Talk:Kenya

History

The very brief treatmeant of Kenya's History is not laziness or Eurocentricism or anything like that; I know very little about Kenya's history. I'll leave to others to add to it. Denis Cavanagh 16:27, 4 January 2008 (CST)

Recent violence

Is it really best to have the intro mention the recent violence in such a major way? I'd have thought the intro section should provide more of an overview of the country, not 'what's latest'. Sure, it can mention the current challenges the country faces, but the details of the recent events are likely to be less important shortly, and I'd like to see an intro which is more lasting. J. Noel Chiappa 00:47, 16 April 2008 (CDT)

Noel brings up an interesting point of view. But I suggest many readers will turn to CZ because they want to know what is going on right now. If that does not interest them (which is odd), they can skip the few sentences involved. Unlike a paper encyclopedia we can change the into on a monthly basis (which is what I have actualy been doing). A deeper issue is importance. I suggest the matter is very important to understanding Kenya. Richard Jensen 00:56, 16 April 2008 (CDT)

I have to disagree with you, Richard. A timeless intro is better overall for the article, and there can always be a section in the article body covering recent activity within the country. We should not write introductions for the sake of the short-attentioned. --Robert W King 10:04, 16 April 2008 (CDT)

what is the argument in favor of "timeless"? In a paper book the argument is that things are changing too fast and by the time the reader gets to it, the material is outdated. That criticism does not apply when we can, and do, update the article frequently. (actually the opening is more future oriented than presentist).Richard Jensen 11:53, 16 April 2008 (CDT)

One potential line of reasoning might be that in the long scope, most day-to-day events fade in importance with time. So putting this (relatively) less important material in the intro, displacing (inevitably) more significant observations, might not be the best call.

Not that I have my feet in concrete on any particular position; I just noticed the change, and thought it was worth chewing over for a bit. J. Noel Chiappa 12:22, 16 April 2008 (CDT)

the lede does NOT deal with day-to day events. It talks about long term conditions facing Kenya today. I think it contains the "more significant" points Noel is concerned about. Richard Jensen 12:59, 16 April 2008 (CDT)