Social Media and Politics in Africa by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786995001
Publisher: Book Network Int'l Limited trading as NBN International (NBNi)
Published: 2019-08-14T16:00:00+00:00

The elections: chaos, comedy, social media activists taking charge

By the time election day came around, the mood was cautiously optimistic, with a large number of people still without voting cards and an air of suspicion about how the day would unfold. It had rained so hard on election eve that debris blocked small roads and flooding impaired driving and mobility throughout Dakar. People complained that although the weather had impacted the electricity, they doubted that the state-run Senelec would be in any hurry to get it back up and running. Many turned to Twitter to express a commonly used gag, turning the power company’s name, Senelec into Senelekk, referring to the Wolof word lekk, to eat, a complaint that the company often charges consumers even when the power goes out, effectively ‘eating their money’. This harkens to Bayart’s (2009) ‘politics of the belly’, referring to the unequal relationship of politicians as patrons and citizens as clients that becomes visualised by symbols of eating and well-fed bellies. Everyone seemed anxious that an already vacillating electorate would be further discouraged to get out and vote due to the weather and general discontent with the government and the election process. There were whispers at the polling stations that Macky Sall had visited a mystic to make it rain or that God was punishing the very advent of voting in fraudulent elections. On the surface it was obvious that Macky Sall’s coalition Benno Bokk Yakaar had the means to outcompete the competition in advertising and the ability to move about the country, making visits to the far corners of Senegal. This, however, did not quell fears that they would also use their influence to change the results, stuff the ballot boxes or implement last-minute rules to create further confusion and frustration among many, or even dissuade them from voting altogether.

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