"In this article it is argued that members of audience from different parts of Tanzania use mobile phones to participate in dialogue taking place on national radio (TBC-TAIFA) and/or national television (TBC1), and share their knowledge and lived experiences with the national audience as if they liv
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ed next door to each other. Further, the findings of this study show that TBC journalists use mobile phones to interact and involve the audiences in the processes of producing programmes. Consequently, TBC communication has become less hierarchical, more two-way, horizontal, and interactive. Moreover, the study reveals that the audiences use phone-in programmes on TBC as a platform to air the voices and concerns of the grass-roots population. Thus, the use of mobile phones as tools for participatory communication via TBC sets an agenda, which helps to bring about some social changes and transformation." (Abstract)
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"In March 2012, American NGO Invisible Children released an online video about the crimes committed by Ugandan war lord Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army. Rapidly shared through social network sites, Kony 2012 soon earned the title of fastest spreading online video ever produced. At the s
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ame time, the video and its makers also came under massive criticism from bloggers, journalists, academics, and the general public. This study offers an exploration of the phenomenon Kony 2012 from an audience perspective. Theoretically building on the literature on mediated distant suffering and empirically based on an online survey, we explore how the video was successful in exerting moral pressure on a critical online audience of ‘Ironic Spectators’. In particular, we investigate to what extent different forms of being critical towards the video and its makers have mitigated a sense of personal moral responsibility to act towards the distant suffering other." (Abstract)
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"In Brazil, India and Kenya, a wide range of factors currently inhibit media from playing their full role in promoting awareness of child rights and in helping children realise their rights, says this report. Crucial issues identified in all three countries include lack of media coverage, inadequate
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professionalism among journalists, absence of children's voices in the public debate, and scarce coperation among the media and child rights advocates. For each country, a detailed chapter provides insights into the national media landscape, the child rights reporting practice (based on a content analysis), the "media perspective" (based on focus groups and interviews with media professionals), and the "civil society perspective" (based on focus groups and individual interviews). The report recommends creating more youth journalists by training young people to produce radio programmes; establishing incentives for journalists to specialise in child rights; improving networking among civil society organisations and media, and establishing and monitoring guidelines for reporting on child rights." (CAMECO Update 1-2015)
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"This paper draws on the contrast between community media and the nature of its communities in Africa that are not participatory but use participatory media. The general contention is that participatory media in Africa preside over non-participatory communities. The paper uses data collected at one
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Ugandan community media to prove that the limitations between community media and ‘the community’ require over half a century to solve. The immediate solution should be to rethink the idea of community, pay more attention not just to the nature of which media can develop which community as if it (community) was a homogeneous entity but also the idea of which community has the ability to host which media. The paper concludes by suggesting a redefinition of media to include non-media forms that show more potential in enhancing participation for all than community media." (Abstract)
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"[The publication] documents how Ethiopia’s government uses its control over the telecom system to restrict individuals’ rights. Based on over 100 interviews with victims of government abuses, former government officials, and former staff of telecom companies, the report describes the various me
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thods used by Ethiopian authorities to monitor individuals and inhibit their activities online. Individuals with perceived or tenuous connections to opposition groups are arbitrarily arrested and interrogated based on their phone calls. Security agencies rarely acquire warrants, despite the legal requirement to obtain them in most circumstances. Government censors routinely block websites of opposition groups and independent media, while bloggers and social media users face harassment and the threat of arrest should they refuse to tone down their writings." (Back cover)
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"This report demonstrates how providing information to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in South Sudan can dramatically increase their health, safety and well-being and make a positive impact on their lives in the midst of an ongoing conflict [...] Boda Boda Talk Talk (BBTT) was the first Humanit
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arian Information Service program to be developed by Internews in response to the conflict. It utilizes staff and community correspondents hired from within the Tong Ping site in order to deliver vital information in such areas as: how to obtain food, water, shelter, and non-food items; receiving medical assistance and other forms of help including referral services, registration/legal assistance and special services for women, girls, the disabled, and the elderly; available educational opportunities; family reunification procedures; health promotion and disease prevention; and information related to protection and security [...] In February, 2014, Internews worked with Forcier Consulting to conduct a baseline survey of 612 respondents from the Tong Ping site to identify information needs, sources, and preferences to help guide their intervention strategies, and in April 2014 Internews again teamed up with Forcier Consulting in order to conduct a second wave of data collection and assess the impact of BBTT while working towards a deeper understanding of general information needs at the Tong Ping site [...] The results were extremely encouraging as community members in overwhelming numbers stated that they were listening frequently, and that they found the program both relevant and trustworthy. Nearly all (95.8%) survey respondents had heard of BBTT and of these almost two thirds (62.1%) listened to the program frequently." (Executive summary)
