apparently being young and digital ready is not enough
I find it hilarious that one of the first things our president did after taking the instruments of power is to change his official car from the normal Mercedes limousine to a Range Rover Sport. In my minds eye this is a subliminal message as to the allegiance of the establishment. Forget the smoke and mirrors made up of the public spats between Nairobi and 10 Downing street. The choice of personal taste and the family history tells us more than we need to know.
There is a common stream of thought that alleges we can survive without the west and that all we need is China for our prosperous future. Everybody seems to forget that China depends on western consumerism and more specifically the US. Sure they have a seat on the Security council but this is more about them crafting their own policies and working on their industries than with defiance and rejection of all things western.
Strength will only come from efficiency, social investment and less politics. In my opinion the institution that fails us the most is the mainstream media. Make that all media. Blogs and social media save for a few characters on twitter simply regurgitate the irritatingly inspirational ramblings of political types.
The behavior may easily be explained by the motive of maximizing profit. Shareholders are interested in the returns and so the mundane rules the headlines and the airwaves. This winds up becoming a self replicating monster seeing as the politicians constantly in the public’s eye wind up stirring emotions by their simple words and wield so much power that the influence all the media houses. And the cycle continues.
In light of this media circus, the government continues to try and stifle all opposition whether foreign or locally launched by legislating curious laws such as those limiting foreign funding on NGOs and making investigative media reporting abit more difficult. As all this goes on the resounding din from the sometimes unsynchronized social media accounts always insisting on the future and forgetting the past. Accept and move on is the mantra.
This will be a long 5 years.