Featured stories about Zimbabwe
Stories about Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe election aftermath sees human rights defenders and opposition supporters under siege
Critics claim the ongoing post-election harrassment is reminiscent of the late president, Robert Mugabe, who after failing to gain the majority vote in the 2008 election resorted to violence against opposition supporters.
Elections and Power Dynamics in Zimbabwe
Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected as president in an election that has been called "blatant and massive fraud" by the opposition.
Unfreedom Monitor: Civic Media Observatory findings report
The Unfreedom Monitor is a project to analyse, document, and report on the growing phenomenon of the use of digital communications technology to advance authoritarian practices.
Zimbabwe’s uneven electoral field: Data protection laws used to deny digital voter roll inspection
In April this year, a number of eligible voters received accurately targeted campaign SMS messages from the ruling party, with details such as voters’ full names and where message recipients had registered to vote.
Zimbabwe’s information war on digital platforms threatens free expression
"Digital technology has played a huge role in spreading propaganda and disinformation because these offer a huge platform, which appeals to a large number of people."
Undertones: Zimbabwe's cyberpunk cities fueled by China
Zimbabwe is set to become Africa’s first country with a “smart” capital city built from scratch. But many are wary of Zimbabwe becoming a surveillance state.
How Zimbabwe is building a Big Brother surveillance state
Citizens' belief that the infringement of human and digital rights does not concern them has created fertile ground for the emergence of pervasive surveillance in Zimbabwe.
These culturally conscious African fashion designers are leading another sportswear revolution
“I decided to create something that was tailored for African bodies with a print that represented my tribe,” said Jabulile Gwala, founder of Siko Republik
An estate under siege: How the press in Zimbabwe is being gagged
Journalists are caught up in the crosshairs of a strategic battle to churn out narratives acceptable to either the state or opposition parties.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Zimbabwe
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Zimbabwe is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Access the Unfreedom Monitor database
The Unfreedom Monitor is an Advox initiative to deepen our understanding of the relationship between technology and authoritarian power. In the first phase of this project, researchers working in 11 countries and four key themes conducted analysis of incidents, narratives, and media items, to explain acts of digital authoritarianism and...
How Artificial Intelligence could influence Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections
When technologies are adopted in the absence of a solid legal framework and strict safeguards, they pose significant threats to privacy and personal security.
Africa's music scene rebounds after a devastating pandemic
Live performances and music festivals, key revenue sources for African musicians, were annihilated during the COVID-19 pandemic. But things seem to be gradually returning to normal.
Weaponising the law: Zimbabwe’s new frontier in digital rights repression
2022 will provide ample opportunity to monitor the government response to electoral challenges, and whether includes the use of internet shutdowns and laws to clampdown on activists, opposition leaders and independent media.
Africa's heritage restitution debate extends to audio and visual archives
Unlike artifacts whose functionality and value do not depend on the medium they can be accessed through, visual and sound recordings are subject to the vagaries of technology.
Feminist music icons from around Africa to celebrate this International Women's Day
Whether it is speaking out against sexual abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM), celebrating sexual identity, or promoting gender equality, to these African feminist singers, music is the ultimate weapon.
#AfricansInUkraine: We are students, we don’t have guns
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused displacement of thousands of people. Among them also an African diaspora which had to mobilise informally while also dealing with racial discrimination on the ground.
Colonial prejudices and vaccine nationalism drive COVID-19 African travel bans
Omicron has spread to many countries, but most Western countries red-listed only southern African countries. This is reflective of the colonial stereotyping of Africans as savages from a diseased continent.
These female African content creators are using TikTok for more than just dance videos
These women are showing that TikTok has the potential to become the Twitter of its generation -- a medium for discussion about pertinent issues, in ways that prompt real-life action and change.
Should there be Shona-language versions of Google and social media sites? This Zimbawean technologist says yes
"Native speakers should be at the forefront of researching and producing these tools as they better understand their own language."
Freedom of expression in a downward spiral in Southern Africa, says new study
Outdated laws, exorbitant fees, and stifling of dissent have ramped up violations to the right of free expression in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
