Routledge African Media, Culture and Communication Studies – Serie

This book reflects on the rapid rise of social media across the African continent and the legal and extra-legal efforts governments have invented to try to contain it.The relentless growth of social media platforms in Africa has provided the means of resistance, self-expression, and national self-fashioning for the continent’s restlessly energetic and contagiously creative youth. This has provided a profound challenge to the African "gatekeeper state", which has often responded with strategies to constrict and constrain the rhetorical luxuriance of the social media and digital sphere. Drawing on cases from across the continent, contributors explore the form and nature of social media and government censorship, often via antisocial media laws, or less overt tactics such as state cybersurveillance, spyware attacks on social media activists, or the artful deployment of the rhetoric of "fake news" as a smokescreen to muzzle critical voices. The book also reflects on the Chinese influence in African governments’ clampdown on social media and the role of Israeli NSO Group Technologies, as well as the tactics and technologies which activists and users are deploying to resist or circumvent social media censorship.Drawing on a range of methodologies and disciplinary approaches, this book will be an important contribution to researchers with an interest in social media activism, digital rebellion, discursive democracy in transitional societies, censorship on the Internet, and Africa more broadly.

This book reflects on the rapid rise of social media across the African continent and the legal and extra-legal efforts governments have invented to try to contain it.The relentless growth of social media platforms in Africa has provided the means of resistance, self-expression, and national self-fashioning for the continent’s restlessly energetic and contagiously creative youth. This has provided a profound challenge to the African "gatekeeper state", which has often responded with strategies to constrict and constrain the rhetorical luxuriance of the social media and digital sphere. Drawing on cases from across the continent, contributors explore the form and nature of social media and government censorship, often via antisocial media laws, or less overt tactics such as state cybersurveillance, spyware attacks on social media activists, or the artful deployment of the rhetoric of "fake news" as a smokescreen to muzzle critical voices. The book also reflects on the Chinese influence in African governments’ clampdown on social media and the role of Israeli NSO Group Technologies, as well as the tactics and technologies which activists and users are deploying to resist or circumvent social media censorship.Drawing on a range of methodologies and disciplinary approaches, this book will be an important contribution to researchers with an interest in social media activism, digital rebellion, discursive democracy in transitional societies, censorship on the Internet, and Africa more broadly.

This book outlines how African language media is affected by politics, technology, culture, and the economy and how this media is creatively produced and appropriated by audiences across cultures and contexts.African language media can be considered as a tool for communication, socialization, and community that defines the various identities of indigenous people in Africa. This book shows how vernacular media outlets including radio and television, as well as native formats such as festivals, rituals and dance, can be used to influence all facets of local peoples’ experience and understanding of community. The book also explores the relationship between African language media sources and contemporary issues including the digitalization conundrum, peace and conflict resolution, identity formation, hate speech and fake news. Furthermore, it shows how local media can be used for development communication purposes during health and environmental crises. The book includes cases studies demonstrating the uses, experiences and activities related to various forms of media available in African languages.This book will be of interest to scholars in the field of communication and media studies, health and environmental communication, journalism, African studies and anthropology.

This book outlines how African language media is affected by politics, technology, culture, and the economy and how this media is creatively produced and appropriated by audiences across cultures and contexts.African language media can be considered as a tool for communication, socialization, and community that defines the various identities of indigenous people in Africa. This book shows how vernacular media outlets including radio and television, as well as native formats such as festivals, rituals and dance, can be used to influence all facets of local peoples’ experience and understanding of community. The book also explores the relationship between African language media sources and contemporary issues including the digitalization conundrum, peace and conflict resolution, identity formation, hate speech and fake news. Furthermore, it shows how local media can be used for development communication purposes during health and environmental crises. The book includes cases studies demonstrating the uses, experiences and activities related to various forms of media available in African languages.This book will be of interest to scholars in the field of communication and media studies, health and environmental communication, journalism, African studies and anthropology.

