4 February 2008
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When conflicts erupted in Kenya after the elections, many fingers pointed at the newspapers and radio as the sources of hatred and fanning the fires of tribal hatred that have been lit over time. None focussed much on blogs and online forums. But it has proved that even online forums have been breeding grounds for war mongers.
Mashada forum, Kenya’s first online chat room was forced to close after discussions got out of control. White Africa reports about his shock:
As you may already know, I’ve been having quite a problem regulating Mashada.com, despite having recently hired people to moderate the forums*. It is starting to become a reflection of what is going on on the ground in Kenya. I’d hate for it to hinder our current efforts since I’m directly connected to it, therefore I’m having to shut down the forums until further notice. Facilitating civil discussions and debates has become virtually impossible.
*forums appear to be up and running.