Vernacular Broadcast and National Disintegration in East Africa

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VII, July 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Vernacular Broadcast and National Disintegration in East Africa

Ikuathu Silas Thuranira
University of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract: This paper assesses the role of the media in instigating conflict and tension in society leading to break ups of nationhood in various states in East Africa. The paper isolates two case studies, Kenya and Rwanda, to illustrate how the vernacular radio can be a catalyst to ethnic violence in the region. The paper asserts that there is great need to monitor the spread of hate speech through the radio stations that broadcast in vernacular languages. It is also revealed that the vernacular radio is more susceptible to the abuse by the politicians because of it accessibility and effectiveness in reaching out to even the non-literate members of the society. However, the researcher also found out that there are other means in which hate speech is transmitted such as direct address to the people by the politicians in meetings and through the newspapers. The paper recommends that East African states need to come up with more proactive policies and legal regulations to prevent the propagation of hate speech and any other divisive discourses that might cause ethnic violence. The paper contends that broadcasters need to hire highly trained journalists who may be able to uphold professional norms and ethics.

Key Words: Ethnic, Radio, Vernacular, Hate Speech, Violence, Broadcast

I. INTRODUCTION

The media, whether national, international or local has a double edged utilitarian value in any society of directing emotions and attitudes to the negativity or positivity. On the positive note, vernacular media is a force to reckon with in mobilizing public participation (as was seen in the last chapter) in social economic and political development, influencing their decision making trends, directing and correcting the right attitude towards the desired trajectory. It provides a forum for people to speak out as they exercise their freedom of expression, thereby empowering them holistically. However, since listeners and viewers have no control of what they see or view, they can as well be affected by negative broadcast. The media used in this manner has the potential to infect people’s minds with the negative energy that can be so destructive. The media can incite people to hate, to be violent, to discriminate, to kill or to go into war. This is the double- edged paradox of the media. That is, the media’s ability to create war or peace. In this section, we focus on how the radio has been used or abused to fan ethnic tension leading to war and disintegration of nations in East Africa. Two case studies will be used. These are Kenya and Rwanda

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