Digital Activism and Feminist Solidarity: Reclaiming Public Spaces on Social Media in West Africa

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 13–25

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001285

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Digital Activism and Feminist Solidarity: Reclaiming Public Spaces on Social Media in West Africa

Names of Author: Dr. Chidinma Okafor¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.

Abstract:
Across West Africa, digital platforms have emerged as vital arenas where women challenge entrenched patriarchal norms, gender-based violence, and institutional silence. While traditional media spaces often marginalize female voices or frame women's grievances through conservative lenses, social media networks enable young feminists to mobilize rapidly and build transnational alliances. At the same time, online feminist advocates frequently encounter coordinated cyberbullying, state surveillance, and digital harassment designed to silence their resistance. This paper examines how grassroots feminist movements in Nigeria and Ghana utilize hashtag campaigns to transform personal testimonies into collective political action. Drawing on cyberfeminist theory and intersectional frameworks, the study analyzes digital archives from major gender justice campaigns between 2020 and 2025. Through qualitative content analysis of online discourse and interviews with digital organizers, I demonstrate how West African women negotiate digital precarity, foster solidarity across socio-economic divides, and compel policy accountability within offline governance structures.

Keywords: Digital activism, cyberfeminism, hashtag feminism, gender-based violence, West Africa, feminist solidarity, social media, intersectionality

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 15, 2026; Revised: June 21, 2026; Accepted: June 24, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Okafor, C. (2026). Digital Activism and Feminist Solidarity: Reclaiming Public Spaces on Social Media in West Africa. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 13–25. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001285

Subscribe to read the full article: https://www.internationalscholarsjournals.org/subscribe-to-read