"This report briefly examines the phenomenon of fake news in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Anglophone West Africa. It specifically addresses the following areas: fake news trends; how the phenomenon has impacted the work of the media and the fight against the pandemic; measures taken so fa
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r (by government, media, development partners, others) to address the spread of the phenomenon; and recommendations on the way forward." (Page 1)
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"The concept of digital literacy has been defined in numerous ways over the last two decades to incorporate rapid technological changes, its versatility, and to bridge the global digital divide. Most approaches have been technology-centric with an inherent assumption of cultural and political neutra
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lity of new media technologies. There are multiple hurdles in every stage of digital literacy implementation. The lack of solutions such as local language digital interfaces, locally relevant content, digital literacy training, the use of icons and audio excludes a large fraction of illiterate people. In this article, we analyse case studies targeted at under-connected people in sub-Saharan Africa and India that use digital literacy programmes to build knowledge and health literacy, solve societal problems and foster development. In India, we focus on notable initiatives undertaken in the domain of digital literacy for rural populations. In Sub-Saharan Africa, we draw from an original project in Kenya aiming at developing digital literacy for youth from low-income backgrounds. We further focus on Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, where field studies have been conducted on the use of digital technologies by low-literacy people and on how audio and icon-based interfaces and Internet lite standard could help them overcome their limitations. The main objective of this article is to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) in the context of digital literacy skills as one of the pillars for digital inclusion. We will learn how digital literacy programmes can be used to build digital literacy and how KPIs for sustainable development can be established. In the final discussion, we offer lessons learned from the case studies and further recommendation for stakeholders and decision-makers in the field of digital health literacy." (Abstract)
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"Although the Proclamation has good intentions of curbing hate speech in Ethiopia, it fundamentally restricts freedom of expression online and the right to information. Further, the proclamation has a chilling effect on online and offline rights, which could lead to self-censorship. For instance, jo
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urnalist Yayesew Shimelis was on April 21, 2020 arrested for allegedly attempting to incite violence by spreading false information contrary to article 5 of the Proclamation and charged by the high court Lideta branch. The government should accordingly repeal or amend the law to ensure that it promotes an online and offline environment that progressively facilitates the enjoyment of free speech and access to information in line with international and regional human rights instruments." (Page 4)
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"Strengthening health systems and maintaining essential service delivery during health emergencies response is critical for early detection and diagnosis, prompt treatment, and effective control of pandemics, including the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health information systems (HIS) d
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eveloped during recent Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) provided opportunities to collect, analyze, and distribute data to inform both day-to-day and long-term policy decisions on outbreak preparedness. As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the globe, HIS and related technological advancements remain vital for effective and sustained data sharing, contact tracing, mapping and monitoring, community risk sensitization and engagement, preventive education, and timely preparedness and response activities. In reviewing literature of how HIS could have further supported mitigation of these Ebola outbreaks and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 3 key areas were identified: governance and coordination, health systems infrastructure and resources, and community engagement. In this concept study, we outline scalable HIS lessons from recent Ebola outbreaks and early COVID-19 responses along these 3 domains, synthesizing recommendations to offer clear, evidence-based approaches on how to leverage HIS to strengthen the current pandemic response and foster community health systems resilience moving forward." (Abstract)
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"Noch immer wird Afrika mit Stereotypen behaftet, die Unterentwicklung und Armut hervorheben. Und noch immer werden die Perspektiven des Kontinents an westlichen Fortschrittsmaßstäben gemessen, selbst wenn sich diese längst als unbrauchbar, wenn nicht gar zerstörerisch erwiesen haben. Felwine Sa
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rr fordert eine Entkolonialisierung Afrikas, die auch auf die Kolonialzeit zurückgehende Institutionen und Handelsbeziehungen überwindet. Dabei verkennt er nicht die hausgemachten Probleme wie Misswirtschaft und Korruption. Doch könnten diese Probleme nur durch ein umfassenderes Verständnis ihrer Ursachen und nur durch die Afrikanerinnen und Afrikaner selbst gelöst werden. Er entwickelt in seinem Manifest eine Vision, wie eine eigene Form afrikanischen Fortschritts gelingen könnte - durch Entscheidungsautonomie und ein selbst gewähltes Entwicklungstempo. Langfristig könne eine afrikanische Kulturrevolution auch neue Ansätze für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung an anderen Orten der Welt liefern." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This book studies tabloid journalism newspapers within the broader context of press freedom in Africa. After defining tabloid journalism and professional practices within various political contexts, the book then proceeds to consider tabloids in Southern Africa and emerging cyberspace laws. Many fa
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ctors of press freedom are considered, including the impact of public order and national security laws on tabloids in North Africa, the impact of defamation laws on tabloids in West Africa, the impact of the fake news laws on tabloids in East Africa, and the impact of sedition and treason laws on tabloids in Central Africa. Exploring tabloid journalism and press freedom in Arabic, Portuguese, and Francophone speaking countries across Africa, this book is a unique addition to this emerging field. The book concludes by providing a synthesis of the developing patterns from the cases analysed and by looking to the future to make recommendations and map the challenges and the successes." (Publisher description)
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"In sub-Saharan Africa, the private media are often considered corrupt and thus incapable of performing critical watchdog functions. Using the Ghanaian case, the objective of this study is to examine how the private media contribute to exposing political corruption and demanding accountability. Base
