Digital word of mouth
How rumours travel, from oral traditions to digital messaging. One case follows real footage recorded in France in 2021 that was repurposed to tell a story about Tunisia in 2023.
AN INVESTIGATION BY
EKEDI KOTTO MAKA & ANDRÉ-MICHEL ESSOUNGOU
Le virus
du doute
Disinformation in Africa: trends, stakes and responses
What happens when the aim is no longer to make us believe a lie, but to make us doubt everything? A journey through information battles in Africa — and the responses emerging across the continent.
An English edition is coming soon. This website is available in English and French.
Perhaps this is where disinformation’s most insidious mutation lies: not simply making people believe what is false, but making it impossible to believe what is true.
From the prologue (translated from French)
THE BOOK’S ARGUMENT
An African story, with global stakes
From recycled images to organised influence campaigns, from restrictive laws to local responses: five chapters connect the mechanisms of manipulation with their political and human consequences.
Africa’s information warriors
In Bamako, the videomen — digital heirs to the griots — produce ten times more content than the movement they support. In South Africa and Kenya, influence is bought by the hashtag and the like.
The influence mercenaries
Cambridge Analytica, Team Jorge, the Archimedes Group, French and Russian fake accounts clashing in the Central African Republic, then deepfakes: the global influence market and its African targets.
The law as a weapon
The case of Beninese journalist Ignace Sossou opens a discussion of “fake news” laws, press freedom and the risks of turning responses to disinformation against journalists.
Reclaiming the narrative
Fact-checking, radio, local languages and community initiatives: the book explores African responses and the work of rebuilding trust.
FREE READING
Read the opening pages, free
The reader’s note, prologue, first chapter and epilogue are available as lightweight PDFs, designed for slow connections and phones. The book is in French.
WHERE TO BEGIN
Read. Listen. Investigate.
Podcast
Six conversations in French, with lightweight audio files.
Research
How the book draws on field experience and documented sources.
Teaching
Classroom activities built around cases from the book.
Resources
Reports, investigations and verification resources cited in the book.
Authors
Two careers at the intersection of journalism, digital strategy and African information environments.
Contact
Ask the publisher about the book, teaching or academic access.
FOR TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS
Bring the investigation into the classroom
Explore practical teaching ideas and the book’s sources. A free academic copy may be requested from Éditions Tila, subject to approval.
Teaching ideas Request a copy