The ‘Digital Wankers’ Revolution
The Rise of Protest Culture and Everyday Activism in Kenya
Kenyans on Twitter(X) have been a force of nature for over a decade. With the first Kenyans joining Twitter around 2008, it soon became home to a chatty band of early adopters. Known for their sharp wit, Kenyans on Twitter have built an impressive reputation for winning fights with ruthless and pointed humour.
As formidable keyboard warriors, Kenyans on Twitter(X) have won international fights with CNN, the New York Times, and entire countries—a collective skill that has created a ripple effect of respect and consideration when discussing Kenya. This hashtag activism has also been felt at home when Kenyans on Twitter have rallied behind a cause, asked for government accountability, shamed the corrupt, and fundraised for great causes.
Meet the ‘Digital Wankers’
Flash forward to the present day, where Kenyans, led by Gen-Z, are making history. June 2024 will go down in history as a pivotal turning point in Kenya and Africa. The so-called ‘digital wankers’ are successfully pressuring the government to implement overdue reforms and begin a process of change in Kenya.
What is a ‘Digital Wanker’ anyway? I'm glad you asked. David Ndii, an economic advisor to the Kenyan government known for his biting retorts, was quick to rubbish Kenya's growing digital activism. Although his sentiments did not go down well, Kenyans embraced the name ‘digital wankers’ and used it as fuel to keep speaking up.
The hashtags led to the first peaceful street protest in Nairobi on Tuesday, June 18th. The goal was to pressure the Members of Parliament to reject the finance bill. Announced by renowned activist Boniface Mwangi, the protest attracted interest from young people across all walks of life. While Boniface had previously organised protests in Nairobi, things felt different this time.
Protests in Kenya have always been dramatic, but the reaction to this first protest was unexpected. Since the details of the demonstrations were shared online, the government used this information to disrupt and scatter the protests. Popular online mobilisers were arrested, and the police teargassed any group of people wearing black. Meanwhile, the protesters ensured they would record and document everything on social media.
Despite the surprise police retaliation to the first protest, Kenyans quickly rallied to help. Lawyers from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), led by their impressive chairperson, Faith Odhiambo, swooped in pro bono to bail out the arrested. Kind-hearted establishments in Nairobi CBD, like Jamia Mosque, were happy to provide protesters with water and a place to hide from the police.
Generosity is magnetic, and these gestures triggered such a wave of support and enthusiasm for the protests that the subsequent two protests took place nationwide and attracted thousands of young people (June 20th &25th).
For the first time, there were pro-bono lawyers, medics, water, food, T-shirts, placards, and hideouts in case the protesters needed a reprieve from teargas. A beautiful show of solidarity and support for the collective good.
Community Supercharges Activism
Digital activism has been around for over a decade, so what makes the ‘Digital Wankers’ potent and effective? The secret weapon is building and nurturing a community with a purpose. While hashtags come and go, few inspire real-life action and devotion.
Movement communities are mysterious and must be sparked by the right message, culture and timing alchemy. The Reject Finance Bill protests in Kenya were sparked by the right mix of elements: a culture of effective online activism, a highly unlikeable enemy, the pinch of an unbearable economy, the threat of increased hardship if you do nothing and a generation of young people fueled by courage and rage. The movement is hybrid (online and offline), held together by principles that nurture an unforgettable community.
While it may be hard or impossible to replicate an organic movement whose time has come, there are lessons we can glean from Kenyans. These ideas must exist simultaneously and complement each other to birth and sustain a movement.
The ‘Digital Wankers’ Playbook
Here is how to leverage social media to inspire a hybrid community of activists or ‘Digital Wankers’.
Download a PDF summary here to share with your colleagues and associates.
- Identify A Common Enemy
Find a timebound and specific unifying threat to your existence and fight it with the wrath of a hurricane. This is often an inciting incident that kicks off a reaction and conversation.
The pent-up economic frustrations of two generations, combined with the fearless digital-first Gen Z population, were enough to light up an intergenerational fire.
Before Gen Z, Kenyans were frustrated with the government. However, this generation came of age at a time when a majority of Kenyans were well-educated but jobless. Millennials also experienced job scarcity but were paralysed by their residual trauma and fear from being born in President Moi’s authoritarian era. Since Gen Z knew no fear, they grew up fearless.
2. Unifying Insider Language
Insider language often develops organically as people look for keywords to spread the word about the common enemy. This language becomes a unifying factor that dismantles previous divisions like tribe or age.