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d on the media-as-a-watchdog theory and on primary and secondary data, this article argues that private media outlets make significant contributions to the fight against political corruption. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to collect primary data in Ghana. Relevant secondary data from media reports and scholarly work supplement the primary data. The research findings show that Ghanaian private media address political corruption through investigative reporting, agenda-setting, providing a forum for anti-corruption discussions, and acting as a pressure group for institutional and legal reforms as well as political accountability. This article thus questions the popular claim that in sub-Saharan Africa, the private media cannot contribute meaningfully to combatting corruption involving influential political actors. Policy and future research implications are presented in the conclusions." (Abstract)
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"Kenyan community radio works between international and national media paradigms, while seeking to meet the expectations of its local communities. International funding and training organizations active in the sector focus on enhancing technology for development, freedom of expression, democracy and
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governance. At the national level, community stations are expected to act as development-oriented media. While development is a value embraced by most stations, freedom of expression is embraced more cautiously, given the political contexts in which they exist. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2014 and 2016, this article explores the operational choices that community broadcasters make in view of their funding and training partnerships, all the while negotiating their local, social and political contexts in order to survive. It focuses on Mugambo Jwetu FM, a community radio station in Kenya, as a case study." (Abstract)
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"Oft ging Kolonisation mit dem Raub von Kultur- und Kunstgütern der unterworfenen Bevölkerungen einher. Dabei wird das fremde Kulturerbe – abgeschnitten von seinen spirituellen und historischen Ursprüngen – meist in privaten Sammlungen oder Museen aufbewahrt. Die Objekte dienen als Statussymb
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ole, Kuriositäten und zur Spekulation. Zugleich wird die unterworfene Bevölkerung bewusst um symbolische Gegenstände gebracht, die ihrer kulturellen Identität Orientierung geben. Die Tatsache, dass ein Großteil des kulturellen Erbes Afrikas auf dem Territorium der ehemaligen europäischen Kolonialmächte gelagert wird – und damit für viele Afrikaner unzugänglich bleibt –, legt diese Mechanismen offen. In Frankreich hat Präsident Emmanuel Macron die lange bestehende Debatte, wie diese Güter zurückgegeben werden könnten, auf die staatliche Ebene gehoben. Felwine Sarr und Bénédicte Savoy wurden mit dem Verfassen eines „Berichts zur Restitution des afrikanischen Kulturerbes“ beauftragt. Das Buch ist eine gekürzte Version dieses Berichts und ein zentraler Beitrag innerhalb dieser Debatte, die auch in Deutschland an Bedeutung gewinnt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Ein Blick in die Archive zeigt: die Berichterstattung in deutschen Medien über das südliche Afrika während der Apartheid wurde fast zwei Jahrzehnte lang von der südafrikanischen Propaganda gesteuert. Das verstärkte ein koloniales Afrikabild und hat Folgen bis heute." (Seite 12)
"There is a strong consensus within the governance space that citizen engagement is integral in supporting social accountability and strengthening democracy. The impact of the modalities through which citizens make demands on the degree to which citizens feel empowered to trigger recognition and act
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ion from the duty holders remains an open question, more so in the Kenyan context where citizen engagement and social accountability align to the Constitution’s provisions on “public participation”. To this end, Africa’s Voices bridges this gap by deploying its innovative approach to civic engagement through the ‘Common Social Accountability Platform’ (CSAP) which uses interactive radio shows to achieve meaningful spaces of mediated public discussion between citizens and authorities that are valued by both and strengthens relations between them. The approach also provides evidence of citizen opinions in a form that supports policy action by authorities. In the Strengthening Public Accountability and Integrity Systems (SPAIS) pilot project, AVF focused the intervention on the urban poor settlements of Nairobi through a series of weekly interactive radio shows in three popular radio stations over a period of 2 months (8 shows per station for a total of 24 broadcasts over 8 weeks). While the shows explored a range of issues relevant to corruption, transparency, public participation and accountability, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the content of the discussions was largely focused on health governance and healthcare service delivery. The topics of discussion included overall citizen experience and satisfaction in healthcare service provision; appropriate utilisation of resources allocated to healthcare for COVID-19; and citizen perceptions of their role in ensuring and monitoring appropriate resource allocation for healthcare. The intervention also served as a mechanism for citizens to air concerns and grievances related to potential corruption incidents in the healthcare sector and beyond. This SPAIS project convenes large-scale, plural and inclusive accountability dialogues between authorities and citizens in urban poor settlements of Nairobi with a view to promote and uphold public accountability and the role that citizens can play in countering corruption, to enhance citizen perceptions of voice and efficacy, government recognition of and engagement with citizens, and ultimately the forging of trust between citizens and authorities. Moreover, this project aims to strengthen citizen engagement in the monitoring of healthcare service delivery in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide trusted spaces for an exchange on matters related to the provision and quality of healthcare services. It envisions to draw rich insights from citizen voices and recommend programme options for UNDP and SPAIS partners to adapt future programming to the needs and opinions of citizens regarding tackling corruption in the health sector." (Introduction, page 7-8)
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"In Uganda, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda and Uganda Media Women’s Association have become instrumental in the fight for media freedom and combating impunity for crimes committed against journalists. Despite this effort, little rese
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arch has been dedicated to the contribution of such organizations in promoting safety and reducing incidents of self-censorship among journalists. This study examines the role of NGOs in reducing journalistic self-censorship and promoting safety of journalists. The discussion in this chapter is based on qualitative interviews with four members of two NGOs working in the area of media freedom and ten purposively selected journalists who have previously been defended or protected by NGOs that promote media freedom. Findings of this research show that NGOs play key roles in educating journalists on their right to seek and publish information and fight impunity by prosecuting perpetrators of crimes against journalists. The NGOs also offer free legal services to journalists who are detained for crimes related to their work. This support has minimized the practice of self-censorship and built resilience among journalists to continue with their work." (Abstract)
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