Readers Have Their Say: Let Indangasi publish and be damned
Prof Henry Indangasi during an interview at his offices in Nairobi in 2017. He has come under heavy criticism for an article he wrote on the late Prof Micere Mugo (inset).
While I’m sympathetic with your sentiments regarding Prof Henry Indangasi’s article on the late Prof Micere Mugo (“Indangasi article about Micere Mugo should have been spiked”—Daily Nation, August 4, 2023), I’m in disagreement with your premise that the feature shouldn’t have been published.
The Daily Nation has always stood out for providing a forum for divergent—even contrary—views. Thus the Nation’s commentary pages are always replete with spicy and robust discourse.
Mr Public Editor, the Daily Nation is indubitably this region’s premier news institution. Its incisive and hard-hitting journalism is a much welcome beacon in an otherwise bland and dreary landscape.
Prof Mugo’s place as Kenya’s doyenne of letters is indisputable. The likes of Prof Indangasi cannot besmirch this. Gagging them only enhances their nefarious agenda.
The Duke of Wellington famously quipped: “Publish and be damned”. In the Daily Nation’s case, Mr Mwaura, “let them publish and not be damned”.
— Robert Mukirae
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Too many ads make paper unreadable
I am based in the United States and I frequently read the online edition of the Nation to keep up with the news back home.
About a year ago, I tried to sign up for the paid version but the sign-up process was not working—but that is a discussion for another time. I want to draw your attention to the huge number of pop-ups, video and text ads that appear on the screen if I visit the Nation.Africa website.
Good thing, I work in the tech industry, so I know how to use a browser without cookies or JavaScript to get rid of the ads; otherwise, the news would be unreadable.
You cannot read anything if 75 per cent of the screen (I measured) is covered with flashy and annoying, moving and twisting text and video ads, some of which appear to be NSFW-rated [inappropriate].
I understand that ads are necessary for revenue, and I am willing to put up with a certain level of ads, but when my screen looks like a dance hall lights because of ads, I immediately close the browser and look for news elsewhere.
Would you, please, do something about this?
— Peter Maina
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For the first time, I don’t agree with the Public Editor. The old professor was right that Prof Micere Mugo was not sincere.
When Prof Mugo and Ngugi wa Thiong’o fled the country in 1982 the play that they co-authored, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, had just been approved by the Ministry of Education as a literature set book.
Could the government that they were accusing of harassing them be same one that was giving them a lifeline by giving their work a stamp of approval and, thus, assuring them steady income in book royalties?
— Ngure Kamau
