BARUA YA BARAZA: Aura for Aura
Greetings, friends:
This week’s newsletter is continuing the tradition of inviting members of our community to write From The Curator’s Desk, and for this edition, I’m happy to hand it over to our Governance, Gender & Accountability Program Manager, Wanjiru Nguhi.
Please send your guest writing pitches for this section to chris@barazalab.com if you’re interested in being our guest curator on the newsletter, and you have something of interest to share to our community — a trend you’ve noticed or something you’d like us to think about.
~ Christine
While analysing the just concluded American Election in the wake of the Democratic Party’s loss at the Presidential election and Donald Trump’s win, Grant Brooke makes a very beautiful note about democracy on his X account (@GrantBrooke) that; “….you can’t “win” over voters you don’t talk to, and you can’t talk to voters you don’t listen to. But more fundamentally, you should not be trying to “win over” voters at all – you should be emerging from these communities, not descending upon them with pre-packaged solutions. It’s not our job to take a message to these communities, it’s the party’s job to emerge from them.” He further notes that when the media, political parties and institutions have failed, people will find meaning in disruption.
But what happens when a political alliance performs a disruption in the governance of the country from Dynasty rule to Hustler rule? What happens when that performance goes as far as centering the mama mboga in a campaign where “Every hustle matters?” The people quickly realise they were duped, the centre cannot hold and things inevitably fall apart and the people become the architects of the disruption.
The anti-finance bill protests and subsequent pro-democracy accountability protests across the country were a very significant shift in the information and governance space. Before the protests erupted, the people expressed their objection to the Finance Bill through the channels provided for in the law which include sending emails to the relevant authorities, attending public participation meetings and discussing the bill on multiple social media platforms. These efforts were met with arrogance and clear disregard of the issues raised. What followed next was an organic campaign sharing numbers (Kusalimiana) and email addresses belonging to members of parliament demanding that they reject the finance bill by voting No. This could be called doxxing and some could even declare it a case of mal-information.
At the height of these protests, government aligned bloggers began well coordinated propaganda campaigns against the protests. The response to these narratives was a phenomenon by the name “Aura for aura”, which involved matching this coordinated campaign with more propaganda. Some of it was hilarious and a creative attempt at resisting the silencing tactic but the danger with this was the interpretation of the “aura” without understanding the context.
There have been really inspiring efforts to navigate and ascend above government rhetoric with the popularisation of the phrase “Afande please” which was a call for vigilance when sharing personal information to unknown people both offline and online. The use of social media platforms like X spaces and Tiktok to de-bunk, pre-bunk, conduct civic education, vent, and build a force against oppression continues to be very critical.
When government officials and government allied bloggers began to dissuade the protests by claiming that they were attempting to burn the country, what followed was another organic campaign as a response to the government’s gaslighting response to the protests by showing the state of infrastructure in areas represented by politicians accusing young people of causing anarchy.
Corruption goes beyond the appropriation of funds. It sets the tone for how people respond to government and consequently how they relate to another as has been seen with information integrity. But even in the midst of everything going on, the people have the constitution, creativity and a fierce desire to live and work in a country that works for them.
In the meantime, here’s:
What I’m Reading: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
I have just began reading this and I love a dramatic, poetic, animated introduction
“She does not want to remember but she is here and memory is gathering bones. She has come by foot and by bus to Addis Ababa, across terrain she has chosen to forget for nearly forty years.”
I just met the main character, Hirut, a recently orphaned maid working in one of Emperor Haile Selassie’s officer’s home.
What I’m Watching: Sweet Bobby: My catfish nightmare
This Netflix documentary with the most surprising plot twist. Kirat shares her story of being catfished in a relationship that began in 2010 with a man she thought was Bobby and lasted for more than five years!!
The internet is truly dark and full of terror.
What I’m Listening to:
Raye: My 21st Century Blues
Raye’s vocal performance is DRAMATICALLY FLAWLESS!!!!!! If you’re a fan of Amy Winehouse, then Raye is a complete vocal, performance and lyrical treat. I listened to “Oscar winning tears” on repeat for an obscene number of times. She paused the music to ask for water. And a raise.
My best,
Wanjiru Nguhi
Program Manager (Governance, Gender & Accountability) | Baraza Media Lab
BARAZA EVENTS
Africa Media Festival | Early Bird Alert!
Great news for the early birds in our community!
We’re happy to announce that Africa Media Festival is returning for its third edition on the 26th & 27th of February 2025!
Now’s your chance to secure your spot with an exclusive 25% discount on Early Bird tickets to join Africa’s most dynamic gathering of media innovators, storytellers, and creative leaders.
Let’s build the future of media together. Don’t wait—tickets are limited, and they’re flying fast.
Date: 26th & 27th February 2025
For more information on how to register and participate, click here.
Civic Canvas 2 | Misinformation as Corruption
Civic Canvas is back!
The second edition of Civic Canvas is finally here, now in collaboration with Fumbua Friday! The first edition brought powerful art forms that captured the spirit of the movement, honoured those impacted by state aggression, and ignited important conversations on accountability and human rights.
This second edition, Civic Canvas 2: Misinformation as Corruption, will launch the inaugural Fumbua Friday—a platform examining shifting information trends across media. We’ll unpack responses such as “Aura for aura” (propaganda countering propaganda) and “kusalimia” (malinformation), exploring how these trends, fueled by corruption, hinder meaningful public engagement and impact information integrity.
Join us for an evening of discussions on misinformation during protests, moving poetry performances, and an immersive photo exhibition.
Date: 15th November 2024
Click here to register and secure your spot!