What’s behind Zambia’s RightsCon cancellation?

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:02]DW Africa link >> just days before it was set to begin the world's largest [music] conference on human rights and technology rights corn was abruptly cancelled in Zambia. Authorities say it conflicted with national values but rights groups including human rights war are not convinced pointing instead [music] to possible external pressure.

[00:00:31]So who could be influencing what Zambia allows and what it doesn't allow when it comes to human rights debates? Stay with us. This is Africa Link, the podcast that connects you to the stories that matter across Africa. I am Aa Tenra Domina your host for today >> Africa link every weekday here [music] on DW Zambia has cancelled rights corn the annual global forum that brings together policy makers activist journalists and tech leaders to debate human rights in the digital age. Now the Zambian government on 29th April said the decision was and I quote necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure relating to key thematic issues proposed for discussion during the summit. What raised eyebrows however is that just 3 days earlier on April 26th Zambia's Ministry of Technology and Science had formally endorsed the conference. So what changed? Human Rights Watch calls the explanation flimsy, arguing that it signals an attempt to tightly control the human rights conversation and also point to possible external pressure, including from China. So what's really going on? To unpack this, I have been joined by Tabani Moyo. He's executive director at the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Misa. I also have DW correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya. Andrew V was welcome gentlemen. Tabani just days after Zambia's ministry of technology endorsed rights con we have the government in another statement now saying the same conference that has been endorsed did not align with its interest. Did this decision come as a surprise to you?

[00:02:25]>> Yeah, a major surprise because uh this was a an event that was you know being planned all along. uh the government knew about it for quite some time. uh the multiple stakeholders who were going to attend were equally making preparations to be in Lusaka until that unfortunate announcement happened uh which took everyone by surprise uh which could uh possibly speak to the fact that it might have been pressurious from elsewhere other than the government which had initially accepted to host was preparing to host uh only to indicate that it is no longer in a position to host. Why are we alluding to pressure from elsewhere?

[00:03:09]>> Because of the shifts in geopolitics and uh the the maligning actors in the in the in the region on the continent specifically. These are you know nations that are quite powerful uh in terms of supporting uh successive administrations in African context. And what this has done is to show that uh there are still agreements in place uh that contrary to the broader framework of human rights that we have come to know as a as a as a community. And what this means is that uh the work of human rights is going to be increasingly difficult in the coming years. Issues to do with surveillance will be much more galvanized. issues to do with cyber security, issues to do with online patrols uh and weaponization of those laws to minimize uh the expansion of the digital rights space will become more more pronounced um not only in Zambia but in the entire region because these are nations that are are quite pronounced on um sharing notes uh and practices, behaviors and instruments of power and we've located it over the years and uh this is where it is pointing to.

[00:04:25]>> There is the argument that the government itself only said it was postponing the event and it did not you know opin say it was cancelling it and so on that basis would you say there was still room to negotiate for the event to happen at a later date?

[00:04:43]>> No this was a technical a technical cancellation. Um what access now did was the only logical conclusion. If someone say you have got delegates on the ground and they say we are postponing they they know that your conditions and circumstances do not allow for you uh to re-emerge from those cost structures you would have engaged in. So that was technically a way of saying we are no longer proceeding as planned and uh I think the entire community understood the language and uh the the the process culminating to the cancellation of the event. uh it was a a reality that uh you you you will be in denial to say that no we are going to emerge with another date. Technically they were just taking you on a on a on a garden straw.

[00:05:35]>> Prior to this incident did we have a perception that Zambia was sort of intolerant towards the civic space or the expression of human rights and all of that. Did we have that perception?

[00:05:49]>> Yeah. Well, it was always a mixed bag.

[00:05:51]Uh Zambia just like other African countries in the region are in a in a mixed bag of uh progress and regression.

