Blogger Activist
October 18th, 2006 | Published in Activism, Africa, Blogosphere, Democracy, Governance, Kenya
“We feel that Kenyans not only have “a right to know†but also need to take a more active role in determining their country’s role – this is our effort to do more than just complain about how things are not working in Kenya.†- Mzalendo website
Many Africans including bloggers believe they don’t have a say in issues of governance. Yet governance is always two-way traffic, and everyone has a chance of being heard. What it takes is courage, vision and ability to organize.
Mzalendo, a project that aims to “open up” the Kenyan parliament, is the brain-child of two African bloggers, Ory at Kenyan Pundit and M at the Thinker’s Room. And so far, the project seems heading in the right direction; it’s working! See Ethan Zuckerman’s post ‘Celebrating the small steps‘ on how the project is changing the Kenyan political terrain.
Sub-Saharan Africa is plagued with many sociopolitical shortcomings, and this initiative of Ory and M is an indication that bloggers can indeed serve as social catalysts in nth world like Africa. Â