This ground-breaking volume examines enduring and emerging discourses around communication rights in Africa, arguing that they should be considered an integral component of the human rights discourse in Africa.Drawing on a broad range of case studies across the continent, the volume considers what constitutes communication rights in Africa, who should protect them, against whom, and how communication rights relate to broader human rights. While the case studies highlight the variation in communicative rights experiences between countries, they also coalesce around common tropes and practices for the implementation and expression of communication rights. Deploying a variety of innovative theoretical and methodological approaches, the chapters scrutinise different facets of communication rights in the context of both offline and digital communication realities. The contributions provide illuminating accounts on language rights, digital exclusion, digital activism, citizen journalism, media regulation and censorship, protection of intellectual property rights, politics of mobile data, and politicisation of social media.This is the first collection to consider communication in Africa using a rights-based lens. The book will appeal to researchers, academics, communication activists, and media practitioners at all levels in the fields of media studies, journalism, human rights, political science, public policy, as well as general readers who are keen to know about the status of communication rights in Africa.

This ground-breaking volume examines enduring and emerging discourses around communication rights in Africa, arguing that they should be considered an integral component of the human rights discourse in Africa.Drawing on a broad range of case studies across the continent, the volume considers what constitutes communication rights in Africa, who should protect them, against whom, and how communication rights relate to broader human rights. While the case studies highlight the variation in communicative rights experiences between countries, they also coalesce around common tropes and practices for the implementation and expression of communication rights. Deploying a variety of innovative theoretical and methodological approaches, the chapters scrutinise different facets of communication rights in the context of both offline and digital communication realities. The contributions provide illuminating accounts on language rights, digital exclusion, digital activism, citizen journalism, media regulation and censorship, protection of intellectual property rights, politics of mobile data, and politicisation of social media.This is the first collection to consider communication in Africa using a rights-based lens. The book will appeal to researchers, academics, communication activists, and media practitioners at all levels in the fields of media studies, journalism, human rights, political science, public policy, as well as general readers who are keen to know about the status of communication rights in Africa.

The book provides insights on decolonising media and communication studies education from diverse African scholars at different stages of their careers. These academics, located on the continent and in the diaspora, share an interest in decolonising higher education broadly and media and communication studies teaching and learning in particular. Although many African countries gained flag independence from different European colonial powers between the 1950s and the 1970s, this book argues that former colonies remain ensnared in a colonial power matrix. Many African universities did not jettison ways of teaching and learning established during colonialism, and even those journalism, communication, and media studies training programmes which were established after the attainment of flag independence did not place decolonial agendas at the front and centre when setting them up. Starting with big picture thematic questions around decolonisation, the book goes on to consider what the implications of change would be for students and instructors, before reflecting on how far it is possible to decolonise curricula and syllabi and what this might look like in practice across a range of subject areas and country contexts. Overall, this book presents a nuanced picture of what a decolonised media and communication studies education could look like in sub-Saharan Africa. This book is essential for researchers in Africa in disciplines such as media and communication studies, journalism, film studies, cultural studies, and higher education studies. More broadly, the concepts and ideas on decolonising teaching and learning discussed in the book are relevant to instructors in any discipline who are interested in doing the decolonial work of contesting coloniality.

The book provides insights on decolonising media and communication studies education from diverse African scholars at different stages of their careers. These academics, located on the continent and in the diaspora, share an interest in decolonising higher education broadly and media and communication studies teaching and learning in particular. Although many African countries gained flag independence from different European colonial powers between the 1950s and the 1970s, this book argues that former colonies remain ensnared in a colonial power matrix. Many African universities did not jettison ways of teaching and learning established during colonialism, and even those journalism, communication, and media studies training programmes which were established after the attainment of flag independence did not place decolonial agendas at the front and centre when setting them up. Starting with big picture thematic questions around decolonisation, the book goes on to consider what the implications of change would be for students and instructors, before reflecting on how far it is possible to decolonise curricula and syllabi and what this might look like in practice across a range of subject areas and country contexts. Overall, this book presents a nuanced picture of what a decolonised media and communication studies education could look like in sub-Saharan Africa. This book is essential for researchers in Africa in disciplines such as media and communication studies, journalism, film studies, cultural studies, and higher education studies. More broadly, the concepts and ideas on decolonising teaching and learning discussed in the book are relevant to instructors in any discipline who are interested in doing the decolonial work of contesting coloniality.

