Social Media, Historical Memory, and Xenophobic Discourse in Africa: from "Ghana Must Go" to Anti-African Sentiments in South Africa

Abstract

Social media has transformed historical memory into a dynamic communicative resource capable of shaping contemporary public opinion, identity formation, and intergroup relations across Africa. Against the backdrop of recurring xenophobic violence in South Africa and the enduring remembrance of Nigeria's 1983 and 1985 "Ghana Must Go" expulsions, this study examined how digital platforms reconstruct historical memory to shape contemporary xenophobic discourse and Pan-African identity. Specifically, it explored dominant social media narratives on xenophobia, analysed the reconstruction of the "Ghana Must Go" episode in online discourse, compared historical and contemporary migration narratives, and examined their influence on public perceptions of African migrants and Pan-African solidarity. The study adopted a qualitative historical-content analysis design, integrating historical inquiry with Braun and Clarke's Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Data comprised historical documentary materials and 72 criterion-based selected social media artefacts drawn from X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram during major xenophobic episodes in South Africa between 2015 and 2026. The findings reveal that contemporary digital discourse is dominated by narratives of economic nationalism, exclusionary identity and migrant criminalisation, while historical memory is selectively reconstructed and mobilised to legitimise or contest xenophobic attitudes. The study further establishes that social media simultaneously amplifies Afrophobic narratives and facilitates counter-discourses promoting Pan-African solidarity. It concludes that digitally mediated historical memory has become a critical determinant of contemporary migration discourse in Africa and recommends coordinated digital literacy initiatives, historically informed public communication, and continental policy frameworks that promote lawful migration, intercultural dialogue, and the Pan-African ideals of justice, fraternity and shared belonging.