Rethinking publics in Africa in a digital age

Abstract

The digital transformations taking place across the African continent present an urgent need for fresh thinking in the study of publics. This introduction lays out the impetus and contribution of this Special Issue to such a rethinking of the study of publics in Africa. Following in the footsteps of a wider body of scholarship, we draw on Africa's pasts and present in order to move beyond the limiting assumptions, histories and languages that are embedded within Western scholarship on publics. We make the case that both de-Westernising and capturing publics in a digital age in Africa require openness to a diversity of disciplines, approaches and questions. In addition, we explain how, collectively and individually, the articles in this Special Issue contribute to taking up this task. Taken together, the articles are an eye-opening collection on the unfolding practices of citizens convening and participating in discussions using both newer and older media and communication platforms across Somalia,

Building back fairer in public health policy requires collective action with and for the most vulnerable in society

“…Across Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, varied roles are played by WhatsApp groups convening citizens for collective action. 23 24 Digital mobilisation has highlighted important implications for breaking free of Western frames of reference that may limit engagement.…”

The Digital Preservation and Communication of Traditional Chinese Tea Culture and Arts: A Case Study of China’s National Tea Museum

“…It is noted that the news media technologies and platforms have provided us with both opportunities and challenges. The opportunities are how we make this cyberspace more pluralistic and democratic for the discussion and participation of digital publics, and challenges are how we ensure that this democratic cyberspace is available to gratify the needs of the digital public [12].…”

Not quite an echo chamber: ethnic debate on Ethiopian Facebook pages during times of unrest

“…This incident in particular had a chilling effect on the digitally connected public, as it demonstrated that young and seemingly unthreatening bloggers could end up in jail (Gagliardone, 2016; Human Rights Watch (HRW), 2015). The following national elections in Ethiopia in 2015 took place in an environment of digital apathy and tame online discussion (Gagliardone et al, 2019; Srinivasan et al, 2019).…”