commbox Indigenous Peoples

On Printed Matter and Beyond: Media, Orality and Literacy

Kees Epskamp

Den Haag: Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (CESO) (1995), 136 pp.

"In fact this paperback is about narration and about text in whatever form: spoken, written or printed. Or even better, this book is about the importance of narrative art. It therefore invests all kinds of storytelling, not only the person-to-person oral tradition, but also the mediated forms of sto ... rytelling. Is taken for granted that the radio is giving an extra dimension to the spoken word, like books are giving an extra dimension to the printed word, or the cinema or television are connecting texts and visuals again, like woodcut printings have done in the past. Stories from the oral tradition found their way to the mass media like movies, radio and television. Therefore a wide variety of media will be discussed in this book without showing any preference for one medium or another. The focus of interest is more on storytelling then on de media used to tell stories. It is about the athletics of words and the flexible relatedness between the various media. All these media make use of characters to present stories. Therefore characters with stereotyped traits are present in every medium that makes use of narrative or dramatic elements like comic books, photo novels and soap operas. Mass media have been taking over the role of traditional storytelling. Nowadays, it seems as if instead of listening to an individual storyteller, the global community sits down and have stories told by their favourite radio plays and television series like situation comedies and soap series. Some social scientists strongly reject this change in media consumption. They regret the changing patterns in spending leisure time. They regret for example the supposed decline of reading habits which has been considered as an effect of changing media consumption. And they are not the only ones to regret this. On the one hand there are the educationalists worrying about the latest statistics on literacy rates. These figures certainly do not show any worldwide improvements in literacy and numeracy. And there are the publishers too, who regret the declining reading habits. On a global scale the selling of books and other printed matter is at a decline. With an expanding media market, people are spending their leisure time in a more varied way leaving them less time to read. However, despite this conclusion the educational system in whatever country cannot do without a structured transfer of knowledge. And it seems that the most effective medium within the educational system still is the written word, being presented to the people by printed materials. Learning children as well as adults to read and write is the main preoccupation of as many multilateral aid organisations as national governments." (Pages 10-11) more

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The Entertainment Programme of Ndanda Mission Press: Its Contribution to Swahili Literature in Tanzania

Uta Reuster-Jahn

Matatu: Journal of African Culture and Society, issue 13-14 (1995), pp. 339-352

"Assesses the “entertainment” programme of this Christian publisher’s books in Kiswahili, and its contribution in promoting writing in African languages. Includes a bibliography of the Press's Kiswahili publications." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 200 ... more

Pueblos indígenas de América Latina y el Caribe: Catálogo de cine y video

Beatriz Bermúdez Rothe

Caracas: Biblioteca Nacional (1995), 587 pp.

The Experience of Publishing in Indigenous African Languages: A Survey of Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Kenya

Martins Olusegun Fajemisin

Harare: African Publishers Network (APNET) (1995), 24 pp.

"This is a summary version of an important study commissioned by the IFLA Section on Library Services to Multicultural Populations and supervised by the African Publishers Network, which reviews the status of indigenous language publishing in seven African countries. Identifies African language mate ... more

Etno alfabetização yanomama: Da comunicação oral à escrita

Maria Edna de Brito

Fundo Canadá;Conselho Indigenista Missionário (1995), 120 pp.

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Principles of Visual Anthropology

Paul Hockings (ed.)

Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 2nd ed. (1995), xi, 562 pp.

Innovation in Ethnographic Film: From Innocence to Self-Consciousness, 1955-85

Peter Loizes

Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1993), vii, 224 pp.

Elementos de narración oral

Bogotá: CEPALC (1993), 28 pp.

Listening for a Change: Oral Testimony and Development

Hugo Slim, Paul Thompson

London: Panos (1993), viii, 167 pp.

"The focus throughout is on "listening" to people, in order to learn from experiences. Oral testimony is considered in terms of oral history and oral artistry. The importance of listening is illustrated by a large number of entertaining case studies, drawn from both developed and developing countrie ... more

A Bibliography of Ethnographic Films

Rolf Husmann, Ingrid Wellinger, Johannes Rühl, Martin Taureg

Münster; Hamburg: Lit;Arbeitskreis für Internationale Wissenschaftskommunikation (AIW) (1992), 335 pp.

Todas las voces

Proyecto Corades

Quito: CIESPAL;UNESCO;Gobierno de Holanda (1992), 90 pp.

"'Todas las voces' es una adaptación para radio de mitos, cuentos y leyendas de Nuestra América, que han sido transmitidos de generación a generación, y que hoy forman parte de la riquísima tradición oral de los pueblos que habitamos el continente. La serie está conformada por 90 programas el ... more

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The Empowerment of Culture: Development Communication and Popular Media

Ad Boeren, Kees Epskamp (eds.)

The Hague: Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (CESO) (1992), 247 pp.

"The book covers three main themes: 1. the relationship of interdependence between culture, education and communication; 2. the need for participatory processes in sustainable development, and 3. the crucial importance of culturally appropriate communication systems and approaches to education and t ... more

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Folk Media and Development Communication: Myths and Realities. A Report on Experiences in People's Communication in Mexico, India and the Philippines

Neville Jayaweera

Manila; Delhi: Asian Social Institute;Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK) (1991), 92 pp.

"This book records and interprets, in a narrative form, how groups of villagers and fisherfolk in Manila (Philippines), in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu (India) and in the states of Tlaxacala, Oaxaca and Michoacan and in a suburb of Mexico City (all in Mexico) tried to bring about social change through ... more

Compadres al micrófono: La resurrección metropolitana del Ayllu

Rafael Archondo

La Paz: HISBOL (1991), 254 pp.

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Tuning in to Pavement Radio

Stephen Ellis

African Affairs, volume 88, issue 352 (1989), pp. 321-330

"This article describes a phenomenon known all over Africa, for which there is no really satisfactory term in English but which is summed up in the French term 'radio trottoir', literally 'pavement radio'. It may be defined as the popular and unofficial discussion of current affairs in Africa, parti ... more