It seems Western 'liberal' hate-speech laws are being taken up in Kenya. In this column from The Nation (Nairobi), it is suggested that hate-speech be banned post-haste. The author, Peter Mwaura, is clearly concerned with preventing inter-tribal or ethnic conflict by making incitement illegal; but interestingly he is also keen on applying said laws at the individual level as well - something that resembles the harassment laws pioneered in the US.
To buttress his argument, Mwaura refers to the prevalence of hate-speech laws in Europe and, while recognising certain cultural-historical national specificities to these laws, implies that these are positive innovations. It appears that, in an effort to further his point, the author points to the greater degree of freedom of speech enjoyed in America, suggesting this allows the Ku Klux Klan free reign.
This should be seen as a worrying trend, though no doubt some Western observers will champion it, perceiving this to be a move away from old style authoritarianism (read 'barbarian despotism/anarchy') to a new softly-softly approach to 'democracy' (speech management/modification). This is certainly a development to follow...
Alex Hochuli
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