International media urged to rethink their behavior in Africa

BBC. International media are under pressure to report ethically in Africa

Foreign media could soon let local journalists run their African business. 

Participants in BBC’s Africa Media Debate held in Kenya’s Multimedia University in Nairobi yesterday urged international media to consider changing the way they conduct business in Africa. 

Themed on enhancing the relevance of international traditional media in the competitive Africa media market, the event attracted media audiences, practitioners, entrepreneurs and scholars drawn from diverse backgrounds. 

“African media has grown tremendously over the years. Nevertheless, the international media comes in handy in filling voids left by local media,” said Salim Amin, Chairman, A24 Media.  

He faulted the Kenyan media in its cautionary approach to the 2013 General Elections. These sentiments were common amongst the panelists and the audience. 

But there was a general feeling amongst participants that international media are not living to the expectations of the African media consumer. 

Foreign media are disadvantaged in telling the African story, according to Mohamed Adow, Aljazeera’s roving correspondent for Africa. 

“Journalists parachute into African countries they know very little about and send out half-baked truths about Africa,” he said.

Sentiments on foreign journalists being less objective and more inclined towards infusing policies of their home countries to Africa were common across the audience.

“The problem with international media is that they tell the African story from an opinionated position,” contended Tony Gachoka, a Kenyan media strategist. 

When told by locals, African stories assume the required empathy, a participant observed.

In addition, participants felt that stakes by media owners were significant in explaining the apparent antagonism between local and international media in Africa. 

Responding to these issues, Peter Horrocks, head of BBC World Service, accentuated that the organization was keen to ensuring that it continues serving the African media market. 

BBC’s Africa Media Debate comes at a time when the international media are facing stiff competition in the African market. Mushrooming of local media that resonate with the masses, for instance, drives foreign media to adjust their behavior. 

Starting 2014, BBC World Service will no longer receive funding from the government. Instead, it will depend on proceeds from license fees.


With increased need for accountability, BBC needs to increase its relevance in global markets.

Go pick your ID, be heard

Leaving the youth out of political decision making is dangerous. Youths should collect IDs to participate in politics

When I read on the Daily Nation that over 300, 000 national identity cards are lying at Registrar of Persons offices unclaimed, I was perturbed. 

What could be wrong with the youth? Could they be still waiting for their parents to go collect the IDs for them? Who is denying the youth the chance to be heard?

Without these important documents, the youth contribute trivially to development. Financial transactions, even those running on the MPESA platform, have identification as a prerequisite. 

Lack of IDs excludes this cohort of youths from those who can count on entrepreneurship. Kenyans without national identity cards are not employable, too. This is not all. 

Youths lacking without their national identification cards are important when it comes to making political decisions. 

When Kenyans are debating on whether to have a referendum to ensure that the National Government relinquishes 40% of the taxes we collect to the counties, these youths should mute.  

Does it mean that the youth have no right to take part in matters affecting them directly? 

It reminds me of a comment on Facebook by Stephen Kimei in an update in which the initiator, perhaps aggrieved by the inaccessibility of the incumbent, sought counsel on whether to run for the Thange/Utithi (Kibwezi) County Representative post in the 2017 general elections. 

In a quick rejoinder, Kimei advised the apparently budding politician to focus on acquiring a national identity card first. 

At first, I found it comical. Later on, I could not help empathize with the poor chap, for his inability to auction his political aspirations.  Apparently, he lacked a national identity card. 

When the youth fail to participate in political processes, it should concern everyone. Sizeable part of the Kenyan population is made up of the youth. Marketers have always counted on this group for its consumerism. 

Political systems that do not accommodate opinions of the youth risk running into difficulties. The infamous uprisings in the Middle East were orchestrated by youths who had been gagged for decades.  

That Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were the meeting platforms for the organizers hints on the gargantuan role the youth played. 

Cognizant of the significance of youthful ideas in politics, some mature democracies have lowered their voting ages to 16 years. The United States is debating on lowering the majority age to 16. 

