Inspired by the experience of her relatives in Zimbabwe, law student Anoshamisa Gonye investigates why governments are resorting to internet shutdowns in the face of civil protests.
ABOUT
Last January, Harare and Bulawayo—two of Zimbabwe’s busiest cities—were rocked by turbulent demonstrations. From January 14-22, 2019, the streets transformed into battlegrounds; protesters and police clashed in clouds of burning tyre smoke and teargas.
Protesters projected their resistance – and the government’s brutal response – to the rest of the world via messages, images and videos on Twitter and Facebook.
But on the January 15, the government ordered all mobile network operators to suspend their services. A full internet shutdown was initiated across the country.
As protesters, families and friends were left with severed mobile and online communication, armed police and soldiers continued the crackdown on the streets and in homes in Harare and Bulawayo.
At the heart of the story of Zimbabwe’s internet shutdown is this question: why do governments shut down the internet when faced with protests and civil unrest?
With guest Dr Anne Alexander, this podcast explores classic theories of the crowd and delves into Professor Gaston Gordillo’s concept of resonance to search for an answer.
Read the full story here and listen on Soundcloud.
Podcast by Orders in Decay
Interviewer and producer: Anoshamisa Gonye
Further reading
- Access Now, #KeepItOn: Joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure in Zimbabwe (2019)
- Aouragh M and Alexander A, The Egyptian Experience: Sense and Nonsense of the Internet Revolution (2011) International Journal of Communication
- Gordillo G, Resonance and the Egyptian Revolution (2011)
- Gordillo G, The Speed of Revolutionary Resistance (2011)
- Howard P, Agarwal S and Hussain M, When Do States Disconnect Their Digital Networks? (2011) 14 The Communication Review 216
- Magaisa A, Zimbabwe – Silence of the Birds (2019)
- Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Monitoring Report in the Aftermath of the 14 January to 16 January 2019 “Stay Away” and Subsequent Disturbances (2019)
