Wanyama Masinde on Kenya's crisis. Please support openDemocracy.

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Campaign 2007

jan-11 Dear Readers, Supporters, Contributors and Members,

First - thank you to all of you who have given, and especially to those of you who gave yesterday. If we can maintain the 15 donations per day that we achieved yesterday, we will make our target of 1,500 supporters by February 14th. Thank you to those who have contributed, and Please Give if you can in openDemocracy's "Think Long Term" campaign.

Kenya has been at the forefront of our coverage since the failed election. We currently have on the front page a remarkable piece by Wanyama Masinde. The piece starts with the challenge ahead of building Truth, Justice and Democracy in the aftermath of violence. It really is a huge challenge. I was particularly drawn to the questions at the end of the piece about the role in the violence of new media technology. Wanyama writes:

"... ethnic identity exists not only on the ground in Kenya but is also disseminated in the diaspora and in forums such as blogs; indeed some of the most vicious tribalistic sentiment is spewed out in blogs hosted by "modern" or "westernised" Kenyans living in the United States or Europe. Moreover, the media in general - including new media - can be the source of prejudice and dangerous rumour as much as (or more than) reliable information. Some rumours clearly intended to manipulate the situation politically were distributed as mobile-phone text-messages. The example of Radio Mille Collines in Rwanda is notorious; but today, the question of new technologies and how they might be used to sabotage democracy must also be addressed."

This points to a very real cloud in front of the silver lining of new communications technology: its power can be harnessed for atrocity. The editorial work we do at openDemocracy---the careful reading and tracking of sources and scholars on different parts of the world, different issues, different areas of expertise---contributes a small part to taming and democratising the great, undifferentiated media torrent that can be so harmful.

Please support our independence by giving in our Think Long Term campaign.

I wish you a very good week end,

Tony Curzon Price

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