Archives

  • MADSEJ Maiden Edition
    Vol. 1 No. 1 (2023)

    This Maiden Edition of Multilingual African Digital Semiotics and E-lit Journal (MADSEJ) is dedicated to selected peer-reviewed articles harvested from the second annual conference of the African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIWC2022) titled E-Literary Procedural Creativity on Digital platforms and Metaverse/création numérique procédurale de la Littérature métaverselle et littérature dispositive, that was virtually anchored from the Centre for Digital Humanities University of Lagos (CEDHUL).  

  • The Integration of Artificial Intelligence into the African Humanities Scholarship
    Vol. 2 No. 1 (2024)

    The rapid increase of internet connectivity has resulted in 5.52 billion global internet users in 2024, including approximately 570 million in Africa. This exponential growth has catalysed significant sociocultural transformations and computationally-assisted studies, forming the foundation for contemporary African digital culture. African users, in particular, leverage platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) as tools for liberation and social activism, often operating beyond the direct influence of global powers, including the United Nations. Notable examples include the socio-political upheavals of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya; the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria; and the recent Gen Z-led protests in Kenya.

    African digital culture, undoubtedly, has become an enduring phenomenon, yielding substantial benefits. These include enabling digital activism, providing pathways to stardom through video content creation, and compelling governments to address pressing societal issues. The youth, in particular, have embraced digital technologies for their socio-technological and socioeconomic advantages, fostering a collective sense of empowerment and social responsibility. While challenges inherent to these digital transformations exist, this discourse emphasises their positive impacts.

    Unlike traditional African cultural practices—such as the communal decision-making that required a market-day assembly—modern digital platforms like WhatsApp forums, Facebook Village Groups, Zoom, and Google Meet now facilitate instantaneous interactions and conversations. These tools have reshaped social exchanges, fostering sustainable and harmonious environments, physically or virtually.

    Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into African digital ecosystems has further transformed its socioeconomic dynamics. Platforms such as Facebook Reels, YouTube, and TikTok have enabled Gen Z creators to achieve financial independence through their innovative digital skits and content creation. These advancements underscore the transformative potential of AI in alleviating poverty and redefining African digital culture.

    The transformative landscape of African digital humanities inspired the theme of Volume 2, Number 1 of the Multilingual African Digital Semiotics and e-Lit Journal (MADSEJ), October 2024: The Integration of Artificial Intelligence into the African Humanities scholarship.

  • Digital Humanities and Interdisciplinary Scholarship
    Vol. 1 No. 2 (2024)

    Since the inception of the African Electronic Literature Alliance & African Diasporic Electronic Literature (AELA & ADELI) by Yohanna Joseph Waliya in 2021 under the aegis of the Electronic Literature Organization, and in collaboration with Prof. Richard Ajah of the University of Uyo, Nigeria, Prof. Mourad El Fhali and Prof. Abdelmoumin El Azouzi of the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco, and Prof. Tunde Ope-Davies of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, this movement continues to create an avenue via its African Electronic Literature International Workshop and Conference (AELAIWC). This initiative has been supported by different academic institutions in Africa such as University of Lagos, University of Uyo, University of Calabar and Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco, providing a platform through which African scholars across the globe have been trained on the basics of digital literary scholarship and practices in order to position the future of the humanities scholarship in Africa. In other words, AELAIWC provides capacity building forum to the young African scholars by teaching digital research methodology and computational analysis in all fields of the humanities especially literature and language. Thus, the birth of African modern interdisciplinary scholarship in Digital Humanities is evident. Furthermore, computational interception in the humanities now tilts towards the unification of the whole humanities under the umbrella of what is popularly known today as Digital Humanities, fostering collaborative and interdisciplinary research. This is a sort of returning to the philosophy of the medieval period whereby all disciplines fed from the same philosophical tools and institutions.

    Hence, this June 2024 Volume 1 Issue Number 2 of MADSEJ centres on the Digital Humanities and interdisciplinary scholarship in Africa. It contains a peer-review collection of the major discussions at the AELAIWC2023 and few works from other reputable experts in electronic literature and its subgenres.