From Afro pessimism to Africa Rising: Anglo-American & Afro Media Representations of Africa

Abstract

This dissertation interrogates the representation of Africa as rising by examining the conditions that have led to the shift from an Afro pessimistic discourse to a more propulsive one. To do so, it examines how “Africa Rising” functions as a discourse articulated through transnational news networks, global financial, development, business organizations and Afrocentric digital platforms. It analyzes the recurring tropes, symbols and language used to signify the notion of “rising”, how various social actors are involved in the articulation of this discourse, the countries on the continent labelled as “rising”, which ones are not and why? It examines the conditions that have enabled the emergence of this discourse, and how they relate to other discourses. It examines the role of Afropolitans on the continent and the diaspora in the production and dissemination of this discourse through emerging Afrocentric digital platforms. Finally, it analyzes the tensions, contradictions and absences within this discourse and its implications for African countries. To address these questions, the rising discourse is theoretically contextualized within neoliberal globalization and development discourses, South-South relations, Postcolonial, journalism, digital media, and identity frameworks, to reveal the nuanced way that it articulates various ideological assumptions and the intersectional dimensions of race, gender and class in the production of the continent. Methodologically, this project applies a multi-sited critical discourse analysis, to a variety of news media texts from Anglo-American media, Afrocentric digital platforms and institutional reports. It also examines how various institutions deploy the notion of “Africa Rising.” Finally, this study includes interviews with content producers of Afrocentric digital platforms, to understand if and how they engage and situate their work within the “Africa Rising” discourse. This dissertation reveals that the Africa Rising discourse contradicts itself as it homogenizes the continent whilst pushing a neoliberal agenda that excludes countries within the continent that fail to adopt this agenda. It also reveals the tensions of neoliberalism on the continent, as countries with various profiles and histories struggle to adopt these policies. It reveals how various global social actors continue to influence affairs within the continent. Finally, it reveals the role that Afrocentric digital platforms are influencing perceptions about the African continent and how these platforms are intertwined with the neoliberal agenda.