Blogging is Where it's at!

In some circles in U.S., blogging has become synonymous with fluff or unimportant happenings.

But, on the other hand, in a country like Kenya, I find the blogging produced is truly noteworthy.

As the election happened, the crisis escalated and the media was shut down for some time, bloggers took to the net to share news with the rest of the world. What in the world was going on in Kenya? Don't look to the news outlets, look toward the bloggers. Sure BBC, Sky, Al Jazeera and some other foreign news outlets had the lion's share of the news market, but local voices were not heard. In that way, bloggers were able to tell their story from the ground.

Sure, some can argue to have a blog up and going, you need to have some stability in your life and basic amenities like food, water, housing, and clothing. Then, on top of that for the bloggers, the minimum of a computer, Internet connection and electricity are further requirements. Of course, not all these are basic necessities, but none the less are definitely required to blog- unless of course it is done through mobile phones. Even at the height of the crisis in Kenya (just after Christmas), mobile phone connections were flaky due to lack of connectivity and other factors.

I am impressed by the quality of information I find through these blogs, some located on the left bar of this blog. When you find time, do browse those links. If you know of other top-notch Kenya blogs, put them in the comments below. Thank you.