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Pan-Africanism as a laughing matter: (Funny) expressions of African identity on Twitter

David Cheruiyot, Charu Uppal

Journal of African Media Studies, Volume: 11, Issue: 2, Pages: 257 - 274

Swansea University Author: Charu Uppal

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DOI (Published version): 10.1386/jams.11.2.257_1

Abstract

Pan-Africanism, a concept that attempts to capture the essence of being an African, needs to be reconsidered in the age of social media. In this article, we examine how Twitter users negotiate the question of African identity through humorous hashtagdriven conversations. We specifically question whe...

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Published in: Journal of African Media Studies
ISSN: 2040-199X
Published: Intellect 2019
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58147
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Abstract: Pan-Africanism, a concept that attempts to capture the essence of being an African, needs to be reconsidered in the age of social media. In this article, we examine how Twitter users negotiate the question of African identity through humorous hashtagdriven conversations. We specifically question whether a new kind of Pan-Africanism is emerging on Africa’s Twitterverse through the use of a popular hashtag in 2015, #IfAfricaWasABar. In our analysis of tweets linked to #IfAfricaWasABar, we conclude that Twitter provides temporary solidarity by engaging users in humorous exchanges regarding the sociocultural, political and economic issues that define the African continental condition today.
Keywords: #IfAfricaWasABar; Pan-Africanism; Twitter; globalization; humour; identity
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Funders: Joint Committee for Nordic Research Councils in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NOS-HS). Project number: 219816/F10.
Issue: 2
Start Page: 257
End Page: 274

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