Debate rages on Airtel controversial billboard

Editor, REFER TO the article, “Airtel pulls down controversial billboard” (The New Times, May 10). I am perhaps more gender-sensitive than the majority of Rwandan men—and perchance even a majority of Rwandan women. But the campaign against this billboard strikes me as a case extremely ridiculous. There is nothing that denigrates neither women nor anything that violates fundamental cultural norms in two young women giving simultaneous innocuous pecks on the cheeks of a male friend. I have no doubt that the scanty wear during the beauty competitions these young ladies went through on their way to becoming Miss Rwanda would have been more titillating than this picture and so it makes no sense to pull this down while continuing to sanction the Miss Rwanda pageantries. It is really important for our self-appointed moral police and the City Fathers to learn to let their hair down and stop imposing ridiculous pseudo-cultural strictures that few Rwandans would recognise as reflecting their own norms. I have a feeling that this action has little to do with culture as such and is more related to someone’s religious strictures. Legitimate as that is as an individual choice, it shouldn’t be imposed on the rest of us who do not share those hang-ups. If the billboard has been pulled because it failed to convey any message (rather than because of some Rwandan moral police trying to impose their views on what is morally acceptable or not) then many billboards, and even TV spots in our country, would have to be pulled. And that would not make any sense. It is up to the advertising client to decide whether their ad money is getting enough bang and if they want to pull it off the billboards or off the air. It shouldn’t be the business of anyone else, as long as the ad does not violate any law. If you allow beauty pageantries with their skimpily dressed girls parading on the catwalk in public, I really cannot see how this photo could be considered indecent by any reasonable person. Only killjoys and fundamentalist evangelicals would think it unacceptable for the public, and if we allowed them to set the standards much of what we see or do would be prohibited. And that would make Rwanda a very boring place with little pull for expats, our young people and many others. Is that what we want? Mwene Kalinda, Rwanda *************************** IN THE story it was reported that, “The chairperson of the Association of Rwanda Female Journalists (ARFEM), Faith Mbabazi, said the move to bring down the billboards was commendable as they were somewhat chauvinistic and portrayed women in bad light”. Indeed, and what about the hairstyle of one of the ladies? Isn’t this discriminatory towards the many women who cannot afford such a non autochthonous hairstyle? Johan Declercq, Belgium *************************** I THINK that ad was ugly and pointless. It is not matter of ladies on guy cheek. It does not convey any commercial message. It is perhaps the worst ads ever in the history of Rwanda. Instead of copying from other countries and just paste in Rwanda, we should be creative in the context of Rwandan society. Joe Doe, Rwanda

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Debate rages on Airtel controversial billboard