Editorial

Betty Kyalo weighs in on cyberbullying of social media sensation Azziad, decries Kenya's trolling culture

PublishedApril 8, 2020

In most countries, viral TikTok videos culminate in social media challenges that draw people together to do something fun and share lighthearted moments. In Kenya, the subject of such videos gets picked apart, and especially if it’s a woman, gets body-shamed, cyber-bullied and if nudes are available, they get leaked.

Such is what dancing sensation Azziad was subjected to when she posted a TikTok video dancing to Femi One and Mejja’s hit song, Utawezana. Not only was she subjected to the worst trolling ever, she has since revealed that her number was shared without her consent, and that she has received over 13,000 messages.

Many Kenyans rallied behind her and called out those who trolled her, including high profile personalities like Carol Radull. Betty Kyalo, who just recently went through some trolling of her own, has since weighed on the matter. She said the following in a post:

“It is so horrible that we have become terrible human beings. We love to hate. We love to put people down, we love to see people at their worst, we love to see people abused, we love to see people attacked. Shame on us. We are no longer human.

I have been bullied many times. It’s rough. People who don’t know me, have never met me feel like they are entitled to say something about my life, criticize me, bully me. It’s wrong.

When you go online and choose to be a horrible and evil human being remember one day life will come back to you just like that. No one is perfect. No one has this life figured out, no one knows what the current times and future holds. We all make mistakes. We all err.

Shame on us!

So who are you to pretend to be a better person when in your life you know not everything is perfect or ok. Shame on all of us for thinking we are bigger human beings, shame on us for putting young girls’ nudes out there just because we want to TRY feel better.

For everyone who has gone through bullying or is going through bullying now or in the future, I have some advice for you PROTECT YOUR HEART! Delete the Apps for some time. Don’t go looking for what people are saying about you.

Protect your heart and peace at all costs. Go for a walk or do something to keep your mind off it, it’s ok to feel bad BUT only for a day. Sing! Dance! Pray.

Stop sending articles to the bullied!

To friends and family of people who being bullied stop sending the horrible articles or screenshots or messages to the victims. Stop. You should always protect your own. Call them or text them and be there for them. Don’t talk about what is happening online but be more loving and caring. Don’t criticize them or make them feel worse about the bullying.

Finally, let’s all try to be better human beings. It doesn’t add you anything to hate on someone, it doesn’t cost you to be a love ambassador. Be better.”