Cameroonian journalist Eric Chinje, founder of the Africa Media Initiative, expressed his enthusiasm about the current situation in Africa in terms of his media interest,"Africa is probably the most exciting place in the world to be right now because of the amount of things that are happening."
The revolution of mobile telephony and 3G waves have reached the most unsuspected corners and, in many cases mobile phones have become an indispensable accessory even for those who do not have the resources to replace old slippers.
The cradle continent of humanity is experiencing unprecedented revolutions in technological development. Little by little. tuit to tweet. " African countries are quite young and communication is at the centre of social cohesion. And the social media break down the barriers imposed by the states that limit freedom of expression and the right to information," the Ugandan journalist and activist Rosebell Kagumire tells EL MUNDO.
Despite the fact that access to services requiring Internet access is still not accessible to everyone (the latest estimates speak of an Internet penetration rate of 28,7% during the month of June), channels like WhatsApp are becoming vital for communication and information exchange." Africans are able to speak faster and assert themselves on the world stage than ever before"
In some African countries, freedom of the press is absent, journalists are persecuted and information is often manipulated or censored. And on many occasions the ruling class takes advantage of the vast illiterate mass to control a passive citizenry that does not fight for its rights. Not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know they have them. However, the advent of the Internet, and especially of social networks, is gradually changing that dormant context."On Twitter we’ve seen how Africans talk to each other and support each other. We see a vibrant debate, we see a slowdown in the impact on traditional journalism."
What is most interesting is that Africans not only comment on what is happening in their countries, but echo the crises of others and express their solidarity." People are awakening to the fact that they can challenge the status quo and Twitter and other channels are tools that can make it easier for online citizen participation.