Harare Hosts Hub Unconference to “Decolonise the Internet”

Harare hosts the 11th Hub Unconference (Image Source)

Harare Gardens will this week pulse with digital activism as the 11th annual Hub Unconference convenes on 24–25 September under the banner “Decolonise the Internet.” The event unites more than 30 speakers from seven African countries to challenge Western biases in online spaces and reclaim digital narratives for the continent.

The Hub Unconference—Zimbabwe’s flagship free event on digital media, civic technology and the creative economy—returns ahead of the Shoko Festival. It spotlights urgent debates on data ownership, algorithmic bias and Africa’s role in global internet governance.

Key Themes and Highlights

• Data Sovereignty: Who truly owns African data?

• Algorithmic Bias: Redressing AI systems built on Western datasets.

• Civic Tech for Youth: Engaging a generation born online.

• Digital Storytelling: Shaping local narratives beyond foreign media frames.

“Decolonise the Internet challenges colonial legacies embedded in infrastructure, biased AI and foreign misinformation,” says Hub Unconference coordinator Takudzwa Musakasa. “We’re calling on Africans to reclaim our digital narratives.”

Voices and Perspectives

Zimbabwean media scholar Takura Zhangazha, this year’s keynote speaker, opens the two-day programme with a fireside chat on indigenous content creation and the ethics of algorithmic recommendation. Delegates will rotate through skill-share sessions, lightning talks and live podcast recordings, forging collaborations between technologists, artists and civic advocates.

Dr. Justine Wanda, digital-rights researcher at the University of Nairobi, argues that current governance frameworks perpetuate neocolonial control. “Major internet exchange points lie in Europe and North America, locking African traffic into foreign routes and surveillance regimes. We need pan-African architectures,” she says during a panel on regional internet exchanges.

Antonio Kisemboi, co-founder of Kampala-based civic-tech startup DataReform Uganda, highlights the Open Data Africa Summit running in parallel. “Our summit brings bloggers, activists and developers asking: Who profits from Africa’s data goldmine, and who is left out?”

Innovation and Art

Live art installations and interactive demos will showcase local innovations. Magamba Network’s Mufasa Poet is set to drop verses on data liberation, while sound-designer ProBeatz experiments with “algorithmic poetry” to expose bias in music-recommendation engines.

“We’re creating alternative digital spaces that center African languages and realities,” says Zimbabwean artist King Kandoro. “Art can upend the monopoly of Big Tech’s narrative.”

The Unconference’s free-entry model—requiring only an RSVP—attracts students and young professionals from Harare’s universities and tech hubs. “The Hub is where ideas become code and campaigns,” says attendee Lucia Mapengo, a civic-tech intern.

Growth and Partnerships

Launched in 2015 by Magamba Network, the Hub Unconference grew from a 100-attendee showcase of digital startups into a pan-African forum. Past speakers have included Guardian tech correspondent Alice McCool and CNN’s Robyn Kriel.

This year’s partnership with CHARM Africa—a consortium of civil-rights organisations—underscores the event’s focus on human-rights conditionality for digital aid and governance.