"Afropessimism, or the western media tradition of covering Africa in stereotypically negative ways, has continually served to strip the continent of representational nuance and agency. While Africa experienced its own COVID-19 challenges during the pandemic, the Afropessimistic outlook of total coll ... apse and carnage did not become a reality. In fact, with the popular uptake of TikTok as the pandemic wore on, Africans began social media trends that kept many globally entertained as they navigated new lockdown realities. This study looks at three of these TikTok trends, namely #JerusalemaChallenge, DtRushChallenge and #DontLeaveMeChallenge. Through textual analysis, the study explores if and how these trends provided counternarratives to Afropessimism. With dominant themes such as humour and dance emerging, findings suggest that these trends offered content that can be read as contributing to challenging Afropessimism through cultivating African digital agency and representation." (Abtract) more

"The trending hashtags analysed in this study all appeared at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when a range of Western media suggested that the African continent would be hit worst. However, as Western nations (such as the US and the UK) struggled under increased disease burden, content s ... uch as the #DontRushChallenge, #DontLeaveMeChallenge and #JerusalemaChallenge kept global social media audiences entertained and aware. These challenges should not be underestimated for their subversion of the idea of what popular narratives Africans can produce and engage in. The fact that a gospel Zulu song became an anthem for collective Covid-19 solidarity and entertainment is significant. Many users would not have understood the words of the song or identified the religious genre it belonged to. But the song's Creolisation of African cultures, through its infusion of Angolan dance techniques created a hybrid African cosmopolitan aesthetic that was easy for others to partake of. Thus emerged a sort of “solidarity from below”, as discussed in the literature review." (Discussion, page 11) more