[00:06:01]Uh and these are some of the major indications that we move one step forward and then we backslide uh one positive step forward and the huge strides backwards and and clawing back into the gains that would have made on human rights. We have been uh on the sidelines screaming loud that the recently enacted laws, cyber laws were any were highly security centered rather than balanced with human rights concerns in terms of digital rights. uh and it showed to us that these were some indications that were pointing to the fact that uh the situation can take either new levels and this the cancellation of rice corn was a gear up in terms of the very sad direction of globe wherein you then limit uh the way the movement on digital rights and expression is supposed to engage share notes uh experiences and exchange um ideas that shape the digital rights, the digital space development. Um but we we could see the tail lights that that the tail signs that this this process is going in a wrong direction with those laws that came into effect um and the general um uh lack of uh appreciation of descending voices. It it had an indication that things things might be going a way. Unfortunately, it's going, you know, in the wrong direction compared to what would have thought it was going to be.

[00:07:36]>> Thank you, Tabani. Hold your thought for me. Let me introduce Andrew quickly. And I'm bringing in Andrew because in Kenya, in East Africa as well, there's been a decline in some level of freedom the press is enjoying over some years.

[00:07:50]Andrew, what can you tell us about the press freedom situation in Kenya?

[00:07:55]>> Thank you very much for having me on the ground. um you can actually feel it the decline you're talking about it's not just um something you know previously we used to read these things in reports and we are wondering is this really our Kenya so yeah this is something that we experiencing as journalists we are finding ourselves in um situations where covering a story feels riskier than it used to so you know Kenya is known for holding a lot of protests Especially when uh the government infringes on the people's rights. So during protest for example, you are not just thinking about going out there getting the story, getting the shot, getting the quote.

[00:08:41]You're also thinking about your own safety. There have been cases where journalists are tear gas. Um some even my friends have been roughed up and um some in some cases um media professionals are even detained while clearly they have been identified as media. So beyond the physical side um there's also restriction um access is becoming harder um during this um the rule of President William Rut it's not like back when Uhuru Kenyata was president information feels like it's being more controlled and sometimes you told directly or indirectly what not to cover especially for um um local media.

[00:09:28]So when Kenya drops to around that position, I think it's 117 globally. Um it shows that um many of us are what many of us are experiencing daily.

[00:09:40]>> That's quite a gloomy picture you've painted there. But let me draw you quickly into the Zambia conversation.

[00:09:47]You you reported on that story when the incident happened I think over the weekend. What can you tell us about Zambia's cancellation of the rights con?

[00:09:56]There's a lot of concerns in uh some WhatsApp groups that I'm in. Journalists are talking about are talking about this more openly about um safety not now for our country but um for the globe as a whole because you know right corn involves everybody from um every corner of the earth. So they're saying that um the incidents such incidents are happening more frequently. So it's not just here in Kenya. So people are wondering if um an international summit which was supposed to gather everybody from across the world is being controlled by the government. The government is saying um if it can happen or it cannot happen. Uh people are asking um um what is the world turning to? At the same time, uh there's still a strong sense of um duty. Journalists um here from Kenya and across um Africa have been covering this story just like I did over the weekend because they feel that everybody needs to know that um such um a crucial conference has been cancelled and um why has it been cancelled? the organizers of the event came out and and said um talked about um the government's involvement. Um names have been going around. China has been mentioned. So this topic um will not go away and it goes a long way to just show that um things are not okay across the continent and the globe when it comes to rights.

[00:11:30]>> Interesting. Tabani on the allegations specifically about China's involvement.

[00:11:35]How significant is this in in the scheme of things?

[00:11:39]>> Well, it is it is significant uh because it changes everything. Uh if it was a a host government decision purely on its own grounds, it was going to outline its major concerns around why it is all of a sudden making a U-turn. But because of uh the the nature of our politics uh it is showing that uh more than that which meets the eye is the broader uh geopolitics at play which is now impacting how our societies are ultimately behaving. Uh so this this will have serious ramifications on the broader rights as I spoke about. uh because what we will then see is uh a stronger hand uh of China then influencing how the rest of the member states behave when they are hosting uh such such interventions. So probably this is the beginning of a a long storm uh wherein we have uh we have been induced into the shock in Zambia. uh but if you try then again in another country it might be facing the same headwinds uh hence the need for the future of collaboration uh advocacy and um convenings of this nature uh to have multiple prong strategies when we are convening global conversations that will no longer focus on a single country because of the farreaching end of these uh underlying circumstances and the hidden hand of maligning actors. you now need to plan with three, four, five countries or two uh or more continents uh in in in in advance because you might not know how even the most predictable of societies would end up behaving if they are be if they operating under juress uh the way diplomatically so to speak diplomatically so to speak as it has unfolded in Zambia. M beyond Zambia, what is the situation in the rest of Saudi Africa?

