The Internet in Africa: a Turning Point in the Struggle for Human Rights?

Abstract

The human rights situation in Africa is a catastrophe.1 The state of traditional and Internet communications is also a disaster. Even with the little of the Internet that is available in Africa, it is making an impact in promoting and protecting human rights. The facts of human rights violation in Africa are well known; violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter are reported daily, a situation common across the continent. These include the infringement of democratic rights, ethnic wars, massacres, assassinations, imprisonment, disappearances of opponents or of journalists, and the open and public embezzlement of funds. Not a day goes by without Africa making the news on one of these subjects. This chapter provides a picture of human rights and communications in Africa, both prior to, and after the Internet’s arrival. Hopefully, this chapter will give the reader a picture of how the Internet is advancing the cause of human rights in Africa — as well as the problems the human rights community have in accessing and using the Internet.