Local innovation and the politics of surveillance in African peacebuilding

In transitional and post-conflict African contexts, digital surveillance and security infrastructures introduced for crime prevention and stability often fail to achieve local legitimacy. This article examines how communities in South Africa and Kenya have repurposed these technologies to foster trust and support peace. Drawing on the concept of bricolage, understood as the creative adaptation of existing tools, the study explores community-led modifications of CCTV networks, messaging platforms and alert systems. Using secondary sources drawn from academic literature, policy documents and news archives, the analysis identifies patterns of innovation and adaptation that emerge in response to governance gaps. The findings challenge binary framings of pathways to digital peace as either coercive or emancipatory, showing instead that bottom-up digital practices can generate legitimacy and social cohesion. The article argues that African communities are already central contributors to rethinking the relationships between technology, security and peace.