#ThisFlag and #ThisGown Cyber Protests in Zimbabwe: Reclaiming Political Space

Evan Mawarire’s #ThisFlag as Tactical Lyric: The Role of Digital Speech in Imagining a Networked Zimbabwean Nation

“…Threats against and arrests of politically-dissenting artists have been common in Zimbabwe under Mugabe (Joseph 2014;Ravengai 2015;Zenenga 2008); Michael Bratton found that over 51 percent of Zimbabweans reported experiencing political intimidation or harassment between 1980 and 2008 (2011). However, Mawarire's international fame and popularity seemed to have helped in his release, as his supporters held rallies outside the courthouse (Gukurume 2017). Following his release, Mawarire left Zimbabwe for South Africa, where he remained for several months after Mugabe denounced him further on July 20.…”

“…Social media platforms supported popular participation in the movement; the digital networks and open publication of social media platforms both allowed a wide range of politically active Zimbabweans to participate in the movement and connected activists around the world. However, as demonstrated by Gukurume's (2017) analysis of the #ThisFlag movement, and Mutsvairo and Sirks's (2015) description of participation in the Baba Jukwa Facebook page, such passive engagement is insufficient. Instead, as rhetorical analysis of the original video, its circulation on social media, and selected responses illustrates, the particular rhetoric of "This Flag" uniquely compelled further action.…”

“…Social media publication supported and enhanced Mawarire's use of poetic language in movement-building. #ThisFlag's rapid digital uptake, and its dramatic implementation in the strikes and protests of June and July, have led scholars such as Simbarashe Gukurume (2017) to suggest that social media's connective and democratizing power uniquely facilitated the protest's growth. However, as Bruce Mustvairo and Lys-Anne Sirks illustrate in their analysis of Zimbabwean activism on Facebook, "watching alone isn't enough" (2015:331); digital discussions do not necessarily lead to grounded action.…”

Navigating Precarious Livelihoods: Youth in the SME Sector in Zimbabwe

“…Young people were the hardest hit by this economic crisis (Chirisa and Muchini 2011). More than 60 per cent of them endured protracted unemployment, and political and economic marginalisation (Gukurume 2017). This pushed them into the SME sector.…”

“…The problem of youth unemployment in post-colonial Zimbabwe is well documented (Bennel and Ncube 1994;Grant 2003;Chirisa and Muchini 2011;Kang'ethe and Mafa 2015). According to some sources, unemployment rates have reached over 94 per cent (Langa 2016;Gukurume 2017;ILO 2015;Dekker 2009). Young people under the age of 35 years constitute the majority of the unemployed and underemployed in the country (Zinhumwe 2012).…”