Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda

In an era when hashtag campaigns like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter capture global attention for victims of injustice, politicians and corporations are now spending billions employing Cambridge Analytica-type consultancies to manufacture disinformation - employing trolls, cyborgs and bots to disrupt dialogue and drown-out dissent. In the first study of its kind, this open-access book presents a range of case studies of these emerging dynamics across Africa, mapping and analyzing disinformation operations in ten different countries, and using innovative techniques to determine who is producing and coordinating these increasingly sophisticated disinformation machines. Drawing on scholars from across the continent, case studies document the actors and mechanisms used to profile citizens, manipulate beliefs and behaviour, and close the political space for democratic dialogue and policy debate. Chapters include examinations of how the Nigerian government deployed disinformation when the #EndSARS campaign focused attention on police brutality and corruption; insights into how pro-government actors responded to the viral #ZimbabweanLivesMatter campaign; and how misogynists mobilized against the #AmINext campaign against gender-based violence in South Africa. Through the documentation of episodes of unruly politics in digital spaces, these studies provide a valuable assessment of the implications of these dynamics for digital rights, moving beyond a focus on elaborations of the idea of 'fake news', and providing actionable recommendations in the areas of policy, legislation and practice. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.

1.List of contributors 2.Acknowledgements 3.Dedication 4.Table of Contents 5.Digital Disinformation in Africa: A critical Approach - Tony Roberts, University of Sussex, UK, and George Hamandishe Karekwaivanane, University of Edinburgh, UK 6.Digital Gendered Disinformation and Women's Civic Participation in Africa - Nkem Agunwa 7.Disinformation on a Shoestring: Examining the Anatomy and Strategies of the Pro-State Network in the Zimbabwean Twitterverse - George Hamandishe Karekwaivanane, University of Edinburgh, UK 8.Disinformation, Social Media Networks and Terrorism in Mozambique: Narratives, Strategies and Practices - Dércio Tsandzana, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique 9.On Selfies and Hashtags: Disinformation During Armed Conflict in Ethiopia - Yohannes Eneyew Ayalew, Monash University, Australia, and Atnaf Berhane Ayalew, Ethiopia 10.(Re)Writing History: Discursive Practices of Gukurahundi Disinformation on Twitter - Rutendo Chabikwa, University of Oxford, UK 11. Are Claims of Russian Disinformation in Africa Founded? Elections in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo - SeYoung Jeon 12. Digital Disinformation in Cameroon's 2018 Presidential Election - Simone Toussi, CIPESA, Uganda 13.Disinformation in Uganda's 2021 Elections - Juliet Nanfuka 14.Online Disinformation and Memefication in Angola's 2022 Election - Edmilson Angelo, University of Sussex, UK 15. "Anyone Can be a Mercenary": Disinformation and Kenyan News Media in the 2022 General Election - Wambui Wamunyu Bibliography Index