commbox Southern Africa

"The SADC Protocol on Culture, Information and Sport is undoubtedly a very bold step by governments in the region to harmonise their laws and policies in ways that would promote media freedom and create enabling conditions for the free flow of information. However, some provisions of the protocol re ... more

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Book Marketing and Promotion: A Handbook of Good Practice
Key Guides

Hans M. Zell

Oxford: International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) (2001), xv, 366 pp.

"This book fills a gap in book marketing literature, as it focuses on marketing books in developing countries. It is, indeed, "a handbook on good practice". How much should you spend for your marketing budget? How to write effective copy? How much time does it take before the first book reviews appe ... more

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The Impact of Multimedia in the Education and Promotion of Health Awareness: A Pilot Study in Mamelodi

Maggie Skosana

The Hague: IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (2001), 19 pp.

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Upgrading Book Distribution in Africa

Tony Read, Carmelle Denning, Vincent Bontoux

London: Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Working Group on Books and Learning Materials (2001), xx, 252 pp.

"This study is currently the most comprehensive survey of textbook distribution in sub-Saharan Africa. If offers a detailed survey and analysis of the key policy issues affecting book distribution in Africa today. The study was organized and co-ordinated by International Book Development Ltd. in Lon ... don, and Danaé-Sciences, a Paris-based consultancy company specialising in editorial support, training and written communication. It draws on a series of major case studies carried out in Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda, together with mini case studies from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo, undertaken by book practitioners in these countries, most from the private sector. All of the case studies cover some common elements, including, for example, information on the national education system (including basic education statistics), and a discussion of the main players and mechanisms in the book distribution chain; they also review regional trade in books, and most case studies comment upon the impact of funding, agency investment, and government policies affecting national book development. In addition to the case studies, a useful feature is the inclusion of a fold-out chart “Critical issues on upgrading book distribution in Africa – A decision tree for policy-makers”, which shows the key options that policy makers need to consider in developing a national framework for textbook delivery. An extensive glossary of common terms and acronyms used in education, development and the book trade, completes the volume. The survey concludes “there is already a policy change underway among a number of governments and funding agencies in their approaches toward national textbook distribution. This change is more apparent in Anglophone than in Francophone countries and is by no means universal even in Anglophone countries. But the reaction against the inefficiencies, the lack of a service culture and the typically high cost operations of state centralist policies is now almost ten years old.” It also notes that times are changing, and that senior government officials in many countries now openly acknowledge and welcome the increasing involvement of the private sector in educational book provision activity." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1515) more

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Presentation of Four Training Centres: Past Review and Future Prospects

Paris: Groupe de recherche et d’échanges technologiques (GRET) (2001), 15 pp.

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Communication and Democratic Reform in South Africa

Robert B. Horwitz

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2001), 409 pp.

"The book examines the reform of the communication sector in South Africa as a detailed and extended case study in political transformation - the transition from apartheid to democracy. The reform of broadcasting, telecommunications, the state information agency and the print press from apartheid-al ... more

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Women, Media and Violence: A WACC Women's Programme Production

London: World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) (2001), 34 pp.

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DTR Radio Listening Clubs, Zambia: Impact Evaluation Report

Kitty Warnock

Panos Southern Africa (2001), 17 pp.

"The project ran from November 98 to May 2001, involving 13 rural women’s clubs in the Mpika district of Zambia, 600 km north of Lusaka. The clubs recorded their discussions of development issues or requests for development support; the tapes were sent to a radio producer in Lusaka, who recorded a ... response from a relevant service-provider or politician. The discussion and response were edited into one programme and broadcast as a regular weekly programme by the national broadcaster, ZNBC. The clubs listened to the programmes and discussed them at their weekly meetings. This evaluation assessed the development impact of the project, principally by talking to members of the clubs and others in their communities. An audience survey was also carried out, in three different areas. The main findings of the evaluation were: The project has brought substantial material benefits and new information to the communities. To some extent the clubs and communities have been empowered to access development inputs themselves, though the mediation of the radio programme producer has also been an important factor; The success in achieving material benefits for the communities was probably a strong force in building community support for the clubs in the early months of the project, but now their role in providing information and stimulating discussion is equally appreciated; The Clubs have not achieved material benefits specifically for their own incomegenerating activities, which was the original aim of the project, and which they see (on a video) happening in Zimbabwe. Income-generating is still the clubs’ main purpose, so the project should seek to help them strengthen their income-generating activities; The project has stimulated intense discussions, in the clubs and the communities, about social issues. The clubs’ ability to discuss and present issues clearly is greatly appreciated by men and young people in the communities; There is an emerging perception of a role for the clubs as educators for their communities. They are confidently passing on their own experience, and information from outside sources, as well as “hosting” outside experts in their radio programmes; The programmes are widely listened to and appreciated all over Zambia." (Summary) more

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Knowing Where You're Going: Information Systems for Agricultural Research Management

Richard Vernon

The Hague: International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) (2001), xxxi, 345 pp.

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Community Radio in a Global Context: A Comparative Analysis in Six Countries

Eryl Price-Davies, Jo Tacchi

Community Media Association (2001), 77 pp.

"This report was commissioned by the Community Media Association (CMA) to suggest criteria for the establishment of a community radio sector in the United Kingdom. The report compares the legal and regulatory frameworks for community radio in Australia, Canada, France, Holland, Ireland and South Afr ... more