[00:13:52]>> It's a mixed bag of uh being under siege and uh and progressive development. Uh you you you saw the recent uh rankings of uh reporters without borders uh tipping South Africa and Namibia is still the most progressive on the on the on the continent. But progressive being a relative concept because in the most progressive societies like Namibia, I remember a journalist who was increasing under pressure for asking the president uh uncomfortable questions being chased out of the state house among other things. Uh even in in South Africa when we had disturbances uh uh like what is happening in the current xenophobic attacks of other nationals, the media is the first line of casuality. So it's it's progressive in a relative manner.

[00:14:41]Uh then you have those countries that are sliding in your in your in your case of uh you know Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe. Uh technically these ones are showing high heavy-handedness in terms of law and extra judicial mechanisms in dealing with the media. countries like Zambia, Zambia, Botswana, Lutu are still being viewed as at the middle of the fence because of their presumed soberness. But even in Bosswana, you remember uh journalists facing the the the ro of the directorate of uh of of of intelligence who storm into newsrooms, stop stories from proceeding uh Zambia with the recent developments at Rascorn, but beyond that the laws that govern cyber security among other things. So it's a mixed deal. Tabani, I'm going to come to you shortly, but Andrew, it appears the situation is not restricted to Zambia or to Kenya. It looks like the entire region is facing some challenges when it comes to rights, expression, um the work of the media and all of that. For Kenya particularly, why do you think things are happening the way they are happening? [clears throat] >> It is a mix of both political tension and um how states are responding to criticism. I'm not talking about Kenya alone. I'm talking about um Kenya, Uganda, um be it Congo, be it Nigeria.

[00:16:13]The other day we had elections in uh in Tanzania and also in Uganda with a focus on Tanzania. You saw what happened just because of some criticism. So many people died and um also news was not coming out of Tanzania. There there people there was no coverage. We were the ones who were covering um the news.

[00:16:35]So u I would say over the last few years we've seen more protest um in many African countries there's a lot of push back from the public and at the same time there's a harder stance from authorities this is why you are seeing um as if it's copy paste across um African countries journalists end up right in the middle of all this when the political temperatures rises especially during election periods and even um let's say uh when they're passing important bills be it the budget and all that when the political temperature rises media becomes a target uh because it's the messenger and uh to that um authorities do try to control narratives especially during such crisis this is why rankings are dropping and this is specifically the case for Kenya so it's not one big event I I will say it's sort of like a gradual shift.

[00:17:36]>> Tabani, does it look like things are going to get better?

[00:17:40]>> It's a it's a difficult projection, but gauging from what has happened uh with the shifts and the shakeups at the global architecture of governance where a multipolar system would maintain leadership of various superpowers. This is an era of uh we have entered an era of bras and impunity. Um depending on which side of the fence you are seated in way in way back you understand uh the US would be taking lead in terms of the democratic model the EU supporting the same uh but with the rise of rightwing everyone is inward looking and this is the cost of being inward looking because uh you know bras and dictatorships will then utilize this opportunity to dig in uh so I don't see it getting better if there's no reclaiming of leadership at geopolitical levels at global sture. Uh this is a mirror reflection of the collapse of a multilateral in you know multilateral approach to to to to democratic existence. What it is just giving you are symptoms of what happens if everyone becomes inward looking. uh you then have people acting with impunity and and this this these leaders in the continent are seeing this window of opportunity to consolidate their ground, silence descent and and a heavy-handed approach to governance. If we don't see this getting better anytime soon, what then can csos and the media or rights groups or people who you know organize some of these events do to you know insist upon having a semblance of um check when it comes to how much the government is trying to control access to information, how much the government is trying to control the civic space.

