Former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi has urged the Government to ban vernacular radio stations. Speaking during a school prize-giving ceremony, Mr Moi said the mushrooming stations were being used to fuel tribal hatred. The stations were creating tribal chiefs and disseminating divisive politics and messages, he said, warning that they could incite anarchy and genocide as happened in Rwanda.
“I am painfully aware of the negative influences, which continue to assault the brains of our young people through certain media,” Mr Moi said.
In August 2000, he called for the banning of all vernacular FM radio stations for promoting “tribal chauvinism” and undermining “national unity”. He directed attorney-general Amos Wako to draft legislation that would force radio stations to broadcast in the two national languages — English and Kiswahili.
However, Information minister Johnstone Makau successfully countered the proposal, saying that “vernacular is part of the Kenyan culture.”
(Source: Sunday Nation)
on Jun 1st, 2008 at 15:07
Well, he’s got a point there. This reminds me of tons of hatred spilled out by “Yugoslav” ethnic broadcasts in the US metropolital areas during the Yugoslav war…
And who knows what the US-based (local) Arab and Albanian broadcasters are talking about today. I hope FBI’s Detroit office is monitoring their Arabic radio well.
The US branch of the Benevolence International Foundation actively used local ethnic radio for funraising purposes to assist the international terrorists in Chechnya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of course, even CNN used to recommend this “charity” to its viewers interesed in “making a difference in the world.”