In the digital world the East African Community is one family

It was a hot afternoon and I had just eaten more coconut flavoured rice than any nutritionist would recommend. With my stomach muscles all stretched out, I eventually gave in to the pending siesta in the sweltering December/January heat of Moshi, Tanzania. The evenings were much more bearable and supper time with my hosts somewhere in the Soweto area of Moshi was a time I looked forward to. One of the nice people I met in this land of Nyerere was a gentleman called Evody. He had lived in Uganda and Kenya for a considerable time and always volunteered to explain certain things that I had never paid much attention to like the politics in Kenya. The year was 2007 and Kenya had just gone through a general election that saw one of the records for the quickest swearing ceremonies. During supper time Evody was the guy to listen to. Others either knew nothing much about Kenya or being Kenyan, were too invested in the situation to comment without getting emotional. By the time I boarded the Akamba Bus from Moshi heading Kampala (then a treacherous 24-hour-ride) I was a changed person. I had contracted a deep thirst for understanding the different political, economic and social happenings within the East African region. From then on, I always made an effort to peep into Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda using the internet and connecting the dots. Many times, this column has largely been a result of me trying to identify those dots and think more about what they mean to you and me. Of course they have been some challenges like the fact that deep content from Tanzania is largely in Swahili Sanifu and my grasp of that language is just not clean enough (pun intended). For Burundi the little available content is either in French or one has to rely on China’s news agency for most news clips. The events surrounding President Nkurunziza’s third term served as an excuse for many who had ignored Burundi to step in for a moment. On several occasions I have used this platform to call for more regional coverage of stories that happen in the countries that are part of the EAC. My call was always aimed at the traditional media platforms in East Africa in the form of print newspapers, TV and radio that hardly scratch the surface across their borders unless there is a really huge event. However my prayers were answered by the rise of digital media and social media. The digital world has proved to be a major disruption to traditional media platforms, eating into their revenue streams much faster than they ever anticipated. The digital content consumers have increased and their composition is much more diverse. The digital world has achieved what the traditional media failed to and has compelled the traditional media to play catch up. It was largely through the digital platforms and social media that most of East Africa picked interest in the last general election in Kenya. By the time Uhuru Kenyatta had been announced President, many were following him on Twitter and even knew about his main rival Raila Odinga as well as the unforgettable Muhammed Abduba Dida. Last year the East African Community keenly followed the controversial events in Burundi that forced many to flee the country. Many who had never followed anything about Burundi now had an idea and opinion about what was going on there. Enter Tanzania and the contest between Pombe Magufuli and Edward Lowassa. Those who had not followed events there had no option when President Magufuli hit the ground running in a momentum that was best captured in the viral hash tag #WhatWouldMagufuliDo. The debate and eventual referendum to amend the Rwandan constitution was also a big event on social media for many East Africans. Not to be left out on this growing digital frenzy, the presidential debate by the candidates vying for a job President Museveni has held for 30 years got everyone digitally talking making it one of the biggest trending topics on Twitter in the region and globally. East Africans followed keenly thanks to the digital TV migration and increasing access to the internet. Finally, it is safe to say that when it comes to digital platforms, East Africa can sometimes really feel like one big family. With everyone concerned about the other. I guess it’s time Twitter gave us an East Africa trend map.

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In the digital world the East African Community is one family