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"On 4th July 2014, Internews launched Boom Box Talk Talk (BBTT) in the Malakal, UN Mission Protection of Civilian (PoC) site, to provide people affected by the conflict with life saving and life enhancing information. BBTT is a professionally produced audio Humanitarian Information Service (HIS). In
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order to reflect the voices of the community, Internews recruited and trained community correspondents who themselves had been affected and displaced from their homes. The service is designed as a platform for people to discuss issues, share ideas, and ask questions of each other and humanitarian agencies operating in the PoC [...] This baseline survey was conducted in August just as the project was starting. It aims to inform Internews on the nature and content for BBTT, and assess people’s need for, and access to, information in a context where radio and other communication channels are highly limited." (Page 1)
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"Internet freedom around the world has declined for the fourth consecutive year, with a growing number of countries introducing online censorship and monitoring practices that are simultaneously more aggressive and more sophisticated in their targeting of individual users. In a departure from the pa
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st, when most governments preferred a behind-the-scenes approach to internet control, countries are rapidly adopting new laws that legitimize existing repression and effectively criminalize online dissent." (Page 1)
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"This chapter examines the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) theology as the implicit background to Robert White's studies on development communication. We will then examine White's influence on the Center for Communication, Media and Society's graduate program in development communication." (Page
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241)
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"This Global Information Society Watch tracks the state of communications surveillance in 57 countries across the world – countries as diverse as Hungary, India, Argentina, The Gambia, Lebanon and the United Kingdom. Each country report approaches the issue from a different perspective. Some analy
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se legal frameworks that allow surveillance, others the role of businesses in collecting data (including marketing data on children), the potential of biometrics to violate rights, or the privacy challenges when implementing a centralised universal health system. The perspectives from long-time internet activists on surveillance are also recorded. Using the 13 International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance as a starting point, eight thematic reports frame the key issues at stake. These include discussions on what we mean by digital surveillance, the implications for a human rights agenda on surveillance, the “Five Eyes” inter-government surveillance network led by the US, cyber security, and the role of intermediaries." (GIS website)
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"There is a conspicuous importance of having newspapers that publish in the indigenous African languages for the indigenous population in a democratic dispensation. The indigenous African languages are key components of their respective cultures. The survival of the language is, in some way, depende
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nt on the print media (newspapers) (Salawu, 2004:8). In addition, the indigenous language newspapers have cardinal roles of promoting previously marginalised languages, preserving indigenous cultures and upholding democracy. Nevertheless, these newspapers are struggling to sustain themselves in the print media industry. It is, therefore, critically important to examine the factors that adversely affect the sustainability of these newspapers." (Abstract)
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"The project aimed at enhancing the capacity of community radio stations to operate as agents of change for the rural poor and marginalised people [...] The project worked with a sample of 15 community radio stations – five per country – in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. In implementing the RPCD
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project, Panos Southern Africa used the Radio Listening Club (RLC) approach, which is a unique and proven methodology that empowers the often marginalised and neglected communities to participate in the development of community radio content." (Summary)
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"The majority of Somalis (65.6%) access news at least once per day. More than one in four Somalis (27.9%) share news daily or most days. Radio is the most popular means for obtaining news in Somalia, with more than four in five (83.9%) reporting they get news via radio at least once per week. More t
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han seven in 10 Somalis (72.4%) say they personally own a mobile phone." (Page 1)
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"This study carried out between May and June 2013, seeks to establish levels of transparency in public institution in Southern Africa. The study in currently in its fourth year, and findings highlight the difficulties faced by Southern African when trying to seek, access and receive information from
