Twitter wars or Twars as they are known to citizens are fast becoming a Kenyan specialty. For the better part of
yesterday, Kenyans once again took to twitter and showed their cyber bullying
under the #KenyaVsGhana.
The twar was triggered by a Kenyan on
Twitter who, unprompted, tweeted:
Who’s
ready for a #KenyavsGhana Match? <!--[if mso & !supportInlineShapes & supportFields]> SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT As usual Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) took up the
challenge, roasting the Ghanaians for all their worth. Ghanaians, who did not feel amused, did not take
it lying down and defended their honor. Treasury goes for UAE loan as IMF cautions of debt situation Lawyer battles with client over Sh17.5m from property sale A listening president? Ruto's new statements signal change of tack This comes just days after Kenya clashed with
Nigerians for the umpteenth time under the #KenyaVsNigeria, following the visit
of American tech-preneur and Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. The Kenya vs
Nigeria war ended after three days of continuous battle, with some claiming
Kenya wont, yet others claimed the fight was a draw. A number of parody accounts are created during
such times such as Olesegun Obasanjo, Tiwa Savage, Yoweri Museveni, and even
Raila Odinga. An observer of the twar may just conclude this is simply a
friendly banner, but closer examinations of the twars prove otherwise. The twars are currently morphing from friendly
exchanges to degradation of citizens from both countries. The offensive jokes
go to such timid extents of brewing hate and spurring cold wars between the
countries. Paradoxically the choice of ‘murder’ weapon is the black skin tone –
with some even referring to the other as ‘apes’. #KenyaVsNigeria u can’t tell d difference between a Kenyan's
hair and his face #KenyaVsNigeria how is Nigeria's economy in
recession? Are the witches & wizards on a go slow? The twars are quickly revealing the online
communities as closeted racists, capable of stirring a load of internalized
racism and offensive stereotypes. According to Christine Mungao, a senior writer
at mail and Guardian Africa, ‘The keyboard warriors are critical,
hard-to-please, unforgiving watchdogs, who also torment the government
relentlessly when it makes a blunder. That kind of broad freedom to criticize
those in power is unique in Kenya’s neighborhood.’ It seems the only persons allowed to talk ill of
Kenyans are Kenyans themselves.
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KOT is said to be the biggest online community on Twitter- they can bring CNN
down to its knees, force a powerful personality out of office and even ensure
arrest of politicians. It is yet to be seen whether other countries in Africa
have such power.
This is not the first time Kenya and Nigeria have faced each other for a fist
fight on twitter. In 2014, there was the #SomeoneTellNigeria and #SomeoneTellKenya
that did not end quite well for the West African nation. South Africa and
Mozambique are the other African countries that have also been roasted by KOT
in the past. Zimbabweans have not also been spared as Kenyans lashed out after
an alleged false defamatory article by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
