LAUNCH: Decoding #DigitalDemocracy in Africa

It is here!

Democracy in Africa is proud to launch a special issue of blogs and analysis on Decoding #DigitalDemocracy in Africa edited by Nic Cheeseman and Lisa Garbe.

The issue draws together cutting-edge research on the extent to which digital technology has changed Africa … and the ways in which Africa is changing digital technology.

The issue deals with shift from techno-optimism to the techno-pessimism, as what was once thought of as “liberation technology” proved to be remarkably compatible with the maintenance of the status quo.

Many of the articles demonstrate that disappointment at the lack of the revolutionary change masks a set of more subtle transformations – but also highlight how much more we need to know about the impact of digital technology on the continent … and vice versa.

Already, you can read:

1. INTRO: Nic Cheeseman, Lisa Garbe and Idayat Hassan summarise the contribution of all the papers and explain Why digital democracy will take more than technology in Africa
2. PODCAST: Hear Nic Cheeseman interviewed about #DigitalDemocracy on the Voice of the Cape Radio Show
3. Nanjala Nyabola on Governance and Public Policy in the Digital Age
4. Azeb Madebo on Social Media, the Diaspora and the Politics of Ethnicity in Ethiopia
5. Julie Owono on Why Silicon Valley companies need to be more responsible in Africa
6. Lisa Garbe on What we do (not) know about Internet shutdowns in Africa
7. Idayat Hassan and Jamie Hitchin on How hashtag activism moves offline in the Gambia
8. Toussaint Nothias on Facebook’s ongoing scramble for Africa
9. Ashwanee Budoo on How fighting fake news hurts free speech
10. Lisa-Marie Selvik on How to ensure digital access to information in Africa
11. Khamis Mutwafi on What Google trends data can tell us about the Tanzanian general election
12. Michael Asiedu on The role of the courts in safeguarding online freedoms in Africa
13. Gbenga Sesan on How to revive Africa’s lost civic spaces
14. Kofi Yeboah on How AI is transforming Africa’s political landscape
15. Nic Cheeseman, Jonathan Fisher, Idayat Hassan and Jamie Hitchin on Is WhatsApp undermining democracy in Africa?
16. Grace Natabaalo, Lulu Jemimah, Jamie Hitchen and Eloïse Bertrand on WhatsApp use in the Ugandan elections
17. Maggie Dwyer and Thomas Molony on How social media is changing politics in Africa
18. Steven Felstein on How digital repression is changing African politics
19. Herman Wasserman on Fake news in Africa – how big is the problem?
20. Alina Rocha Menocal on Digital technologies and the new public square: revitalising democracy?
21. Bruce Mutsvairo on Why social activists face an uphill struggle in Zimbabwe 
22. Paul Onanuga on How young, queer Nigerians use Twitter to fight homophobia 

Once you have read all of these great pieces, look out for our compilation publication which we will be launching in collaboration with Stanford University!