"The theme of the 2001 Indaba at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair was devoted to “Changing People’s Lives: Promoting a Reading Culture in Africa”, and this volume brings together 34 of the papers that were presented, together with a record of some of the discussions that took place followi
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ng each presentation, the conclusions from some sessions, and concluding remarks. Papers are presented in five parts: Plenary Sessions, Publishing, Writing, Scholarship, and Policy & Access. The papers – from contributors in anglophone, francophone, lusophone, and North Africa – examine some of the “obstacles and opportunities inherent in the ambiguities of the continent’s complex post-colonial linguistic inheritance.” What are publishers, writers, booksellers, and governments doing, or not doing, to overcome these obstacles? Is the indigenous linguistic richness of the continent a drawback or a benefit for the publisher? Participants in the Policy & Access sessions also addressed issues such as strategies for targeting readers, strategies for promoting readership, and policy implications for developing a reading culture." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2232)
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"Brett Davidson makes a convincing case for radio being the most hospitable media environment for retaining the human characteristics of public deliberation. In South Africa, for example, radio reaches far more people in their own languages than other media do. Moreover, radio can broadcast live,
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allowing hundreds, perhaps thousands, more citizens to listen in.” Although television has the same theoretical advantage, in some countries channels may be limited to those supported by the government. Radio is also cheaper and more pervasive than television, particularly in poor countries. Brett Davidson did not find countless examples of radio being used as a space for public deliberation. What he did find, however, were examples of radio playing a role in strengthening civil society by hosting other forms of public talk. From there, it is comparatively easy to add deliberative fora to the roster of other events such as panel discussions or public hearings." (Foreword)
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"Government has taken the bold step of setting up an independent agency that will address some of the problems of media development and diversity in South Africa. It is important to stress that the proposed Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) will not interfere in the content of any newspa
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per, television or radio station. Its primary purpose is to help create an enabling environment for media to develop and meet the diverse needs of all South Africans. This includes those marginalised because of factors such as gender, race, disability, geographical location, class or income, as well as marginalised schools of thought. While the scale of what is required to fully address media imbalances will be beyond the scope of the MDDA, it will play a key catalytic role through its funding, facilitation and research. This Position Paper was formulated through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including statutory bodies, the media and advertising industry, community media, NGOs, academics and trade unions. It is now government policy, and informs the draft legislation that will be presented to Parliament for consideration during 2002." (Foreword, page 6)
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"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
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ica. It contains recommendations as to the optimal legislative and regulatory model for the development of community radio - including licensing and economic models – for the UK. The report includes a comparison across the six countries of the following factors: definitions of community radio in law and regulation; licensing systems for community radio services; frequency allocations and associated technical constraints; economic bases of the community radio sector and rules on funding sources; the sector in the context of the wider media landscape; social characteristics – programming, audiences, staff and supporters." (Introduction)
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"The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF) is in the process of restructuring its media support programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. In November 2000, Frank Priess (KAF, Buenos Aires) and I presented the concept for a revised media support strategy. Based on a critical revision of the political framework an
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d ongoing programmes, this study suggested an integrated regional approach in order to refocus media support work and to transfer its broad basic approach to an advanced concept of specialised training and networking. This study was not commissioned as an academic venture, centred on empiric research and data collection. Its qualitative approach was based on an integrated analysis of the media sector and its political framework in two East African and two Southern African countries. The main source for this analysis - besides visits to media houses, universities and training centres - was a series of roundtables and interviews with almost 100 media professionals, academics, lecturers and politicians in Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa, in July and August 2000, focusing on four main areas: Political framework conditions and the legal status, mission, programme, programme dissemination, staff, infrastructure, finances and economic viability of media houses and institutions; job opportunities for, and working conditions of, media personnel with special emphasis on political, legal, economic and professional difficulties; educational and training background and further training of media professionals; character and performance of professional associations in the media sector." (Editor's note, page 7)
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"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
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igned apparatuses to accountable democratic institutions took place via a complex political process in which civil society activism, embodying a post-social democratic ideal, largely won out over the powerful forces of formal market capitalism and older models of state control. In the cautious acceptance of the market, the civil society organizations sought to use the dynamism of the market while thwarting its inevitable inequities. Forged in the crucible of a difficult transition to democracy, communication reform in South Africa was navigated between the National Party's embrace of the market and the African National Congress leadership's default statist orientation." (Publisher description)
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"This survey and report is the result of a pilot project and survey of the reading interests and information use of South African children and young adults. It was carried out in primary and secondary schools in Pretoria, and provides insight into children and young adult's reading interests and inf
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ormation usage. The project surveyed a representative sample of over two thousand learners in the age group 10 to 16 of South African learners from Grades 5 to 10 by means of a detailed questionnaire. The survey focuses on identifying why and how young people in South Africa choose books (and other texts such as comics and magazines), as understanding this process may help those involved in writing, publishing and providing texts, from comics to novels and electronic publications. The survey also tried to find ways of identifying what kind of material is most suitable for different types of readers. It was one of the goals of the study to provide a better understanding of the relationship between reading and attitudes to a range of topical social issues such as AIDS and pregnancy; to examine the ways in which children and young adults encounter and choose what to read; to provide information about the reading habits and information usage of children and young adults of different age, sex, class, ethnic background, geographical location and educational sector; and to study the influence and effect on reading of new media such as electronic texts." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2187)
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