Let me start today’s discussion by painting a familiar interview scene on a Kenyan news cycle. A journalist has landed an exclusive interview with a politician. The venue is either the politician’s mansion or a luxurious hotel. The interviewee is much older and wealthier. He is more articulate and has a better grasp of history than his interlocutor. The politician oozes confidence while the journalist’s physical attitude conveys unease.
The politician is a better debater than the journalist. The politician is patronising while the journalist punctuates his every sentence with “Mheshimiwa” or “Excellency”. The power dynamics by far favour the politician. The interview becomes less of an exchange of views between two equals and more of an address by the politician with helpful promptings by the journalist. The interview does not canvass alternative narratives, it legitimises a particular narrative.
