This volume explores the national election campaigns across the nations of sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is important in a number of ways. Democracy in this region is fragile, fraught with corruption and election outcomes thus open to contestation. The rule of law also tends to be fragile and highly politicized, and where societies are polarized can lead to minorities being subjugated by a majority. Hence the way elections are conducted, their outcomes and how communication flows through the nation s networks are crucial questions for understanding the cultures of these societies. Secondly, many societies are divided along ethno-religious lines as well as cleavages emerging between generations. In terms of the latter, populations are increasingly younger, more technology literate and less wedded to traditional ethno-religious cleavages. Similarly, women are increasingly assertive regarding their proscribed position in societies and are developing their own models for activism. How these cleavages are reflected within the election campaigns and the extent to which they are being impacted by demographic changes within these countries is important for understanding the trajectory that sub-Saharan African nations are on in terms of their democratic culture. Thirdly, social media has become an important tool for both political communication as well as the flow of information across civil society and the broader citizenry. Therefore, key questions need to be asked about the integrity of the information environment and the extent that disinformation, from political party leaders and candidates, from civil society or from external actors, impacts the election.

Autorentext

Darren G. Lilleker is Professor of Political Communication in the Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University, UK. He is editor of the Palgrave series Political Campaigning and Communication and is co-editor of the Journal of Visual Political Communication.

Bruce Mutsvairo is Professor of Media, Politics and the Global South at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction: Elections and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa.- Chapter 2: Liberia s 2023 Remarkable Presidential Election.- Chapter 3: Nigeria 2023: Social Cleavages, Voter Engagement and Media Landscapes.- Chapter 4: Insurgent campaigning to challenge authoritarianism: Zimbabwe 2023.- Chapter 5: The 2023 General Elections in Sierra Leone: Media Performance, Press Freedom, and Social Responsibility.- Chapter 6: Mediating Democracy: Political Communication, Disinformation, and Electoral Contestation in Kenya.- Chapter 7: Without money you re an enemy of the media : Money as a facilitator and/or obstacle to media access during election campaigns.- Chapter 8: How do disinformation campaigns around migration and refugees impact public perceptions of humanitarian responsibility in South Africa?.- Chapter 9: Young Kenyans and the Ruto Must Go Protest in London: Smartphone Cameras, Capturing Resistance and Diaspora Identity.