I am a Tanzanian blogger, journalist, lawyer, and digital activist. I am interested in finding ways to amplify voices from non-English speaking parts of the world. Global voices, I believe, ought to be multicultural and multilingual.
I am also interested in the relationship between ICT and development in the developing world, particularly Africa.
I am the Sub-Saharan Africa Editor at Global Voices. I mostly blog in Kiswahili at Jikomboe. But you can also find me at Digital Africa.
Latest posts by Ndesanjo Macha
10 March 2017
South Africans Want Their Government's Hands Off Social Media
South Africa's Minister of State Security announced that his government is contemplating regulating social media to counter false narratives and the spread of fake news.
16 December 2016
#FreeMaxenceMelo: Authorities Charge Tanzanian Whistleblowing Website Owner Under Cybercrimes Law
"Mentioning 'Tanzania' and 'democracy' in the same sentence amounts to subjecting the term 'democracy' to ridicule."
30 September 2016
In Tanzania, Expressing Political Opinions on Social Media is Becoming Increasingly Dangerous
Five Tanzanian citizens, Dennis Temu, Suleiman Nassoro, Shakira Makame, Juma Mtatuu, Dennis Mtegwa, appeared before a Tanzanian court September 14 charged with insulting President John Magufuli on social media. The five...
11 July 2016
#ShutDownZim: Will Social Media Protests Drive Zimbabwe to Build a ‘Great Firewall'?
This is the first time Zimbabwe has staged a "shutdown" over government dysfunction by organizing on social media. But protests could trigger new forms of censorship.
27 June 2016
Tanzanian Prosecuted For “Insulting” the President on WhatsApp
Mulokozi is the latest victim of Tanzania's relatively new Cybercrime Law, which attempts to address issues such as child pornography, cyberbullying, online impersonation, and the publication of false information.
21 June 2016
National Bank of Kenya Takes Blogger to Court for “Defamatory” Blog Posts
The bank took Cyprian Nyakundi to court following a series of critical stories. Nyakundi calls himself a "Kenyan-based blogger who has an interest in politics, governance, corporate-fraud and human-interest stories."
10 June 2016
Tanzanian Man Could Face Three Years’ Jailtime for “Insulting” the President on Facebook
The case falls against a backdrop of Tanzania's Cybercrime Law, passed in 2015, which critics say gives too much power -- without meaningful oversight -- to police.
16 May 2016
Kenyan Blogger and Photographer Goes Missing
Before disappearing, he wrote on Facebook about how his arrest and 'terrorism suspect' label have destroyed his career and livelihood.
18 April 2016
Tanzania's Cybercrime Act Makes It Dangerous to “Insult” the President on Facebook
Tanzanian netizen Isaac Habakuk Emily is accused of posting a controversial Facebook message "insulting" the president of Tanzania.
21 February 2016
Ghanaian Facebook Commentator Sued For Defamation by Deputy Attorney General
'Is there any fundraising effort to support our brother Evron Rothschild Hughes fight this impudence of a libel suit filed against free speech by Ghana's Deputy Attorney General?'
