Experts have raised alarm over the growth of deep misogyny disguised as self-help on social media across Africa. The manosphere, a loose network of communities claiming to address men's struggles such as dating and fitness, often promotes harmful misogynistic attitudes. Sunita Caminha, who leads UN Women on ending violence against women and girls in east and southern Africa, first noticed its presence on the continent about five years ago and believes it is on the rise.
Awino Okech, a professor of feminist and security studies at SOAS University of London, also started noticing harmful digital content expanding about five years ago. She says falsehoods peddled against women in Africa predate the proliferation now online, linking the ideas to men's rights organisations like Maendeleo ya Wanaume, which argued that men and boys were being left behind due to investments in girls' and women's rights.
This view, known as the red pill theory, frames men as victims of a society distorted by feminism. The result is that women who voice ideas or opinions are threatened, harassed and hounded offline, and online abuse of female politicians is on the rise globally. Experts say the atmosphere empowers extreme features of misogyny, including trafficking, femicide, physical and verbal violence, stalking and domestic abuse.
One prominent figure is Eric Amunga, known as Amerix, who calls himself a reproductive health specialist promoting men's wellness. He has 2.3 million followers on X, 160,000 on Facebook, and hosts a podcast and online courses. He spouts views that unmarried women over 30 are “red flags”, tells men not to “sleep with sluts” or engage in oral sex, and says the “biggest lie” is that empowering a woman empowers a community. He is disparaging of “fat” women and “simps”, and recently resurfaced a 2022 post telling men to “disengage” when their wife becomes pregnant.
Andrew Kibe, a former radio host turned podcaster, had more than 420,000 YouTube subscribers before his account was terminated in 2023 for violating terms of service. He helped set up Yafreeka, positioning it as an African version of YouTube, and invited other influencers with more than 100,000 followers to use the platform.