Speaking to a broader global preoccupation with the state of languages and language development, this book considers issues surrounding the diverse languages, linguistic communities, and cultures of Zimbabwe.Reflecting on Shona, Xitsonga, Sotho, Xhosa, Tjwao, Nambya, IsiNdebele, Nyanja, Tshivenda, English and Braille, the book uncovers both the internal and external factors that impact language structures, language use and language ideologies across the country. The book considers how colonial legacies and contemporary language domination and minoritisation have led to language endangerment. It considers the fate of communities whose languages are marginalised and, in the process, poses questions on what can and should be done to preserve Zimbabwean languages. The authors' offerings range across subjects as diverse as music, linguistic innovation, education, human rights, literature, language politics and language policy, in order to build a rich and nuanced picture of language matters in the country.Coming at a critical moment of increasing mobility, migration, cultural plurality and globalisation, this book will be an important resource for researchers across African literature, linguistics, communication, policy and politics.

Speaking to a broader global preoccupation with the state of languages and language development, this book considers issues surrounding the diverse languages, linguistic communities, and cultures of Zimbabwe.Reflecting on Shona, Xitsonga, Sotho, Xhosa, Tjwao, Nambya, IsiNdebele, Nyanja, Tshivenda, English and Braille, the book uncovers both the internal and external factors that impact language structures, language use and language ideologies across the country. The book considers how colonial legacies and contemporary language domination and minoritisation have led to language endangerment. It considers the fate of communities whose languages are marginalised and, in the process, poses questions on what can and should be done to preserve Zimbabwean languages. The authors' offerings range across subjects as diverse as music, linguistic innovation, education, human rights, literature, language politics and language policy, in order to build a rich and nuanced picture of language matters in the country.Coming at a critical moment of increasing mobility, migration, cultural plurality and globalisation, this book will be an important resource for researchers across African literature, linguistics, communication, policy and politics.

This book investigates the role of the internet and social media in political processes in non-western and non-democratic contexts. Using Zimbabwe as a case study, the book demonstrates how activists and ordinary people deploy social media, particularly Facebook, to subvert an enduring hegemonic state. However, the book also highlights how authoritarian regimes are in turn learning and adapting to the information age, challenging the impact of digital activism.Studies of digital activism in the Global South are often centred around democracy, but this book paints a more complex picture, examining the role and effect of digital activism in challenging state hegemony in authoritarian contexts. The book notes that while communication technologies help mediate activism, they are also simultaneously constrained by pre-existing and emergent challenges tied to the social and political context and the inherent limitations of those technologies. The book investigates the tactics used by digital activists, the contextual factors and restrictive political environment they operate in, including the role of pro-government activists, and ultimately, the impact of digital activism given these constraints.From the case of Zimbabwe, the book builds out a broader theoretical analysis of the evolution of ‘third world protest’ in the digital age, examining the limitations of activists’ actions and the ideological deficit in online activism to ferment a virulent counter hegemony.

This book investigates the role of the internet and social media in political processes in non-western and non-democratic contexts. Using Zimbabwe as a case study, the book demonstrates how activists and ordinary people deploy social media, particularly Facebook, to subvert an enduring hegemonic state. However, the book also highlights how authoritarian regimes are in turn learning and adapting to the information age, challenging the impact of digital activism.Studies of digital activism in the Global South are often centred around democracy, but this book paints a more complex picture, examining the role and effect of digital activism in challenging state hegemony in authoritarian contexts. The book notes that while communication technologies help mediate activism, they are also simultaneously constrained by pre-existing and emergent challenges tied to the social and political context and the inherent limitations of those technologies. The book investigates the tactics used by digital activists, the contextual factors and restrictive political environment they operate in, including the role of pro-government activists, and ultimately, the impact of digital activism given these constraints.From the case of Zimbabwe, the book builds out a broader theoretical analysis of the evolution of ‘third world protest’ in the digital age, examining the limitations of activists’ actions and the ideological deficit in online activism to ferment a virulent counter hegemony.

