CTD researcher Boukary Sangaré contributed the paper ‘Réseaux sociaux et communication en temps de crises au Mali : l’exemple des groupes de discussion sur facebook’  to ECAS 2013, 5th European Conference on African Studies ‘African Dynamics in Multipolar World’ (Lisboa: CEI, 2014. 978-989-732-364-5. p.1918-1942).

Read the abstract below:

It would be difficult to understand recent political events in Africa – the « Arab spring », the Ivorian crisis, the Malian crisis and so on – without addressing the prominent role played by social networks, and especially by Facebook. This paper is about the use of Facebook by Malians searching to share information in the context of the recent political and military crisis. Triggered in January 2012, the Malian crisis has experienced enormous bustles through the one hand, to the north, occupying two thirds of the national territory by the rebels, Islamists, jihadists, drug dealers etc. and secondly the south dominated by the coup d’Etat, political tensions, demonstrations of putchists supporters in Bamako claiming holding national consultations, the resignation of the transitional government etc Facebook has become the privileged social network used both by Malians and foreigners to share and discuss information concerning the Malian crisis. Discussion groups such as the « Anti-MNLA », « Sofas de la Republique », « Journal Foufou », « Election Presidentielle au Mali», « Douentza Groupe » and so on were created at the outset of the crisis and have become progressively active, nowadays sharing information in real time. Besides its informative character, Facebook has become a truly open forum where discussants deploy interesting and relevant analysis of the crisis. In this paper I will address the case of around ten different « discussion groups » on Facebook to show their strategic positions. I will also examine other technologies used to share on Facebook information concerning a communinity without connectivity.