In the Kenyan protests and conversations around the 2024 Finance Bill, meme culture, language, and internet references created a new tribe of active citizens. Politicians could have previously divided Kenyans on tribal lines, but this new language broke the barriers of tribe and class to unite all young Kenyans.
With the characteristic Kenyan humour, the movement has co-opted words like ‘Digital Wankers’ and ‘Treasonous Criminals’ as an identity for all Kenyan Citizens and participants in the fight for a working country.
Words aimed at discrediting or instilling fear were transformed into badges of honour — especially when key milestones were achieved.
3. A Clear Picture of Success
While the enemy must stay consistent and in focus, the picture of success should also be clearly outlined and timebound. The enemy is a concept to demolish, while the picture of success represents achievable milestones. This gives the movement tangible and achievable targets to rally their efforts.
The object of the first wave of protests was clear: reject, not amend, the entire finance bill. While this objective was achieved, with the unfortunate state-sanctioned loss of lives and violence, the protest did not stop because the compelling enemy is corruption and impunity.
4. No Leaders, just Facilitators
Organic movements tap into communal frustration or joy and direct the energy towards the compelling purpose, with insider language and a clear picture of success. They are leaderless but need facilitators to stay focused on the agenda and get resources that fan the flames in the right direction. These facilitators shepherd the social energy towards clear, measurable milestones with compelling messaging and a call to action.
When a movement stays true to its purpose and measures of success, false leaders and opportunists become easy to spot and isolate. The real leaders and mobilisers emerge and never have to campaign for influence.
For example, the Kenyan movement refused calls for dialogue and distanced itself from politicians who tried to hijack it for political leverage. Since old tricks could not work, the political class was left scrambling for a plan.
5. Collective Responsibility: Power to the People
Movements are underpinned by a collective responsibility to the cause and each other when everyone sets down their selfish agendas and unrelated interests to rally behind a common goal. There is a sense of collective responsibility for building a future and results that everyone is proud of.
From taking to the streets in thousands around the country to visiting the protesters in hospitals, Kenyans overwhelmingly participated in the Gen-Z protests in June 2024. United by renewed patriotism and hope, they hit the streets every Tuesday and Thursday. They were there for their comrades who were arrested or hospitalised as a result of the protests.
Even in the face of unprecedented violence and force by the government, Kenyans showed up in person and in kind to bury the young people shot by police during the peaceful protests and pay the hospital bills of the injured. This new form of digital activism inspired young people from other African countries to start conversations and mobilise against outdated regimes.
6. Collective Pride: Moments of Euphoria
Before hitting the milestones, every movement needs the moments to marvel and feel a sense of pride. These moments can happen organically and can be induced by art and songs.
The first moment of euphoria in the Kenyan movement was the number of young people who turned up for the protests. Witnessing a peaceful mass of people chanting and moving as one is a once-in-a-lifetime experience immortalised through video and social media.
Another notable moment was the Nairobi Memorial concert held in Uhuru Park on 7th July 2024 in honour of the young people killed by police in the protests or abductions. The free concert was organised with donated equipment, a venue, and labour from MCees, musicians, and other technicians.
7. Symbols and Monuments: Expressing Love
The human brain loves a good shortcut. Nothing is more effective than a symbol. Symbols become shorthand for allegiance and solidarity during a movement. Every good revolution needs a symbol.
In the Kenyan Genz protests, the symbol was clear. The Kenyan flag became the outfit of choice for protesters and soon was used in the free concert and while burying protesters who fell victim to police brutality. For the first time, Kenyans wore the flag's colours with pride and hope for a brighter future.
The other main character in the Gen-Z protest is music. The rise of protest songs and moments of pure joy and dancing during the protest spread on social media, giving energy and personality to a leaderless movement. Every moment worth remembering needs a soundtrack.
Thriving protest communities rise and fall on the domino effect of goodwill(or lack thereof). They crumble when one or two of the principles above are missing or disregarded but blossom if sacrificial leaders help the community self-regulate and recalibrate.
Digital transformation advice advocates for community building, but most of our efforts remain siloed, selfish, short-sighted and incomplete. Transformational communities cannot be owned. They are altruistic and enabled by a generosity of spirit and purpose. An authenticity that is hard (or impossible) to fake.
Movements are magnets. If your community does not attract natural collaborators and enablers, check your intentions, shed selfish ambition and chase the common good.
With these seven principles, your movement will thrive and leave a dent in the community and world. Moments like these are rare and will probably be witnessed once in a lifetime, so savour them while they last and take part in them if you believe in the greater good.
Download the Digital Wankers Playbook and share it with your colleagues and associates.