Within Africa, radio provides an important platform for accommodating diverse linguistic groups and enabling speakers to express themselves in their own local languages. This book investigates how radio broadcasting across the continent provides a platform for cultural participation and the representation of minority language speakers in a contested public sphere. In African media, a fierce contest wages for representation and participation, in which majority languages often emerge at the exclusion of minority ethnolinguistic groups. This book considers the important role that radio can play in broadcasting in minority languages. Drawing on in-depth original analysis, ethnographic observation and interviews with minority language radio hosts and guests from across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Kenya, this book considers to what extent African radio is accommodative of minority languages and what the challenges and prospects are for this. Ultimately, the book argues that radio’s three-tier system of broadcasting through analogue and digital radio leaves the medium of radio particularly well placed to provide equal access for ethnolinguistic groups in Africa.This ambitious and broad-ranging study will be an essential read for scholars and students of media studies and sociolinguistics in Africa.

This edited volume considers the use of African languages for marketing communication. The importance of an indigenous language stems from its benefits, which include increased comprehension and a sense of resonance among the target audience, which makes it more memorable as opposed to foreign languages.Chapters in the book variously examine African traditional advertising and marketing; popular culture as a channel for advertising and marketing; political communication, advertising and marketing; commercials and public relations in African languages; as well as branding, corporate and public communication in African languages. The use of African languages for marketing communication is considered on the traditional mass media and the digital media. Readers will gain a lot of insights into the theory and practice of marketing communication in African languages.

This edited volume considers the use of African languages for marketing communication. The importance of an indigenous language stems from its benefits, which include increased comprehension and a sense of resonance among the target audience, which makes it more memorable as opposed to foreign languages.Chapters in the book variously examine African traditional advertising and marketing; popular culture as a channel for advertising and marketing; political communication, advertising and marketing; commercials and public relations in African languages; as well as branding, corporate and public communication in African languages. The use of African languages for marketing communication is considered on the traditional mass media and the digital media. Readers will gain a lot of insights into the theory and practice of marketing communication in African languages.

This book investigates the functions and linguistic forms of African Englishes, and what this means for languages indigenous to Africa.It examines the historical imposition of English on the continent, as part of a broader project of cultural imperialism, and traces its transformation from a colonial tool to a dynamic and diverse language, examining its set of contemporary usage patterns, and its likely future directions. Thorough diverse critical approaches, this book unpacks how language contact has given rise to distinct variations including second language varieties, pidgins and creoles, that are moulded by Africa´s linguistic and cultural diversity. Drawing on case studies from West, East, and Southern Africa, this book illuminates contemporary English usages in multilingual spaces, where cultural and linguistic plurality drive ongoing shifts in communication. More than just being a study of language change, this book calls for a reassessment of the future of African Englishes and their impact on indigenous languages.Thus, the book is an essential read for scholars and students in linguistics, African Studies, and World Englishes, as it contributes fresh insights into the intersections of language, culture, identity, and power in modern-day African lifeworlds.

