"This report is focused on attitudes to trust in international media. It collates findings from 36 focus groups and 11 immersion interviews conducted in Nairobi (Kenya), Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Mumbai (India) and Lahore (Pakistan) in the summer and autumn of 2010 [...] The report explores th
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ree core questions for each market. What news are people interested in? Which providers do people trust and why? How does trust affect the consumption of news from different providers and across different platforms? Whiel for each market there are different responses to these questions, the findings also identify a number of overarching trends across the five markets." (Executive summary)
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"As the manuscript treasures in the libraries of Timbuktu and throughout the northwestern quarter of Africa become known, many questions are raised. How did a manuscript culture flourish in the Sahara and in Muslim Africa more generally? Under what conditions did African intellectuals thrive, and ho
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w did they acquire scholarly works and the writing paper necessary to contribute to knowledge? By exploring the history of the trans-Saharan book and paper trades, the scholarly production and teaching curriculae of African Muslims and the formation, preservation and codicology of library collections, the authors of this original volume provide a variety of answers. The select number of invited contributions represents current research in the material, technological, economic, and cultural dimensions of manuscript production, circulation, and preservation, and the development of specific scholarly and intellectual traditions in Saharan and Sudanic Africa." (Publisher description)
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Souvent considéré comme une activité des plus nuisibles, le piratage des contenus audiovisuels n’en constitue pas moins, depuis des décennies, pour de nombreuses populations aux quatre coins du monde, un moyen majeur d’accéder aux produits des industries culturelles. Nourri d’enquêtes de
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terrain, cet ouvrage explore les enjeux que recèle ce phénomène complexe. Le point de vue adopté est multiple et international. Alors que le piratage est généralement pensé exclusivement à partir de la question du téléchargement sans paiement des droits en Amérique du Nord ou en Europe occidentale, il est ici appréhendé dans toute la variété de ses manifestations, en privilégiant les pays du Sud et de l’Est : des marchands de CDs et DVDs contrefaits de Bogotá ou Alger, jusqu’aux politiques de défense des droits de propriété artistique de Washington ou Séoul, en passant par les pratiques des adeptes moscovites des réseaux peer-to-peer.
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This publication outlines four communication approaches used by United Nations organizations: (i) behaviour change communication; (ii) communication for social change; (iii) communication for advocacy; and (iv) strengthening an enabling media and communications environment. The second part provides
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an in-depth exploration of Communication for Development efforts within seven United Nations agencies, programmes and funds: FAO, ILO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO, followed by case studies that demonstrate C4D in practice either as part of a larger project or as a ‘stand alone’ project contributing to the strategic objectives of the organization.
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"In the year of the Arab uprisings Global Information Society Watch 2011 investigates how governments and internet and mobile phone companies are trying to restrict freedom online – and how citizens are responding to this using the very same technologies. Everyone is familiar with the stories of E
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gypt and Tunisia. GISWatch authors tell these and other lesser-known stories from more than 60 countries. Stories about: Prison conditions in Argentina - prisoners are using the internet to protest living conditions and demand respect for their rights; Torture in Indonesia - the torture of two West Papuan farmers was recorded on a mobile phone and leaked to the internet, the video spread to well-known human rights sites sparking public outrage and a formal investigation by the authorities; The tsunami in Japan - citizens used social media to share actionable information during the devastating tsunami, and in the aftermath online discussions contradicted misleading reports coming from state authorities. GISWatch also includes thematic reports and an introduction from Frank La Rue, Un special rapporteur." (Back cover)
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"There is abundant evidence of underrepresentation of women as subjects of coverage, but until now there were no reliable, comprehensive data on which to make a clear determination about where women currently fit into the news-making operation or in the decision-making or ownership structure of thei
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r companies. The IWMF Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media seeks to fill this gap by presenting for the first time sound data on gender positions in news organizations around the world [...] The findings presented in this report, conducted over a two-year period, offer the most complete picture to date of women’s status globally in news media ownership, publishing, governance, reporting, editing, photojournalism, broadcast production and other media jobs. More than 150 researchers interviewed executives at more than 500 companies in 59 nations using a 12-page questionnaire." (Introduction)
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"Multilingualism is an important aspect of African urban life, also of the lives of students in Dakar. While the students usually write monolingual texts, mainly in French, their text messages involve the use of African languages too, in particular of the majority language Wolof, as well as Arabic a
