By Eric Wamanji
Sometimes in March last year, Kenya’s diplomatic corps attending the 17th Biennial Ambassadors and High Commissioners’ conference in Mombasa bemoaned negative press reports for frustrating their diplomatic efforts in missions. The envoys noted that the local media’s fascinations with “negative” narratives of insecurity, crime and corruption painted a damaging image of the country abroad.
This way, I gathered, they found it slippery to convince their hosts about the nirvana that is Kenya. And it was a person of no less stature, than Mr. Njeru Githae, Kenya’s Ambassador to the US, who cried most.
“We should not wash our dirty linen in public. Let us copy other countries, which despite shortcomings try to portray a beautiful image of their country. We are our own enemies. Telling the world of our security lapses does us no good,” Githae noted.
Everyone kept mum. Neither the media nor state apparatuses seem to have given the lamentation much thought. After all, at the end of the day, in a diplomats swagger, the corps clinked glasses and engaged in tête-à-tête.
But what Githae and company were basically appreciating is that first, narratives have power, second that due to technology, the McLuhan Global Village phenomenon has caught up with us. But there is more. That, third, the traditional diplomatic practice, also known as track one diplomacy, of state-to-state, is on the cusp of abyss as, fourth, track two diplomacy, where non-state actors are players, is taking root fast and furious redefining our engagements with the peoples of the world.
And this tectonic shift of diplomatic custom seem troubling to our chaps abroad. Still, there is a lot that Kenya can do in its diplomatic charm offensive to remain “beautiful”.
A point of departure should be an interrogation of how, as a country, we construct and distribute our cultural products globally and regionally. What is the nation’s reach in its broadcast, film, and music?
Who is in charge of sprucing Kenya’s soft power especially through narratives? And, do we have systematic framework and structures of designing such narratives that would, for a start, win the hearts and minds of the international community?
Regionally, Kenya is a hegemon. If you doubt that, look at our national budget and the size of our economy and the influence we wield. But, is the region following us willing or grudgingly?
What are the attitudes of, say, an ordinary Tanzanian about Kenya and Kenyans? Such attitudes are critical because they determine behaviour of, for instance, whether to buy ‘made in Kenya’ or ‘made in Nigeria’. They determine how a Kenyan in such a jurisdiction would be treated.
Indeed, being a regional power comes with great benefits, but of course responsibilities too. When we capture the admiration of the people of the region it means that our commerce will thrive, it also means that there will be ample security for anyone with the Kenyan passport and car registration plate. Such prestige is what has hauled great powers into their current enviable perches at the tops.
And so how to we advance our soft power using narratives?
Folks, our interrogation should be at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). This state juggernaut, KBC, is our best bet to wheel our regional public diplomacy.
The world has these instruments. Think of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Voice of America (VOA) and even CCTV. Even Russia’s Russia Today, had to re-launch to RT, and now enjoying heavy funding from the Kremlin. In jurisdictions like the US even private media like CNN aid to press for the American ideal. So why not use our KBC to reach out to the region?
Engaging KBC for such a fete sounds laughable. For, the national broadcaster still struggles with ratings, still bares a blot as a state-spinner, and of course, its journalists are not necessarily the finest- there was a time a clown headed radio with pathetic results. But KBC has changed and desires to rise.
Yes, KBC is no longer the sycophant media of yore. Plus, the media space in Kenya has expanded dramatically that any spin will be whitewashed even by mere bloggers. Furthermore, critical actors in government today own media houses cutting overreliance on KBC.
For strategic reasons, KBC with its enviable infrastructure must now rise to the occasion. It needs to restructure and seek a fresher mandate from parliament to include a regional outreach endeavour where it will wheel our national interests.
Indeed, to win admiration, and for us to capitalise on our strategic geo-political perch, we need a systematic effort in narrating values and triumphs. The media is our best partner and more so a revamped KBC. Let’s not forget that he who controls the narrative, rules the world.
The writer is a media and communication advisor wamanji@rococo.co.ke