This book critically examines the historical and ongoing influence of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on African broadcasting, tracing its colonial roots through to its post-colonial legacy.The book details how in the 1930s the BBC established radio transmitter sites in East and Central Africa, thereby positioning itself as a model for broadcasting in British colonies and beyond. Grounded in a decolonial perspective, the book then explores the evolution of African radio structures, funding models, editorial policies and programming strategies. In the post-colonial era, the BBC continued to train, equip and support African broadcasters while maintaining a strong presence through African-focused programming. Some nations fully embraced the BBC model, while others developed hybrid broadcasting systems integrating British, local and transnational influences. Beyond historical analysis, the book interrogates the BBC’s enduring influence on African media, examining how contemporary local broadcasters negotiate, adapt or resist its legacy. A nuanced exploration of these dynamics provides critical insights into the intersection of colonial-era institutions and contemporary African media landscapes.This book is an essential resource for scholars and researchers in media and communication studies, African studies and decolonial studies, offering a comprehensive understanding of the BBC’s role in shaping African broadcasting.

This book offers a compelling exploration of Nigeria’s vibrant cultural and creative industries, unpacking their core components, challenges, institutional frameworks, and transformative potential for national development. From the role of government and regulatory bodies to the power of local innovation, the volume provides a timely and strategic assessment of how Nigeria’s creative economy is shaping a new narrative for growth.As Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria boasts a rich cultural mosaic and a growing generation of dynamic creatives making waves both locally and globally. With Nollywood, Afrobeats, and indigenous fashion now commanding international attention, creative output is fast overtaking oil as Nigeria’s most influential export. Through sector-specific case studies, the book critically examines this shift, highlighting high-impact sectors like film, fashion, music, and visual arts, while also shining a light on underexplored industries such as publishing, advertising, and hospitality. It asks bold questions about whether the right structures are in place to truly harness Nigeria’s soft power for economic and social impact.Providing a thorough and nuanced analysis of Nigeria’s creative landscape, this book will be an important read for researchers, students, and policymakers with an interest in the future of African culture, innovation, identity, and industry.

This pioneering volume presents a comprehensive assessment of generative artificial intelligence's impact on African journalism, bringing together insights from academics, technologists, and practicing journalists across the continent.Featuring diverse case studies from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Eswatini, the collection explores how African newsrooms are adopting generative AI. Contributors analyse the use of AI presenters, audience perceptions of AI-generated content, gamification strategies in newsrooms, and the barriers journalists face in accessing these technologies. Painting a picture of the complex political economy of AI-driven news production and consumption, the volume also addresses ethical concerns around AI appropriation, highlighting how existing legal frameworks struggle to regulate generative AI in journalism.Positioned at the intersection of technology and African media studies, this book offers essential insights into the future of journalism across the continent.Trust Matsilele is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Birmingham City University, UK, and a Research Fellow in the Communication Department at the University of South Africa.Lungile A. Tshuma is a Researcher in the Centre for Communication and Culture, Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Tshuma is also a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Communication and Media, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Communication for Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Amplifying the Marginalised Voices examines how communication serves as a catalyst for transformative change across the continent. It demonstrates how dialogue, storytelling, and media can motivate action and promote progress towards more equitable and inclusive societies.Drawing on vivid narratives and diverse case studies, the book examines how communities are using communication to address issues such as gender inequality, public health, human rights, and participatory governance. It highlights the rise of digital activism and grassroots movements that are redefining civic engagement and social transformation. By showcasing how new media technologies enable individuals to craft their own narratives, the book emphasises communication’s crucial role in fostering collective agency and sustainable change.This book is aimed at scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in political science, development studies, and media and communication. It will also appeal to activists, journalists, and students who seek to understand how communication can be used to amplify marginalised voices and generate lasting social impact across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This book investigates the ways in which peripheral news actors in digital media are transforming journalism in Zimbabwe.Journalism’s boundaries have become blurred, porous and fuzzy as non‑traditional news actors—such as bloggers, social media influencers, citizen journalists, start‑ups, satirists, comedians and fact‑checkers—gain increasing influence in digital spaces. As legacy news media attempt to ring‑fence the field, journalism becomes both ‘boundaried’ and ‘boundless’. This book examines how peripheral journalistic practices are impacting Zimbabwe—a semi‑authoritarian regime facing significant economic pressures. Taking into account Zimbabwe’s specific sociocultural, political and economic context, this book explores how political issues are mediated by periphery actors, how they deal with challenges to their legitimacy and professionalism, how sustainable their positions are and finally what the implications of shifting journalistic boundaries are for education and training institutions.As the impact of digital technologies continues to rise, this timely book will be an important read for researchers working on journalism, media and communication, and African studies.