[00:19:32]What can they do? Solidarity is the main defense line when you are under siege. I think there is scope for peopleto people solidarity to galvanize our voices uh and utilizing every space which is still partially open or remaining open. Uh so the approach is not to to descend uh to to to to to evacuate the center which is full of conf contradictions uh but to utilize every space to escalate solidarity on the messaging. Uh be clear on the messaging that digital rights, freedom of expression, media freedom are intertwined. They are not treated separately. uh and uh if one frontier loses where we have got a presence in terms of digital rights activism and media freedom that domino effect will end up leading to everywhere where everyone is just like a pandemic spreads that is the cost of not escalating solidarity when you see threats you know encroaching on the front line >> and let me wrap up with you if things do not change as they are now what are the long-term consequences we're looking at.

[00:20:46]>> I think um if things remain the same way, we are going to see a lot of pressure from governments across Africa, there will be harassment, especially targeting um journalists and just media houses. Arrests are going to be made.

[00:21:02]People are going to be out of jobs because media houses are struggling.

[00:21:07]Budgets are tight. Jobs are not secure.

[00:21:09]So that makes journalists more vulnerable because when a job is on the line, it affects how boldly you can report. So I think if things do not change, if um the media continues to work as if it is intimid intimidated, then we are going to have a rise in fake news which has been a challenge. I think that um it will reach a point where um the states of states across Africa will be controlling the narrative. They will be controlling the the story because people are living in fear. Um the other day when I was um covering Zambia, I was informed by um some of the um analysts I was speaking to about Ricecon being cancelled and they were telling me that did you know that in Zambia people are not even allowed to protest on freedom day. They can come out uh but also the media that are covering them, they have to be careful um about what they are reporting. This is Zambia. This is where um this international summit was supposed to be. Now picture this copy pasted all across Africa. You'll find that if there is anything um rights related um human rights, press freedom across Africa. Uganda will say if Zambia did it then we can get away with it. So I think um things will not be well in the future. Um taking this into consideration. You just heard Andrew Wasik, a CW correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya. Earlier you heard uh Tabani Moyo.

[00:22:46]He's executive director for the media institute of southern Africa. Grateful for your time both of you.

[00:22:53]>> Thank you for having me.

[00:22:54]>> A great pleasure.

[00:22:57]>> Get the stories that are shaping the continent here [snorts] on Africa Link.

[00:23:03]From southern Africa to East Africa, countries like Kenya have also seen significant decline in press freedom and rights repression in the civic space.

[00:23:14]>> Media is a very integral part of society because that is how majority of the people get to know what is happening in their region and across the world. Here in Kenya, we see journalists putting their lives in danger to cover every news even um the ones that paint a bad picture for the government. So we call upon all of us uh to continue with this uh by urging all the stakeholders, all the duty bearsers and everybody so that we can have freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press. So what we are looking at is resilience. So journalists are coming out. They need uh the knowledge, they need the skills and they need everything that is required for them to be able to highlight some of this. We have to show this is wrong, this is right, this is how it can be done. Protect and respect the freedom of the press. We are currently operating under very difficult circumstances where even the national government is trying to block journalists from doing their work. This one should not happen. The same also applies to other stakeholders, the civil societies, the county governments and all those we work with on a daily basis. We our plea to you is to respect the work of journalists. It is protected in the constitution and we need to protect that constitution.

[00:24:40]>> Even as we celebrate today, uh journalist does not have much to celebrate about it. The cancellation of rights gone in Zambia according to experts speaks to a broader issue about who really controls the civic space, digital discourse and the future of human rights conversations across the continent. What is the situation in your own country? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and on Tik Tok at DW Africa.

[00:25:08]Listen to us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to our DW Africa YouTube channel so you never miss an episode.

[00:25:18]This show was co-produced and edited by [music] Eddie Maher Jr. and I am Aua Tinkramama Domina. Bye for now.