#rp25 speaker Esther Mwema: Visions for our digital future

The internet ties our society together. Whether it's a series marathon, transferring money, researching for a lecture or looking for a partner – all these activities are increasingly taking place online. Although the United Nations Human Rights Council declared internet access to be a fundamental human right more than ten years ago, many people still do not have sufficient access to the digital sphere, writes Esther Mwema in a joint article with Abeba Birhane. In Africa in particular, there are many areas where the connection to the internet is poor.

At re:publica 25, Esther will give an insight into her art research project as part of the Green Screen Coalition titled 'Cosmologies of Internet Infrastructure' which interrogates the 'origin stories' of the internet and conflicting visions for our digital futures. After all, the way we tell stories about the emergence and future of the internet also shapes our world view. 

A common narrative is that the internet ‘connects’ us and that data is located in a ‘cloud’ that hovers above us. Digital infrastructure projects draw on these narratives – and at the same time are controlled by Western tech companies that are increasingly seizing ownership of everything from undersea and fibre optic cables to satellites. These projects not only echo the colonial logic, as Esther and Abeba write, but also follow the same infrastructural path that emerged during the time of the transatlantic slave trade. While the companies claim they want to ‘bridge the Digital Divide‘, the main aim is to assert a monopoly position.

Esther Mwema is an award-winning artist and digital inequalities expert focused on processes for achieving freedom and internet freedom as well as the governance and infrastructures of the internet from an African feminist and decolonial lense. Her practice intersects art and tech-innovation, interrogating hidden systems of power in digital society. In 2022 she received the Mozilla Creative Media award for her work 'AfroGrids'. She has over 10 years commitment to social impact at the grassroots via her non-profits Digital Grassroots and Safety First for Girls (SAFIGI) Foundation; and has done extensive work within the UN system. 

The motto of re:publica 25 is ‘Generation XYZ’. What is your message for future generations with regard to the digital society?

Esther Mwema: “Fight hard to make it not just easier to communicate, but easier to communicate the truth.”