Africa: Censorship in Africa – We All Lose

Blog

Many governments exercise censorship to prevent the spread of ideas they do not like. Our blogger, Shaun Matsheza, say why he thinks that African society loses out because of excessive censorship.

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar; you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say." George R. R. Martin: A Clash of Kings

In Africa, many governments censor their citizens or deny them access to information - in the name of maintaining political dominance and strengthening their grip on power.

It's unfortunate that censorship did not remain in the past era of traditional printed media. The first official act of Internet censorship in Africa occurred, according to research done by Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), in February 1996 when the Zambian government removed a banned edition of The Post from the newspaper's website by threatening to prosecute Zamnet, the country's main Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Many other examples have occurred since... In April 2011, Uganda's Communications Commission (UCC) quietly ordered ISPs to block Facebook and Twitter for 24 hours in light of a Walk to Work protest against spiraling food and fuel prices in the country. In 2012, South African authorities attempted to censor Brett Murray's painting 'The spear'. Throughout the years, the Zimbabwean government has passed legislation inhibiting the freedom of speech, particularly the now unconstitutional Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Few governments like to have their ideology questioned. It's the same with individuals. It's only natural for human beings to set up a defense reaction when presented with new, strange and/or extravagant ideas. We always find ways to avoid them by saying such an idea is foolish, "no good" or simply illogical. Ruling regimes are no different and they particularly detest any ideas that do not toe the line. So we can easily see how the threat of any social change related to politics, economics or religion can easily lead to censorship and propaganda by those in power.

Censorship is essentially a negative process; it is inhibitory and restrictive of action. It derives its force largely from fear and the threats of power. All forms of social taboos are designed to do just this. They furnish the individual with guideposts in his thinking, which keep him within the boundaries set by the dominant power. Where it exists, censorship greatly inhibits creativity and innovation.

In his essay 'On Liberty', John Mill makes an excellent argument for freedom of thought and freedom of expression. He believes that when restricted, it's the whole society, and not just the silenced individual, that stands to lose.

Humans are not perfect. We get things wrong. And we can never be 100% certain that we have something entirely right. Our best hope of improving our opinions is to make them public, so that others may show us our errors. By having open discussion and challenging each other's ideas, our understanding can grow. As Mill says,"to have a belief without knowing the reasons for it is no way to hold a belief; the belief may be true, but it is held as a prejudice."

Read more here:
Africa: Censorship in Africa - We All Lose