Fake news is not, by any means, a new phenomenon. However, an increasingly global access to the internet and the popularity of social media have allowed rumors and disinformation to circulate at an unprecedented speed, redefining how citizens put their trust in institutions such as political authorities and traditional media. Powerful competing narratives have emerged on key issues, in particular since the beginning of the COVID-19, which has created uncertainties fed by lack of institutional trust.
The dissemination of fake news has a growing influence on geopolitics and is sometimes used to manipulate images and opinions. The lack of access to reliable sources of information that a majority of the population is facing in Africa makes the continent a fertile ground for the manipulation of opinions. How do fake news and competing narratives affect key geopolitical issues that the continent is currently facing?
