ABSTRACT

Digital diplomacy has become a major topic of international interdisciplinary analysis. Aimed at making an African contribution to knowledge, this article charts the emergence of digital diplomacy and presents evidence of unfolding practices and discussions in the African digital diplomacy sphere. The empirical segment of the article draws on data from 21 virtual sessions on African digital diplomacy, convened between July and August 2020 and involving over 50 African diplomats. Based on open-source software as well as qualitative analysis, the study results show that the risks of digital diplomacy, particularly disinformation and misinformation, are main concerns for modern diplomats. The study offers suggestions for the enhancement of digital diplomacy practices and scholarship, particularly for African governments and civil society, including additional primary research on approaches and uses of digital tools, increased collaboration between academics and practitioners, and the embedding of digital diplomacy in the foreign policy strategies of African states.

摘要

数字外交已成为国际跨学科分析的重要课题。本文旨在为非洲的知识做出贡献，描绘了数字外交的出现，并展示了非洲数字外交领域正在展开的实践和讨论的证据。本文的实证部分借鉴了 21 场非洲数字外交虚拟会议的数据，这些会议于 2020 年 7 月至 8 月期间召开，涉及 50 多名非洲外交官。基于开源软件和定性分析的研究结果表明，数字外交的风险，尤其是虚假信息和错误信息，是现代外交官的主要关注点。该研究为加强数字外交实践和奖学金提供了建议，特别是对非洲政府和民间社会，