With the majority age at 16, it means that the youth can acquire national IDs and participate in political processes. It means more voices going into political decisions. Isn’t this beautiful? Not to everyone. 

Supporters of the status quo cannot cordon fresh ideas from the youth. Therefore, the rhetoric that the youth in Kenya are the leaders of tomorrow is vague. 

Voices of dissent on the youth voting claim that this group lacks sufficient political literacy. Some posit that the youth know nothing about the maze of political systems. 

Could this be the reason why civic education programs in third world countries (read Kenya) are seldom implemented? 

Anyone contending that the youth are not able to make political decisions, and by extension, any other decisions, have not interacted with the Njeri Chelimo, the 19-year-old techie who discarded pursuing a degree in Medicine to follow her newly found passion in programming. 

Chelimo failed to secure visa to join Hacker School in the United States. Burning with fire in her belly, she resolved to fundraise in order to build a replica Hacker School in Kenya, the first in Africa. It welcomes its first batch of students sometimes last week. 

The youth have done great exploits. They are capable of making decisions. They are significant in development. 

No one should concur with those attempting to belittle the youth. Sadly, it is unfathomable that the youth are betraying their ability to make decisions. They are playing into the hands of the status quo. 

By not collecting their national Identity cards, the youth are denying themselves an opportunity to play an active role in social development. Nothing is more frustrating.

Youths should match to Registrar of Persons offices and collect their identity cards. Those who registered in Nairobi should prioritize Kariokor District Registrar’s Office. Most certainly, their IDs will be among the 25, 132 lying idle in that office.

Asking counties to adopt vernacular as the official language outrageous

In Summary

• Historically, Kenyan communities have never been cohesive. Suspicions amongst ethnic communities are a reality. Attempting to extol vernacular languages in certain counties would dampen any efforts towards unity.

We should have seen it coming; with the whirlwind that devolution is stirring, it is safe to expect weird proposals. Some, like the call for counties to revert to vernacular languages (Nation, August 13), are outrageous.

The other day legislators in Kakamega attempted to sneak in Luhya dialects for use in the County Assembly. Forward thinking Kenyans rubbished this aspiration with the contempt it deserves.

On Tuesday, Dr Ogone John Obiero opined that county governments should recognise vernacular languages as official. In the article, “Make mother tongue official in counties,” Obiero argues this will enhance development, given the fact that 80 per cent of Kenyans speak a vernacular language.

According to Dr Obiero, “in some cases, several counties can use the same mother tongue”. Yet this is far-fetched. Any reader would expect the lecturer to recognise the precarious relationship amongst various communities in Kenya.

Historically, Kenyan communities have never been cohesive. Suspicions amongst ethnic communities are a reality. Attempting to extol vernacular languages in certain counties would dampen any efforts towards unity.

Having Kalenjin as the official language in Bomet, Kericho, Uasin-Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi and Nakuru counties will not go down well with the Asians, Ogiek, Kikuyu, Luo, Kamba, Kisii, Luhya and Maasai living in these counties.

Turning vernacular languages into languages for transacting official business will entrench tribalism. When people are proud of what they do as an ethnic group, danger looms.Cultural superiority easily breeds prejudice. With an environment in which some communities perceive others as inferior, development cannot take root. Instead, it stirs a quagmire.

Language is powerful in transmitting culture. Bundling people from different cultural backgrounds together in a single native language is unfair. It breeds dissent.

How will counties interact when they have different official languages? Take business documents penned in different languages crossing from one county to the other.

Unless the counties set aside funds to translate the contents of the documents, counties will not be able to interact. How do you say mitochondria in your native language?

Methinks that Kenya should strive towards global relevance. International languages make it easy to interact with any county. That we require vernacular to participate in governance is careless.


