Free speech
Le Gabon, pays démocratique depuis le début des années 1990, est comme bon nombre de pays africains dont la démocratie ne se limite parfois qu’à la simple tenue d’élections régulières. Pourtant nous savons que la force de la démocratie libérale réside dans le fait qu’elle donne au peuple ce à quoi il aspire le plus: la liberté (Diallo, 2011).
Face aux mutations continues des technologies, les habitudes de consommation d’informations des Guinéens aussi évoluent. Même si la radio reste la source d’information la plus populaire, elle est en train d’être concurrencée par la télévision, et l’Internet et les réseaux sociaux sont de plus en plus présents au quotidien des Guinéens.
Fewer than half of Angolans say they feel free to say what they think, according to Afrobarometer’s first survey in the country.
While a majority of citizens report feeling at least “somewhat free” to join political organizations and vote for the candidate of their choice, more than half also say people must be cautious when they talk about politics.
De acordo com os dados do primeiro inquérito do Afrobarometer em Angola, pouco menos de metade dos angolanos disse sentir-se livre de expressar as suas ideias.
Enquanto a maioria dos cidadãos revelou sentir-se de “alguma forma livre” para aderir um partido político e votar no candidato ou partido político da sua preferência, mais de metade afirmou que as pessoas precisam ser cautelosas quando falarem sobre política.
Face aux menaces sécuritaires, la plupart des Burkinabè sont favorables à certaines restrictions de leurs libertés si cela s’avère nécessaire pour assurer leur sécurité, selon une nouvelle enquête d’Afrobarometer.
In a crisis, the ability to disseminate information rapidly and effectively can be a matter of life and death. During the COVID-19 pandemic, accurate, timely, and trusted information about the number of cases, ways to prevent infection, government curfew and lockdown orders, and reasons why they’re important can help reduce transmission, dispel rumors, prevent panic, limit the use of dangerous quack “treatments,” facilitate planning for a stay-at-home period, and improve compliance, ultimately reducing the impact of the virus.
Like many other countries, Ghana has been grappling with its share of fake news about COVID-19. On the one hand, rumors that the “foreign disease” targets only whites and the affluent heighten nonchalant attitudes toward fighting the disease. On the other hand, scaremongering, prescription of various local remedies, and false case counts create confusion and undermine public education efforts.
Under the one-party reign of President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi was described as a country “where silence rules” (Carver, 1990) because of the regime’s effective machinery for squashing dissent. This era ended with a 1993 referendum endorsing a multiparty democracy and constitution enshrining freedom of expression and of association (Malawi Government, 1994).
Many Ugandans fear becoming victims of political intimidation or violence during elections.
A majority think that they have to be careful about what they say about politics and which political organisations they join, and that the freedom of the opposition to function is more constrained now than it was a few years ago.
Fear and experience of domestic insecurity are high.
Solid majorities say the armed forces keep the country safe and are professional and respectful to citizens.
Zimbabwe’s Constitution of 2013 guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms for citizens, including freedom of speech, association, and religion as well as the right to privacy in their communications (Constitution of Zimbabwe, 2013). In practice, however, fundamental rights may sometimes be seen as conflicting with other priorities, such as maintaining public security.
Findings from the Round 6 survey in Tanzania (2014).
Selon la plus récente enquête d’Afrobaromètre au Niger, le gouvernement devrait contrôler ou pouvoir interdire les médias/la presse de publier n’importe quelle information. En effet, malgré que les nigériens disent que la presse/médias devrait constamment enquêter et publier sur la corruption et les erreurs du Gouvernement, plus de la moitié des Nigériens (60%) disent que le gouvernement devrait pouvoir interdire les médias de publier tout ce qui pourrait nuire à la société.
Les résultats de l’enquête Afrobaromètre montrent que la grande majorité des Burundais pense que les médias jouent pleinement leur rôle de contre-pouvoir, en enquêtant et en publiant sur les erreurs du gouvernement et sur les cas de corruption. Ils sont un peu moins nombreux à penser que la presse joue efficacement son rôle. Il y a un souhait qui se manifeste d’avoir une presse beaucoup plus efficace et plus entreprenante.
Résultats du 6ème tour d’Afrobaromètre au Burundi.
Résultats de la 5ème série des enquêtes au Niger (2013).
Résultats de la cinquième série d’enquêtes au Cameroun (2013).
Findings from the Round 5 survey - 34 countries.
Radio remains the dominant news source for most Africans; more than 60% of the people in every state except Egypt consume radio news, according to Afrobarometer's survey of 34 countries. Both television and internet are growing as sources of news, chipping at radio's
dominance, but 77% of people on the continent listen to radio news at least a few times every month, the survey shows.
Citizens' freedom of expression is strongly correlated with effective governments, according to data collected in face-to-face interviews with more than 51,000 Africans in 34 countries during Round 5 of the Afrobarometer (2011-13). Where people feel that they are free to say what they
A majority of Africans support an independent news media and expect the press to play an active role in reporting on poor government performance and corruption, a new analysis of Afrobarometer survey data shows.
In surveys representing more than three-fourths of the continent’s population, 57% of respondents demand media freedom, although some countries and regions are more willing to tolerate government control than others. Less educated citizens are less likely to support a free news media that holds governments accountable.
Journalists have little doubt that a free and effective news media is a cornerstone of democracy and development. But do their customers – everyday citizens and consumers of news – agree with them, and thus help provide the backing that journalists need to gain or maintain their independence?
In successive Afrobarometer survey rounds, more than seven of 10 Tanzanians have said they feel free to say what they think, placing Tanzania near the top among African countries in perceived freedom of speech. The Tanzanian news media environment, however, is only partly free, according to Freedom House assessments, and recent years have witnessed extensive government intervention in news media activity.
A majority of Tanzanians support a critical and independent news media, but that support has weakened as more citizens express a desire for less negative news reporting, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey.
Two-thirds of Tanzanians say the media should constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption, and a majority say the media should report any views and ideas without government control. But on both issues, support is significantly lower in 2014 than it was in 2012.
Findings from the Round 5 survey in Uganda (2012).
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Findings from the Round 5 survey in Malawi (2012).
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Results from the Afrobarometer Round 5 survey in South Africa (2011).
Results from the Round 5 (2013) survey in Swaziland.
Findings from Afrobarometer Round 6 surveys in Botswana.
Freedom of expression is a human right and bedrock for development. However, experience differs across the globe with some countries censoring what is communicated to the general public and totally gagging citizens. This experience is gradually being negated as the world embraces new interactive media through ICT. This channel relays information in real time and it is almost impossible to control by governments who are not keen on embracing public opinion in governance.
