Women's movement in africa: Digital collective identity building and offline organising the case of ethiopia and kenya

In 2014, a single screenshot of a local newspaper report about a teenage girl's gangrape death in Ethiopia triggered a wave of feminist organising on Facebook and Twitter, forcing the legal system to deliver maximum sentences against the perpetrators. This research examines how digital platforms like Facebook and Twitter help build collective identity among women's movements in Ethiopia and Kenya, and how that online solidarity translates into offline political action. The #JusticeForHanna and #IamHanna campaigns demonstrated that social media can amplify marginalised voices and pressure legal institutions—but the mechanisms behind this remain poorly understood. Most studies of digital activism focus on Western contexts, leaving a gap in knowledge about how these dynamics play out in African nations with different internet access, state surveillance, and legal traditions. If successful, this project could reveal practical strategies for women's rights organisers working under constrained conditions. It may show how to sustain momentum beyond viral moments, how to protect activists from online backlash, and how to convert digital outrage into durable legal and policy changes. The findings could inform how international funders and NGOs support grassroots feminist movements in authoritarian or semi-authoritarian settings.