Okoth Fred Mudhai

Introduction: New Media and Democracy in Africa—A Critical Interjection

The advent of new media technology in Africa, in the 1990s, sparked celebratory, almost utopian bliss in its proponents. It was accompanied by the hype about the continent’s possibility of “leapfrogging” some stages of development, as though the whole process of development had been rendered less problematic. A linearity of progress was assumed, almost uncritically positing new media technology as deterministic of social progress. Yet, after over a decade of the emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs), the old questions about access, inequality, power, and the quality of information available are still valid (cf. Fourie, 2001). This calls for a more critical rethink of the social and political impact of new technologies on the African polity. This book makes a significant contribution to the discourse around these questions by bringing together a collection of chapters that explore the correlation between new media technology and democracy in Africa, as well as the nature of their juxtaposition with “old” or “traditional” media. To set the context for these analyses, this introductory chapter provides a critical analysis of the conceptual and theoretical debates surrounding the new media/political engagement/democratic participation/good-governance nexus, and anchors them in the specific reality of the African situation.

“Misclick” on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya’s Disputed December 2007 Presidential Election

While the use of “new” media by key political parties and presidential candidates has intensified in recent Kenyan presidential elections, the controversial December 2007 poll laid bare the limits of technology’s role in democracy. We argue that while new media may have some potential to help monitor and mobilize political activity, and possibly encourage political engagement, they can also reinforce the positions of those in power not only due to their limitations but also by their manipulability by scheming human agents.

Light at the end of the tunnel? Pushing the boundaries in Africa

Hinged on the watchdog role of the Fourth Estate in sub-Saharan Africa’s nascent electoral democracies, this essay goes beyond examining obstacles to investigative journalism on the continent. While these bottlenecks provide useful contexts, the essay highlights not only their impacts but also emphasizes strategies African investigative journalists, and their Western supporters, employ to surmount these routine hurdles. The focus is mainly on eastern and southern Africa – particularly Kenya and South Africa (SA).

Commonwealth Residualism and the Machinations of Power in a Turbulent Zimbabwe

This article deals with three major periods of Commonwealth involvement in Zimbabwe, 1979, 1991 and 2000, and charts a change and decrease in Commonwealth influence in each successive period. It investigates current political upheavals in Zimbabwe and sets these against the regard that key internal protagonists - ZANU (PF) and the MDC - have for the Commonwealth. The article concludes that only a residue of Commonwealth influence now remains.

Conflict Coverage in a Digital Age: Challenges for African Media

In an increasingly networked and globalized—or globalizing—society, the recent emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a fast-pluralized media ecology presents challenges for most of Africa’s hitherto state-dominated “big man” politics. We argue in this chapter that in situations of political-ethnic conflicts, new digital tools produce opportunities for propaganda, but at the same time they also offer new possibilities for counterpropaganda. Alternative information from blogs, e-mail lists, Web sites, especially through NGOs with Web sites and e-mail networks, have—in addition to cell phone text messaging—complicated recent political contests linked to socioeconomic tensions. This chapter not only analyzes the links between violence and electoral politics but also examines the contribution of new ICTs in exacerbating or ameliorating inter-“ethnic” and interparty violence—especially around national polls in selected African countries.

Globalization and Political Communication in Africa: Anglo-American Influences in Kenya and Nigeria

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the professionalization of political publicity—with the media playing a central role—was considered unusual even in the European party systems. Over the years, the roles of communication experts have increased with the diffusion of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in converged media spheres. As with most other cultures and practices, certain political communication trends that started and were popularized in Western democracies, especially the USA and the UK, have recently gained entry and popularity in Africa through homogenization and globalization processes. In this chapter, we pay particular attention to Kenya and Nigeria with a closer look at the phenomena of pre-election live-televised candidates’ debate and hiring of tested communication consultants from the West to advise on “messaging” (selling) policies and achievements of political candidates/leaders and their respective parties/regimes.

Implications for Africa of E-Gov Challenges for Giants South Africa and Nigeria

If the key goals of e-government and e-governance (e-gov is hereafter used to refer to both terms) are to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency, as well as aid citizen inclusion and participation in a democracy, then the giants South Africa (SA) and Nigeria are best-placed to lead the way not only in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) but also the entire continent. This is because of their populous nature, vast economies, expansive geographical dimensions and the complexity of their political and administrative systems. While a recent UN report based on a global survey singled out SA as an e-gov exemplar in SSA, Nigeria only managed a second-best place in the worst ranked West Africa region. Hinged on the notion that the provision of government services and information through electronic or online means is a crucial way of popularizing information and communication technologies (ICTs) among populations, this chapter examines not only the challenges of e-governance initiatives but also probes the extent to which they could aid or hinder efficacious democracy.