This groundbreaking collection explores the complex intersections of communication and climate change in Africa.From legacy media’s framing of climate narratives to the mobilising potential of digital media, the volume examines the multi-faceted ways in which climate change is mediated through different communication channels and how different media can be harnessed to amplify African voices on climate change. Drawing on a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches, case studies cover all regions of the continent, providing a nuanced examination of how the media shape our understanding of and responses to climate change in Africa. Contributions scrutinise different facets of climate change communication, providing illuminating accounts on pitfalls in climate change communication, climate justice communication strategies, social media activism and climate change, and datafication of climate change. This is the first collection to comprehensively address climate change communication across the continent, featuring perspectives from all regions in Africa.An essential contribution to the global conversation on climate change communication, the collection will appeal to researchers, academics, policymakers, communication activists, and students at all levels in the fields of environmental communication, media studies and journalism, as well as general readers keen to understand the complex dynamics of climate change in Africa.

This book takes a critical approach to the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the media and communication landscape.The book argues that as technology is a social construct reflecting existing power dynamics, those in the Global South, and in Africa in particular, are bound to be marginalised and have their knowledge, systems overlooked as the Global North dominates technological developments. The birth of AI has ignited debates about its benefits to lower income countries, with some highlighting its potential to advance businesses and grow economies. However, this book argues that AI tools have been produced to serve Western needs, and that instead there is a need for countries in Africa to have home grown solutions defined by local values. Drawing on case studies and analysis from across the continent, the book seeks to caution, challenge, and proffer solutions to the use and understanding of Generative AI for media and communication in non-western societies.At a time when generative AI is threatening to shape the future of media and communication around the world, this book is a vital and timely contribution to debates within critical data studies and African media studies.

This book examines audio-visual content production in Africa, highlighting the ways in which the rise of social networking platforms has combatted the marginalisation of minority languages across the continent.Colonial languages have tended to dominate audio-visual narratives in Africa, and although postcolonial film and video production initiatives have tried to counter this, in practice they perpetuate the marginalisation of minority language groups by favouring major indigenous languages such as isiZulu in South Africa, Shona in Zimbabwe, Yoruba or Igbo in Nigeria. This book demonstrates the ways in which the internet and the accompanying boom in popularity of visual social networking applications such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X, and Vimeo have disrupted dominant language video productions and traditional media marketing models. As audiences have fragmented, seeking out content produced in their own languages, traditional gatekeepers have been challenged. Drawing on studies from across the continent, the book demonstrates the varied and multifaceted ways in which minority language audio-visual content creators are using these platforms to negotiate with or contest dominant languages.This timely investigation into the political economy of contemporary audio-visual production in minority languages in Africa will be of interest to researchers across media studies and sociolinguistics in Africa.

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed media and journalism teaching and practice, introducing efficiencies and innovations that can help streamline content creation and dissemination, albeit with inherent limitations and ethical considerations requiring careful critical examination.This book investigates AI’s impact on media landscapes within Africa, offering a range of practical case studies and strategic recommendations for practice, teaching, governance, and regulation. The book delves into how AI technologies are rapidly being integrated into African journalism, broadcasting, public relations, advertising, and media and communications education. As well as providing real-world case studies of how AI is changing content creation, distribution, and consumption in Africa, the book also critically analyses the ethical challenges posed by AI, such as misinformation, algorithmic bias, and job displacement. The book concludes by providing strategic recommendations for how educators, media professionals, and policymakers can effectively harness AI's potential.Bringing together leading researchers and practitioners, this book provides a platform for informed discussions, knowledge-sharing and innovation in African media and communication studies.