Digital unhu: Mobile connectivity and immaterial labor in Zimbabwean artistic expression

Abstract

Through an analysis of two cases of Zimbabwean artistic collaboration and expression, this article proposes the concept “digital unhu” as a useful tool for understanding a Zimbabwean-inflected expression of immaterial labor. This concept is premised on the unprecedented rise of mobile phones in Zimbabwe, and contains three main components, including the fusion of older traditions with newer technologies, an emphasis on community and collaboration, and strategies of mobility. Using this framework, this article seeks to add to scholarship that considers a variety of factors that influence digital practices in the rise of mobile phone use in the global south. Specifically, it emphasizes the impact of markets, as well as historical and cultural influences, on mobile phone practices in Zimbabwe.

Ubuntu Linux in Zimbabwe: the digital unhu in open source practices

“… 2. ‘Digital unhu’ is a concept that gives attention to the widely unacknowledged increase of digital networks in Zimbabwe with its accompanying rise of ‘immaterial and voluntary labor’ (Hardt and Negri, 2001, 2005, 2009; Terranova, 2004a; Virno, 2003) or the digital, affective and cognitive labor that goes into producing immaterial commodities. To see further elaboration on the concept, refer to Caitlin McClune’s (2017) forthcoming article on Digital Unhu. …”