Senior ASC researcher Mirjam de Bruijn travels through Middle Africa – ‘complicated’ countries like Mali, Chad, Cameroon, DR Congo and Central African Republic. The Arab spring hasn’t arrived there yet, but the effects of the presence of the (often very poor) internet connections, mobile telephony and mobile internet do show in everyday life experiences and socio-political dynamics. What is this new dynamic and how does it make a difference for people who want to steer social change? Mirjam is looking for counter voices: young powerful people who try to change these countries in their own special way: by engaging in politics, photography, music, writing, human rights advocacy, etc. Their stories show how difficult the struggle for freedom is.
Have a look at Mirjam’s research programme Connecting in Times of Duress: Understanding Communication and Conflict in Middle Africa’s Mobile Margins and have a look at the site www.voice4thought.org where you find more in-depth stories of the people presented in this blog.
You may also want to read other ASC blogs.
Counter Voices in Africa 