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public bodies. The research, conducted by seven different MISA chapters in the region, again revealed the lack of openness, transparency and accessibility on the part of public institutions, as well as their reluctance to disclose information proactively or respond to specific requests for public information, although there has been a significant improvement with respect to the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) across the region." (Fesmedia website)
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"This article explores how Facebook is used by South African youth, with particular reference to their political participation and involvement. Research has shown the declining involvement of young people in political processes, particularly since democratic elections in 1994. This is an internation
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al trend, with a general global rise of political apathy and decreased news consumption among youth. However, Facebook and other new media applications widely used by young people have been seen as a potential vehicle to re-engage youth in political debate. The potential usefulness of such applications for creating networked publics and mobilizing political action was highlighted recently during the Arab Spring; and conversely, Facebook and Twitter have been used (e.g. in the United States) to target potential youth voters. The notion of e-democracy has raised the potential of the Internet to enhance political action and activism. The article draws on a national quantitative survey and Cape Town-based focus groups with South African youth in order to explore the links between Facebook use and political participation. The article argues that youth are engaging with alternative forms of political subactivism that work at the margins of the dominant public sphere." (Abstract)
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"The Internet will generate economic growth and social transformation in six sectors in particular: financial services, education, health, retail, agriculture, and government. In financial services, for example, M.Pesa's mobile money solutions have brought millions of Kenyans onto the financial grid
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for the first time. Remote diagnostics are expanding medical services to rural areas that have few healthcare professionals. Students are beginning to learn with new digital education tools, and e-government initiatives are connecting citizens with services. This report examines the progress and potential of the Internet in 14 economies that together make up 90 percent of Africa's GDP. In addition to measuring the size of their current Internet economies, it evaluates the strength of five fundamental pillars of Internet readiness: national ICT strategy, infrastructure, business environment, access to financial capital, and the development of ICTrelated human capital. By combining these factors, it is possible to map each country's progress on its digital journey. Kenya and Senegal, for instance, are not Africa's largest economies, but they have nevertheless emerged as the continent's leaders in terms of the relative economic contribution of the Internet." (Executive summary)
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"As expected, the general media environment in South Sudan is highly varied, with sharp distinctions between the capital city of Juba and the rest of the country, which is largely rural. A key difference here involves language use and understanding, with rural areas dominated by local/tribal languag
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es while the vast majority of people who can speak and understand Classical/Simple Arabic and/or English live in Juba. The rural-urban divide in South Sudan is crosscut further by significant differences with respect to age and gender; males and younger generations are much more likely to speak Arabic and/or English while also having greater levels of education and literacy. Radio remains the most accessible source of information for the vast majority of people in South Sudan, though once again males and younger generations have greater access to radio as well as to other technology-based sources of information. Computers and televisions remain largely insignificant to South Sudanese; nearly half of all respondents did not have immediate access to media devices or technologies of any kind. Despite the popularity of radio as an information source, just over half of South Sudanese are non-listeners, largely because they do not own or have access to a radio. Since lack of access/ownership applies to an even greater extent with respect to other technological devices (i.e., mobile phone, television, or computer/Internet), many people get their information by relying solely on their personal social networks and via face-to-face communication." (Pages vi-vii)
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"The first decade of the 21st century has seen a proliferation of North American and European films that focus on African politics and society. While once the continent was the setting for narratives of heroic ascendancy over self (The African Queen, 1951; The Snows of Kilimanjaro, 1952), military o
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dds (Zulu, 1964; Khartoum, 1966) and nature (Mogambo, 1953; Hatari!,1962; Born Free, 1966; The Last Safari, 1967), this new wave of films portrays a continent blighted by transnational corruption (The Constant Gardener, 2005), genocide (Hotel Rwanda, 2004; Shooting Dogs, 2006), ‘failed states’ (Black Hawk Down, 2001), illicit transnational commerce (Blood Diamond, 2006) and the unfulfilled promises of decolonization (The Last King of Scotland, 2006). Conversely, where once Apartheid South Africa was a brutal foil for the romance of East Africa (Cry Freedom, 1987; A Dry White Season, 1989), South Africa now serves as a redeemed contrast to the rest of the continent (Red Dust, 2004; Invictus, 2009). Writing from the perspective of long-term engagement with the contexts in which the films are set, anthropologists and historians reflect on these films and assess the contemporary place Africa holds in the North American and European cinematic imagination." (Publisher description)
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