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This book proposes a new theorisation when studying cyber dissidents in an African digital sphere. It argues that social media dissidents are a recent development in a long lineage of dissidents in African societies. Using Zimbabwe as a case study, the study locates contemporary dissidents in the same family with other historical dissident figures found in African orature, the Chimurenga wars, through music, poetry and other forms of expression. The book argues against techno-deterministic approaches to studying social media-born digital dissidence in Africa. It is aimed at scholars dedicated to studying social media movements in African contexts and the global south generally, prompting them to re-evaluate their earlier conclusions and adopt a more nuanced and contextspecific approach.
List of contents
1 Setting the Scene.- 2 Surveying and Locating Dissidence in Zimbabwe.- 3 The Dissident Kusvereredza of @ProfJNMoyo.- 4 Baba Jukwa, #ThisFlag and #Tajamuka: Dissident Kusvereredza from the Margins.- 5 By Way of Conclusion: Thoughts on Hunhu, Social Media, Dissidentiality and Democracy.- References.
About the author
Dr Trust Matsilele is Senior Lecturer in the Media and Public Relations department at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa, and a fellow of CPUT's Centre for Communication Studies. He has published extensively in peer reviewed edited books and journals. His research cuts across disciplines such as social media, protest cultures, journalism and education. He is also a former senior journalist with Forbes Africa magazine and CNBC Africa and is regularly featured as a political analyst and social commentator in the media.
