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From Street Corners to Social Media: The Changing Location of Youth Citizenship in Guinea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2019

Clovis Bergère
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Abstract:

This study explores social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter in particular, as emergent sites of youth citizenship in Guinea. These need to be understood within a longer history of youth citizenship, one that includes street corners and other informal mediations of youth politics. This counters dominant discourses both within the Guinean public sphere and in academic research that decry Guinean social media practices as lacking, or Guinean youth as frivolous or inconsequential in their online political engagements. Instead, young Guineans’ emergent digital practices need to be approached as productive political engagements. This contributes to debates about African youths by examining the role of digital technologies in shaping young Africans’ political horizons.

Résumé:

Cet article explore les réseaux sociaux, Facebook et Twitter en particulier, en tant que lieux de vie citoyenne pour les jeunes Guinéens qui doivent être resituer dans une trajectoire historique qui comprend les coins de rue et d’autres lieux informels comme sites de médiation de la vie politique. Cela va à l’encontre des discours dominants qui décrient les pratiques numériques de la jeunesse guinéenne comme frivoles, inconséquentes ou déficientes. Plutôt, cet article propose ‘d’aborder ces pratiques comme productives. Finalement, cet article contribue aux débats sur la jeunesse Africaine en rendant compte du rôle du numérique dans l’agencement des horizons politique des jeunesses Africaines.

Resumo:

Neste estudo, analisamos as plataformas das redes sociais, em especial o Facebook e o Twitter, enquanto lugares emergentes de exercício de cidadania por parte da juventude guineense. Estas plataformas têm de ser entendidas no âmbito de uma história mais longa do exercício de cidadania juvenil, contemplando as esquinas de rua e outras vias informais de mediação das políticas de juventude. Esta abordagem contradiz os discursos dominantes quer na esfera pública da Guiné, quer na investigação académica, segundo a qual não existe neste país uma prática de utilização das redes sociais e que acusa os jovens guineenses de serem frívolos ou inconsequentes no seu envolvimento político online. Pelo contrário, as práticas de utilização dos recursos digitais por parte da juventude guineense devem ser encaradas como formas produtivas de empenho político. Assim, através da análise do papel que as tecnologias digitais desempenham na formação dos horizontes políticos dos jovens africanos, pretendemos contribuir para os debates mais alargados acerca das juventudes africanas.

Keywords

social mediayouthliteracygenerationGuineadigital practices
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 124 - 145
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2019 

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