The Institute for African Studies (IAfS) presents:
Kenyan Politics in the Digital Age:
A discussion with author Nanjala Nyabola
Dr. Imani Cheers, Assistant Professor of Media and Public Affairs with the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, will moderate the discussion.
Technology and social media are having a profound impact on democracy and political movements the world over, expanding opportunities for citizens to engage in public debate, mobilize around issues of common interest, and give voice to traditionally marginalized communities. At the same time, this dramatic opening up of the "public sphere" has created new opportunities for disinformation, manipulation, and the incubation of toxic, non-democratic impulses. Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics provides an in-depth analysis of the collision of politics and technology in Kenya's first "digital decade," from the violent aftermath of the country's 2007 election to the polls of 2017 in which "fake news," the outsized influence of Cambridge Analytica, and allegations of hacking undermined public confidence in the process. More broadly, Nyabola offers a new and groundbreaking look at how new technologies are shifting power dynamics in Kenya and how both government and citizens are seeking to use these powerful tools to shape political space.
About the Author
Nanjala Nyabolais a writer, independent researcher and political analyst currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work focuses on conflict and post conflict transitions, with a focus on refugees and migration, as well as East African politics generally. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Al Jazeera, World Politics Review, as well as chapters in edited collections. She is the author of Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Kenya and co-editor of Where Women Are: Gender and the 2017 Kenyan Elections. Nanjala holds a BA in African Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham, an MSc in Forced Migration and an MSc in African Studies, both from the University of Oxford, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar, and a JD from Harvard Law School.
This event is free, on the record, and open to the public.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
