Across Africa, new battlefields for free speech take shape on social media
Earlier this month, Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was out on the campaign trail when his arithmetic skills suddenly failed him.
“If you add four calves to the 10 cattle you already have, you will have 40 cattle,” he pledged to a group of rural farmers, discussing a government assistance program.
Soon, the clip of the president’s bad math had gone viral, and Zimbabweans were taking to social media to rib Mr. Mnangagwa for his error.
“10 + 4 = ? When you can get that one, we’ll make you a village head,” one user tweeted at the president.
“Cannot add 10 + 4 – this one needs a walking stick,” taunted another.
The jabs were
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