China and Africa's Digital Authoritarianism

 The London School of Economics blog posted on 9 September 2021 a commentary titled "Don't Blame China for the Rise of Digital Authoritarianism in Africa" by Mandira Bagwandeen, University of Cape Town.  

The author argues that by blaming digital authoritarianism in Africa on China alone, and overlooking the roles of other offenders, risks oversimplifying a complex environment.  

Internet Shutdowns in Africa and China's Role

Ventures Africa published in August 2019 a series of essays on shutting down the internet in Africa. Included is an interview with James Griffiths, author of The Great Firewall of China, titled "China's Firewall and Africa's Internet Shutdowns."

The author concludes that China has had an influence, both in pioneering the use of internet shutdowns for censorship and social control in providing tools and support to African countries that wish to censor and control their own domestic internets.