“Communicating Africa”. Researching Mobile Kin Communities Communication Technologies, and Social Transformation in Angola and Cameroon

Abstract

Si le concept de communauté demeure largement associé à sa dimension géographique, les études sur le transnationalisme dans les années 1990 ont conduit envisager la communauté comme un réseau plutôt que comme un lieu. C'est dans cette optique que s'inscrit cette contribution, en développant l'idée de « chaînes de personnes » liées entre elles pour former une communauté. Les recherches menées au Cameroun et en Angola/Namibie montrent l'ancienneté d'une telle notion de communauté, dont les membres ont toujours été considérés comme des chaînes d'individus dans des lieux divers. Au fur et à mesure des contacts qu'ils établissent les uns avec les autres, les individus construisent et entretiennent des relations communautaires. Les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication permettent de se focaliser sur la mobilité et les interrelations entre les personnes à travers leurs histoires de vie et la manière dont ils utilisent ces des nouvelles technologies au quotidien. Mots-clés : Communicationmobilitécommune-Angola/Namibie-Cameroun. MIRJAM DE BRUIJN, INGE BRINKMAN, "Communicating Africa", Researching Mobile Communities, Communication Technologies and Social Transformation in Angola and Cameroon Although communities are still often conceptually bound to geographical place, transnational studies in the 1990s have led to viewing a community more as a network than as a place This contribution expands this argument by developing the idea of "strings of people", with connections and communities being intrinsically linked. Based on material from Cameroon and Angola/Namibia, we argue that such notions of community have been in existence for a long time and that people have always viewed their communities as strings of people in various locations. As people contact each other, they construct and/or maintain community ties. Focusing on the life histories of mobility and connections, and on the ways in which people are making new technologies fit into their daily lives, this article discusses relations between new ICTs, community and mobility.

Domestic migration and mobile phones: A qualitative case study focused on recent migrants to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

“…Nevertheless, our data showed limited evidence that mobile phones promoted economic gain in migrants’ home communities: we show little to no evidence of either information or resource transfers from migrants to home communities via mobile phone. Rather than a fault of imagination, this failure to capitalize on mobile technology for the benefit of the home communities may be the result of a longstanding culturally valued tradition of what De Bruijn and Brinkman [ 61 ] refer to as “bush-falling,” or returning to home communities with gifts for friends and family members.…”

Thetélèphone malgache: Transnational gossip and social transformation among Malagasy marriage migrants in France

“…Nevertheless, recent work on cell phone use is helpful in drawing attention to the role of communication technologies and how people manage the perils and possibilities created by the rapid flow of information. Not only are communicative technologies like cell phones an important part of migrants' efforts to cultivate relationships with kin despite distance (de Bruijn and Brinkman 2011;de Bruijn et al 2009) but they may also play an important role in maintaining secrecy (Archambault 2011(Archambault , 2013. Telephones reveal and conceal in equal measure; they are powerful tools with the potential to disrupt existing hierarchies and social relations (Rafael 2003).…”

Communication and Crisis Information Campaigns: Perspectives of Constructivism, Conspiracy and Misinformation of Coivid-19 messages in West Africa

“…This is because many sub Saharan countries are with communities that lack adequate financial resources to develop and implement immediate and effective strategic communication plans. Bruijn and Brinkman (2011) states that the most important of the methods of staying in -touch with communities revolve the use of oral messages. It has to be pointed out that in the dissemination of oral messages, group communication is central in reaching people in a -two step flow process.…”