With more than 1.8 million followers on Instagram and more than 2.4 million on Facebook, DJ Arafat is one of the most influential personalities on Facebook in 2019 in sub-Saharan Africa.
The information was revealed by Facebook teams on January 21 during a conference entitled "Focus on Africa." The event was an opportunity for the web giant to highlight its role and illustrate its actions on the continent over the past year. Entrepreneurs, artists, influencers, NGOs, and pan-African media outlets were able to attend and learn about the various initiatives carried out by Facebook on the African continent.
Read also: Facebook in Africa, a look back at 2019
Social media is becoming increasingly prevalent in the media landscape in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp… They are at the heart of African internet users' lives.
With the rise of Web 2.0 channels, influencers are emerging and flourishing on the web, sometimes even posthumously. This is the case of Ivorian DJ Arafat, star of the coupé-décalé music genre, who died on August 12 in Abidjan.
According to Facebook teams, the singer's death, relayed via the hashtag #RIPDJArafat, was the most discussed topic on Facebook in France in August 2019, and the music icon is one of the most popular influencers in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.
Popular and influential during his lifetime, DJ Arafat continues to inspire the web and bring together communities of millions of people.