Politics and Society Archives | This is Africa https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/ Opinion, Lifestyle, Arts, Music #TIA Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:24:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.1 https://i0.wp.com/thisisafrica.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-logo-512x512-2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Politics and Society Archives | This is Africa https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/ 32 32 67616479 The passport, the database and the State: Who controls digital Zimbabwe? https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/the-passport-the-database-and-the-state-who-controls-digital-zimbabwe/ https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/the-passport-the-database-and-the-state-who-controls-digital-zimbabwe/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:24:51 +0000 https://thisisafrica.me/?p=574352 Zimbabwe’s shift to biometric e-passports masks a critical vulnerability: digital sovereignty. With foreign firms building the state's digital identity infrastructure, convenience risks becoming a new form of dependency. This article analyses the hidden geopolitical costs of outsourced technology and ask a defining question: who truly controls the digital Zimbabwean?

The post The passport, the database and the State: Who controls digital Zimbabwe? appeared first on This is Africa.

]]> https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/the-passport-the-database-and-the-state-who-controls-digital-zimbabwe/feed/ 0 574352 Wicknell Chivhayo and trying to own Zimbabwe’s conscious culture is ephemeral and futile https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/wicknell-chivhayo-and-trying-to-own-zimbabwes-conscious-culture-is-ephemeral-and-futile/ https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/wicknell-chivhayo-and-trying-to-own-zimbabwes-conscious-culture-is-ephemeral-and-futile/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:54:12 +0000 https://thisisafrica.me/?p=574349 Zimbabwe’s cultural industry is confronting a deeper question than patronage: can art remain culturally independent when financially vulnerable creators receive cars, cash and other rewards from powerful benefactors? The debate exposes tensions between artistic survival, political influence and cultural ownership, raising urgent questions about whether Zimbabwe’s creative legacy can truly be bought.

The post Wicknell Chivhayo and trying to own Zimbabwe’s conscious culture is ephemeral and futile appeared first on This is Africa.

]]> https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/wicknell-chivhayo-and-trying-to-own-zimbabwes-conscious-culture-is-ephemeral-and-futile/feed/ 0 574349 Remembering the argument for progressive national gender equality consciousness https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/remembering-the-argument-for-progressive-national-gender-equality-consciousness/ https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/remembering-the-argument-for-progressive-national-gender-equality-consciousness/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:23:26 +0000 https://thisisafrica.me/?p=574343 Pan-African liberation once framed gender equality as foundational, yet modern policy has reduced it to a routine technicality while gender-based violence escalates. Addressing Africa's ongoing crisis requires reviving this consciousness—moving past superficial platitudes to educate both men and women toward a shared, decolonized national liberation.

The post Remembering the argument for progressive national gender equality consciousness appeared first on This is Africa.

]]> https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/remembering-the-argument-for-progressive-national-gender-equality-consciousness/feed/ 0 574343 When the Algorithm decides what we see: Who governs Africa’s digital democracy? https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/when-the-algorithm-decides-what-we-see-who-governs-africas-digital-democracy/ https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/when-the-algorithm-decides-what-we-see-who-governs-africas-digital-democracy/?noamp=mobile#respond Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:50:06 +0000 https://thisisafrica.me/?p=574331 Algorithms are now the unseen architects of African elections. As foreign platforms engineer civic realities through opaque feeds, the true democratic threat isn't just misinformation—it is the surrender of digital sovereignty. Africa must demand urgent algorithmic governance before the next ballot is cast.

The post When the Algorithm decides what we see: Who governs Africa’s digital democracy? appeared first on This is Africa.

]]> https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/when-the-algorithm-decides-what-we-see-who-governs-africas-digital-democracy/feed/ 0 574331 Zambia 2026: Beyond the ballot did SADC duck the election crisis? (SAPES Dialogue forum presentation) https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/zambia-2026-beyond-the-ballot-did-sadc-duck-the-election-crisis-sapes-dialogue-forum-presentation/ https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/zambia-2026-beyond-the-ballot-did-sadc-duck-the-election-crisis-sapes-dialogue-forum-presentation/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:51:06 +0000 https://thisisafrica.me/?p=574325 Zambia’s 2026 election delivered Hakainde Hichilema a decisive victory, but exposed troubling weaknesses in electoral transparency and institutional trust. Dr Blessing Vava argues that the deeper test now lies with SADC: whether regional election observation can evolve from documenting democratic shortcomings to ensuring they are actually corrected.

The post Zambia 2026: Beyond the ballot did SADC duck the election crisis? (SAPES Dialogue forum presentation) appeared first on This is Africa.

]]> https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/zambia-2026-beyond-the-ballot-did-sadc-duck-the-election-crisis-sapes-dialogue-forum-presentation/feed/ 0 574325