PIUS MAUNDU, Eldoret

http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters/For+counties+to+adopt+vernacular+as+official+language+outrageous/-/440806/1948290/-/52ojjkz/-/index.html

Do not allow vernacular languages in county assemblies

County governments should use English and Swahili as the only official languages

Anybody should have seen this coming. With the whirlwind that devolution is stirring, it is safe to expect weird hallucinations. However, some, like the call to recognize vernacular languages, are outrageous. 

The other day legislators in Kakamega attempted to sneak in Luhya dialects for use in the county assembly. Today, Dr. Ogone John Obiero wrote on the Daily Nation that county governments should recognize vernacular languages as official languages. 

In the article, titled “Make mother tongue official in counties,” Obiero argues using vernacular languages will enhance development at the counties. He takes pride in the fact that 80% of Kenyans own a vernacular language.

Using vernacular languages, according to Obiero, is much easier with the county governments in place. “In some cases, several counties can use the same mother tongue,” writes the linguistics, languages and literature lecturer at Bondo University College.

Obiero’s opining on vernacular languages is farfetched. Calling for the recognition of vernacular languages in the counties is backwardly. Going through the article, any reader would expect to see the lecturer recognize the precarious relationship amongst various communities in Kenya. 

Historically, Kenyan communities have not been cohesive. Suspicions amongst ethnic communities are a reality. Have we forgotten the ethnic elements of the 2007/2008 post election violence? Attempting to extol certain vernacular languages in certain counties would dampen any efforts made towards bringing diverse communities together.

Having Kalenjin as the official language in Bomet, Kericho, Uasin-Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi and Nakuru counties will not do down well with the Asians, Ogiek, Kikuyu, Luo, Kamba, Kisii, Luhya and Maasai living in these counties. Everyone would then like to have his mother tongue be used in the county assemblies, schools, hospitals and in shopping malls. 

Turning vernacular languages into languages for transacting official business will entrench tribalism. Tribalism in this capacity is lower level nationalism. When people are proud of what they do as an ethnic group, danger looms. Cultural superiority easily breeds prejudice. With an environment in which some communities perceive others as inferior, development cannot take root. Instead, it stirs quagmire. 

Language is powerful in transmitting culture. People do certain things in particular ways thanks to their languages.  Bundling people from different cultural backgrounds together in a single native language is unfair. It breeds dissent. 

The clamor for carving official languages out of native languages flies in the face of diversity. Identifying Dholuo to be the official language in Siaya, Migori, Kisumu and Homa Bay counties will gag Kisii and any other communities in that region. To recognize their culture, it is important to allow the Kisii use their language.  This begs the question on interaction. 

How will counties interact when they have different official languages? The assumption behind the call for native languages must be that counties will be autonomous. This cannot be the case. Trade and cultural interactions will be the order of the day across counties. 

With native languages serving as the official languages, it is clear that official business will be unusual. Take business documents penned in different languages crossing from one county to the other for example.  Unless the counties will set aside extra funds to translate documents to English and Swahili, counties will not be able to interact. Thank God Obiero recognizes this. 

Native languages do not enhance literacy. Rather than serving cognitive purposes, native languages are largely appeal to emotions. They have no provision for a wide spectrum of technical jargon. How do you call mitochondria in you native language?  Obiero thinks otherwise. 

One of the strongest points Obiero advances in the article is that native languages enhance educational outcomes. He sensationally writes that when tuition is in vernacular languages, dropout rates will decrease. It is certain that he does not know the negative effect of using Sheng’ on students’ performance in national exams. 

One is left to wonder whether Obiero’s proposal ran short of asking the Kenyan National Examinations Council to consider domesticating exams to be in native languages as per the counties. The obvious question that would follow would be seeking an understanding on how globally relevant Kenyans will become. Then there is more. 

Which direction should Kenya push in terms of languages? Methinks that Kenya should strive towards global relevance. Having international languages for official languages would make it easy for local, regional and international investors, including the trending Chinese, to interact with any county. Arguing that Kenyans require vernacular languages to participate in governance is careless.  

