From Kubatana to #ThisFlag: Trajectories of digital activism in Zimbabwe

Abstract

ABSTRACTDigital communication technologies have been considered as empowering tools for activists advancing socio-political causes or challenging oppression. In Zimbabwe, digital activism is still considerably new, but considered on its own terms, can it offer an insight on digital activism in general? The paper uses six pioneering Zimbabwean groups – Kubatana, Sokwanele, Magamba, Baba Jukwa, Occupy Africa Unity Square, and #ThisFlag, to explore the trajectory of digital activism from the early 2000s to the period immediately after the historic stepping down of the country’s long-time president, Robert Mugabe, in 2017. A qualitative exploration triangulating secondary sources with online research of the groups and in-depth interviews of key actors is used to explore activists’ work. The study’s approach is broadly informed by theoretical concepts from social movements and digital activism literature. While these advocacy groups are separate entities, the study observers that pioneering organizations like Kubatana and Sokwanele have led to Zimbabwe’s non-institutionalized collective action that bridges the online and offline repertoire to make claims and challenge the status quo. A restrictive socio-political environment and the growth in information technologies, and opportunities they present for activists and civil society caught in this repressive context, weave through the 20-year trajectory of Zimbabwean digital activism.