West African Dissent Theory: The Ambiguity of Intervention in Technopolitics

This chapter delineates the contours of an African political communication theory of dissent. The chapter is situated within the technopolitics of dissent expressed by Ghanaian and Nigerian social media users. Herein, I develop a taxonomy of social media dissent, examine its functions, and analyze how it is expressed through the medium. My goal is to demonstrate that West African Dissent Theory (WADT), beyond being a form of epistemic violence, is a performative theory rooted in episodic moments of West African cultures where the youth, on special occasions such as during traditional festivals, are allowed to express discontent by speaking (usually via singing) truth to power for non-performance without fear of retributive justice or punishment.