NAIROBI, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A commercial billboard written in Chinese that was erected along Mombasa highway in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi has sparked heated debate among the country's growing army of netizens.
The billboard that was erected in the busy highway delivered the message in Chinese and not English which happens to be Kenya's official language.
Many Kenyans vented their displeasure on the billboard through social media platforms while others said they did not see anything wrong with it so long as it delivered the message to the intended audience.
Kenya's second largest newspaper, the Standard, reported about the billboard on May 1 and sampled varied reactions from netizens.
According to the Newspaper, a popular netizen called Lord Mutai triggered a heated debate after posting a rhetorical question on whether Kenyans would be allowed to place a similar billboard written in native language, Swahili in central Beijing.
Mutai's rhetorical question ignited a heated conversation on the pros and cons of erecting billboard written in Chinese in a country where English is the language of business and instruction in schools.
"Whoever put up this billboard forgot that the majority of us just see patterns which tell nothing," remarked Harold Andrew Kinyanjui. "I have no problem with them erecting a billboard but I think there should be interpretation on the same board in English," remarked Jose Shep, a netizen.
Ironically, the majority of Kenyan netizens sampled by the Standard newspaper saw nothing wrong with the billboard so long as it served its intended purpose.
"That billboard is not for you. It addresses the Chinese. Leave it alone," remarked Michael Ogello, a netizen. His sentiments were echoed by other netizens who found no problem with the Chinese billboard so long as it generated revenue to the exchequer.
"As long as they are paying for it what's your problem? Would you afford one in their country??? Stop racism! That billboard probably has paid more tax than ur entire life in Kenya," said a netizen called "future legacy".
Some netizens were more forthright in stating they saw nothing sinister in the billboard to warrant condemnation.
"Nothing wrong with this as long as it is paid for and message reaches intended recipient without insult or incitement," said Charles Kimuyu.
Others offered practical advice to help tackle language barrier between Chinese nationals and their Kenyan counterparts.
"Let us begin teaching our children Mandarin. We should accept the new reality," remarked a netizen by the name K@khalfun.
China-Kenya relations have seen remarkable improvements in recent years. According to study results revealed by Ipsos in April, more Kenyans have singled out China as the most important foreign partner to the Eastern African country compared with the United States (34 percent vs. 26 percent).
The study was conducted from March 4 to March 12, which surveyed 2,003 respondents countrywide.