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nd English, often mixed in one and the same message. With the rapid rise in the use of mobile phones, texting is becoming increasingly central as a means of communication for the students, and the social network with whom they text is growing. This working paper investigates texting as literacy practices, putting the accent on language choices: what role do they play in constructing these new practices? What are the motivations and the functions of the students’ languages choices? The analysis is based on six months of fieldwork in Dakar, during which I collected 496 SMS and interviewed and observed the 15 students who had sent and received the messages. I will focus on the practices of three of the students: Baba Yaro, a Fula-speaker born outside Dakar who has come to the Senegalese capital to undertake his studies, Christine, a Joola-speaker born in Dakar, and the Wolof-speaker Ousmane, from the suburb. I argue that in order to manage relationships and express different aspects of their identity, the students both exploit and challenge dominant language attitudes in their texting." (Abstract)
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"The African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI) was a 42-month action research project implemented by Farm Radio International (FRI) in partnership with World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. An estimated 40 million farmers in five
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different countries were served by the AFRRI partnership with 25 radio stations. Farmers engaged in the design and development of farm radio programming were almost 50 per cent more likely to take up agricultural practices deemed to improve their food security than passive listeners. Those in what AFRRI deemed "active listening communities" (ALCs) were 10 times more likely to adopt the practice than those farmers who had no access to the farm radio programs. Farmers demonstrated increased knowledge of agriculture innovations as a result of listening to AFRRI radio programs, with up to 96% of some radio listeners scoring at least 60% on a follow-up knowledge quiz about the promoted farm practices [.] Farmers participate in selecting the focus – or topic – of the radio campaign, choose the time of broadcast, and are intimately engaged in the ongoing development of the farm radio programming over a set number of weeks; including as central agents of the knowledge-sharing process. Lively and entertaining formats are designed to attract listeners. [.] This report presents and discusses the key findings from an in-depth evaluation of 15 round-two Participatory Radio Campaigns (PRCs) – three PRCs in each of the five countries involved in AFRRI. AFRRI examined a mix of radio stations – community, associative, commercial, and state. Tools used for this evaluation included 4,500 household surveys (300 per radio station) in 90 communities, farm visits and field measurements, key informant interviews, and collection of secondary data (from other sources, such as national agricultural extension services)." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"Farmers require varying marketing information, depending on their location, local market conditions, crops, production activities, and cultural practices. Radio has the capacity to reach a large audience, and can provide an integrated approach to market information, incorporating all these elements
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in its programming. Radio can help farmers link to new markets and buyers, strengthen their ability to negotiate prices and help them adapt crops to meet demand. Private sponsorship that emerged in response to the popularity of MIS radio programs suggests a sustainable funding model is possible. A survey of approximately 1000 household representatives living in listening communities showed that an average of 64.8% of respondents were aware of the MIS radio programs, and 84% of those who listened found the MIS radio programs to be 'very useful." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"Low cost, modern information and communication technologies (ICTs), including mobile phones, multifunction MP3 recorders, and interactive voice response (IVR) can dramatically increase the capacity of rural radio to help farmers improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Weekly SMS alerts sent to
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the phones of listeners 30 minutes prior to a broadcast can boost radio campaign listenership by up to 20%. Two-thirds of partner broadcasters identified the internet as the most important ICT tool in the production of farm radio programs. Farmers who participated in the design and implementation of radio programming with the help of ICTs were four times more likely than those in passive listening communities to adopt agricultural improvements promoted on the radio. 61% of extension agents surveyed said the reach and impact of their extension work was substantially improved because they could be heard on radio programs through call-out programs." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"Nigeria hat eine lange Lese- und Literaturtradition und kann sich mit mehreren renommierten Schriftstellern schmücken. Trotzdem werden im Land selbst kaum Bücher von einheimischen Autoren herausgegeben. Der Verlag Cassava Republic will das ändern. Das ist nicht leicht, aber die Verleger lassen s
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ich von den Hindernissen nicht abschrecken." (Einleitung)
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"This article deals with entertainment in the neo-liberal age. The key aim is to describe the emerging brokering practices of certain entrepreneurs within the entertainment industry in Ghana, and to explore the effects of these practices. On the one hand these entrepreneurs receive sponsorship from
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major transnational corporations, in order to produce reality TV shows and major entertainment events. The shows are meant to appeal to the target market of the corporate sponsors, and in this way these entrepreneurs fill the role of a power broker. On the other hand, the entrepreneurs also fill the role of a culture broker as they try to tune into a larger market by producing entertainment that is aimed to be popular not only in Ghana, but to a larger market across Africa. In this article I refer to this shift in style of entertainment as a shift towards an Afro-Cosmopolitan style of entertainment. The strategic epicentre for the fieldwork of this study is one of Ghana’s major production houses, Charterhouse Productions." (Abstract)
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"The report presents key findings of the research in six countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Findings were that most people believe public libraries have the potential to contribute to community development in important areas such as health, employment and agriculture.
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However, libraries are small and under-resourced, and most people associate them with traditional book lending and reference services, rather than innovation and technology." (https://www.eifl.net)
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