Participatory Politics and Citizen Journalism in a Networked Africa

Farooq Kperogi, Kennesaw State University, USAKristin Skare Orgeret, Oslo and Akershus University College, NorwayGeorge Ogola, University of Central Lancashire, UKMike Owuor, Nation Media Group, KenyaSusana Salgado, University of Lisbon, PortugalErika Rodrigues, UX, Information Technologies Ltd., MozambiqueWinston Mano, University of Westminster, UKTerje Skjerdal, NLA University College, Kristiansand, NorwayEverette Ndlovu, University of Salford, UKWallace Chuma, University of Cape Town, South AfricaViola Candice Milton, University of South AfricaJoseph Mujere, University of Zimbabwe Glenda Daniels, University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaLast Moyo, Midlands State University, ZimbabweMirjam de Bruijn, Leiden University, NetherlandsIbrahim Shaw, Northumbria University, UKCleophas Taurai Muneri, University of New Mexico, USA Anya Schiffrin, Columbia University, USAWesley Mwatwara, University of Zimbabwe

"This book's distinctive feature remains its ability to provide case-by-case analysis of citizen journalism's increasingly influential role in democratizing political institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, backing empirically-driven cases of Anglophone scholarship with critical examination of contemporary trends within the continent's French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries." Christian Agbobli, University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada. "This book offers a first-hand, comprehensive and in-depth account of various aspects of what is labelled 'citizen journalism' in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on an exploration of a wide range of countries and practices, it shows splendidly what has changed and what has not, insofar as the way through which information is disseminated amongst citizens and within the media systems since the arrival of the Internet, social networks and the mobile phones on the continent. An essential reading for anyone interested in social change in contemporary Africa." Marie-Soleil Frere, National Fund for Scientific Research, Belgium. "The rapid growth of internet usage in Africa, overwhelmingly through mobile phones, has brought new communicative opportunities to millions of people across the continent. This ground-breaking volume brings together a wide range of articles exploring the impact of these developments on journalism, politics, health, agriculture, social inequality and human rights. Both the geographical and the conceptual scope of the contributions are extremely impressive, with studies ranging from the still-born attempt to repeat the Arab Spring in Ethiopia to the impact of new media in Lusophone Africa. Bruce Mutsvairo is to be congratulated on bringing together such a strong collection of original studies which will be of great value to scholars of media and communication, political science, and all interested in social change in Africa." Colin Sparks, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.

• 1. Recapturing Citizen Journalism: Processes and Patterns; Bruce Mutsvairo PART I: RECAPTURING PRODUCTION PRACTICES 2. Networked Social Journalism: Media, Citizen Participation, and Democracy in Nigeria; Farooq A. Kperogi 3. Crossing The Taboo Lines: Citizen Journalism Ethics In Political Crisis Setting; Last Moyo 4. The positioning of citizen-influenced Radio in the Battle for the Control of Minds; Everette Ndlovu 5. Why the Arab Spring never came to Ethiopia, Terje Skjerdal 6. Citizen Journalism at Crossroads: Mediated political agency and duress in Central Africa; Mirjam de Bruijn PART II: PROSPECTS, PROMISES AND PITFALLS 7. South African Arab Spring or democracy to come? An Analysis of South African Journalists' Engagement with Citizenry through Twitter; Glenda Daniels 8. Citizen journalism and the African extractives sector; Erika Rodrigues and Anya Schiffrin 9. Crowd-funding- a harambee for African journalism?; Kristin Skare Orgeret 10. Politics of passion and the pursuit for propaganda in Zimbabwe's state media. A study of case of The Herald; Bruce Mutsvairo 11.Beyond blind optimism: The case of citizen journalism in the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe; Cleophas Muneri PART III: PERCEPTIONS AND CRITIQUES 12. Political participation, alternative media and citizen journalism in Lusophone Africa; Susana Salgado 13. Between 'Bottom-Up' Journalism and Social Activism in Unequal Societies: The Case of GroundUP in South Africa; Wallace Chuma 14.Citizen journalism and national politics in Zimbabwe: The case of the 2008 and 2013 elections; Joseph Mujere and Wesley Mwatwara 15. Citizen journalism in Kenya as a contested 'third space'; George Ogola and Mike Owuor 16. The Ebola Virus and Citizen Journalism in Africa; Winston Mano and Viola C Milton 17. From citizen journalism to human rights journalism: Framing the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone on Facebook; Ibrahim Shaw