 

Literacy levels in Kenya are increasing. The average Kenyan is comfortable reading texts in English and Kiswahili. That means that language is not a major impediment to participatory governance. Turning to vernacular languages for governance stands high chances of experiencing a boomerang effect. Seasoned politicians have always mastered the art of turning to vernacular languages for emotional appeal. 

Last year, two popular musicians were arraigned in court for likening a particular politician to a hyena. Perhaps they were convinced that the politician and his mandarins, being members of a different ethnic community, would not get the connotative message. This incidence is proof that vernacular languages can be instruments for sowing discord rather than uniting Kenyans. This hints on the significance of official language in building nationalism. 

Official language is very powerful in nurturing nationalism. With the county governments in place, it is important to have as few official languages as possible to create that spirit of pride in the country. Otherwise, people in certain places could soon start feeling less Kenyan.

Calling for the recognition of vernacular languages as official in counties is careless.  It fails to recognize the place of languages in culture and the need for diversity. Having different official languages does not foster nationalism. Therefore, counties should not toy around with native languages in official business.

How to address bed-wetting by copying Dolphins

By observing how dolphins learn, humans can improve on interpersonal relations

Imagine learning from animals. It is possible. Sometimes animals display behaviors worth copying by humans. From dolphins, humans can learn a lot on interpersonal relationships. 

  

 

Humans can copy a lot from the learning behaviors of animals. This is the underlying message in Amy Sutherland’s article “What Shamu taught me about a Happy Marriage.” In the article, the author chronicles on the lessons she learnt from the trainers of animals and particularly the dolphin. 

Sutherland’s article majors on how the learning lessons from training of dolphins to enhance her relationship with Scott, her husband.  Standing out from this article is the concept rewarding any steps towards learning a positive behavior and doing nothing about negative ones. Southerland asserts that this process should start by an understanding of the animal. This is the rationale for the statement “It’s never the animal’s fault.”

“It’s never the animal’s fault” means that the animal cannot not help but behave in the way it does. Its behavior is reflective of its characterization. Apparently, the animal is not responsible for misbehaving. Developing from this mantra is the fact the learning is difficult. 

Learning positive behavior can be difficult and even impossible. Partly responsible for the behavior of an animal is its social structure, its psychology and its environment. This means that it should take more than blaming the animal whenever the training attempts fail. At this point, the trainer should come up with strategies to enhance the experience. 

With this motto, the animal trainers appreciate that they might not succeed in training the animals. It can be arduous changing deeply sited behaviors. Applying these insights on humans yields amazing outcomes.

Instead of blaming Scott for the failure of his behavior, Southerland appreciated the need for smaller approximations that could influence his behavior change. She did not blame the husband since she had studied his nature and its implications on his behavior. Ideally, she appreciated the fact that it was not the fault of Scott to misbehave. And it does not only apply to couples. 

Most families agonize over the inability of their children to outlive bedwetting. It is possible to address this behavior through positive reinforcement.  This entails rewarding the child for any improvements towards stopping the bed wetting habit. 

By involving the child in keeping some records on the days he/she does not wet the bed and accompanying these successes with rewards works. This systematic rewarding should start humbly and include such aspects as praises whenever the child behaves appropriately.  

To trigger more behavioral change, the rewards should change their value in the eyes of the child. The parent should even consider having a present the child craves for should he/she successfully keep the bed dry for a week. However, it is imperative to exercise extreme caution when executing this solution.  

Just like in the case of training animals, parents should not blame the child for his/her behavior. Attempts to punish the child through shaming or any other way could translate to a boomerang effect. Such situations could increase the stress and anxiety levels in the child and consequently increase his/her bedwetting behavior.

Importantly, the reward system should allow room for flexibility. The child should not feel that he/she is inadequate especially for the favors by accidentally wetting the bed once in a week. Nevertheless, when accompanied by other strategies such as reducing fluid intake before bed, this approach is one sure way of addressing the problem of bedwetting in children.