"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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"Child pornography and the sexual abuse of children through misuse of the media and the internet are complex yet closely related issues. Not only do they necessitate complex solutions, they also demand a social response from all sectors of society. This volume records the response of these various s
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ectors and shows how individuals and organizations can cooperate effectively. It describes the major work being carried out in some African countries, in Albania, Brazil, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, and shows the efforts being made to share information and build networks. A reference section provides the site locations of organizations that have made significant advances in protecting children online. In addition, this book offers an action plan to encourage cooperation with others in the fields in a coherent and coordinated manner." (UNESCO website 11/2007)
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"This is a book about an inter-continental community theatre project. It is an attempt to gain a better understanding of this increasingly popular cultural practice that operates on the cutting edge between performing arts and sociocultural intervention. The main emphasis in this book, and in the ac
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companying video, has been placed on the diverse mechanics and inspirations of community theatre as an artistic process that always evolves under very particular local sociocultural conditions. Through written word and moving image, this package thus documents, contextualizes, and theorizes the methods that were used to create six community performances in distinct locations around the world in the course of 1997. Both in the video and in the book I have opted to tell these six tales as relatively independent narratives. I recommend watching the appropriate video segments before reading each book chapter, which provides the background about (community) theatre in each particular region, the facilitators, the organizations they work in, the evolution of their method, and a more technically oriented case study of the distinctive approach they used to create one specific community theatre performance in 1997." (Introduction, page 1)
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"This study is currently the most comprehensive survey of textbook distribution in sub-Saharan Africa. If offers a detailed survey and analysis of the key policy issues affecting book distribution in Africa today. The study was organized and co-ordinated by International Book Development Ltd. in Lon
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don, and Danaé-Sciences, a Paris-based consultancy company specialising in editorial support, training and written communication. It draws on a series of major case studies carried out in Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda, together with mini case studies from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo, undertaken by book practitioners in these countries, most from the private sector. All of the case studies cover some common elements, including, for example, information on the national education system (including basic education statistics), and a discussion of the main players and mechanisms in the book distribution chain; they also review regional trade in books, and most case studies comment upon the impact of funding, agency investment, and government policies affecting national book development. In addition to the case studies, a useful feature is the inclusion of a fold-out chart “Critical issues on upgrading book distribution in Africa – A decision tree for policy-makers”, which shows the key options that policy makers need to consider in developing a national framework for textbook delivery. An extensive glossary of common terms and acronyms used in education, development and the book trade, completes the volume. The survey concludes “there is already a policy change underway among a number of governments and funding agencies in their approaches toward national textbook distribution. This change is more apparent in Anglophone than in Francophone countries and is by no means universal even in Anglophone countries. But the reaction against the inefficiencies, the lack of a service culture and the typically high cost operations of state centralist policies is now almost ten years old.” It also notes that times are changing, and that senior government officials in many countries now openly acknowledge and welcome the increasing involvement of the private sector in educational book provision activity." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1515)
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"The synthesis of literature quoted in the bibliography and the country reports portrays the public library movement in Africa as being very weak, with numerous problems regarding financial constraints, lack of human resources, outdated materials and poor use. The only sector of the African populati
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on that uses public libraries is school children. However, each country report illustrated that children do not use the materials held in the library but use libraries primarily as places for study, because they are quieter and more spacious than their homes. The consensus of opinion seems to be that African librarians need to rethink what a public library is all about, in terms of what is needed, what will be used, and what is sustainable in Africa. Perhaps some new and more viable visions will result. In particular, public libraries in Africa need to start to be more aggressive and introduce services that are attractive to the users. Librarians must begin to know their potential users, and not only assume that they are school children. More dynamism and more involvement of the user community, extended to all users - school children, adults, literates, non-literates and neo-literates - are required for the improvement of public library services." (Synthesis Report Abstract, page 3)
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"The aim of this study was to examine some of the models through which the school population in Africa gain access to supplementary reading material, and to reach some conclusions which methods work best, and in which circumstances, and to recommend strategies that are affordable and sustainable. Gi
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ven the lack of published data, it was decided that a case study approach was the most feasible and practical. A range of different modalities were examined and evaluated in depth in seven different African countries: school library services (Ghana and Tanzania); school libraries (Mali); NGO-supported classroom libraries (South Africa); book box libraries (Mozambique); teachers resource centres (Kenya); and community resources centres (Botswana). The case studies, carried out by academics and librarians in these countries, highlight various issues which contribute to the effectiveness, or otherwise, of ways of providing access to supplementary education materials to school pupils in Africa. Many of the case studies conclude that a corollary of any strategy to provide supplementary reading materials is local book production, and the way forward is to develop a viable indigenous publishing industry in tandem with improved professional training of teachers, and in teaching with books. The book includes an extensive bibliography." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1884)
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"APNET - the African Publishers Network - was formed in 1992 to promote indigenous publishing in Africa. From a modest beginning, APNET has grown to become a well-established network with members in 27 countries in all parts of the continent. With a secretariat in Harare and the active participation
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of the Board and General Council members, APNET has gained recognition as an important Pan-African network. From the inception, Sida has been one of the core donors of APNET. Sida and APNET jointly selected COWI to undertake the present evaluation, which is circulated to all donors and key stakeholders. The evaluation was designed to assess the achievements of APNET with a view to promote learning within APNET and make recommendations for the future. In addition, the effectiveness of the donor support for APNET should be assessed. The evaluation was undertaken from August to December 1998. It has included five country case studies and workshops with the Secretariat and Board, and participating as observers at the International Book Fairs in Zimbabwe and Ghana. This executive summary of the evaluation includes a total of 44 key findings, 15 conclusions and 16 recommendations." (Executive summary, page III)
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"The primary objective of this research has been to review the experiences and analyse the role of the mainline churches in advocacy in support of human rights, democracy and poverty alleviation in Africa. It has set out to identify what is the particular contribution that churches can bring to such
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advocacy, and what opportunities exist for mutual support from other organisations involved in campaigning for human rights and democratic development. In particular the relationship between church-related NGOs in Europe and the mainline churches in Africa for advocacy work is examined. The analysis is based on an examination of three issues that are considered to be critical to the effective involvement of churches in advocacy: the external linkages and relationships of the church to other groups in society; the organisational implications of engaging in advocacy; and thirdly the ideological and theological positioning of the Church. Case studies were conducted on: the role of the National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) in advocating for human rights and democracy; the role of the churches in Malawi in the transition to a multi-party democracy, and the role of the churches in advocating on economic issues in Zambia." (Abstract)
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"This is something of a benchmark volume on the subject of publishing and book development in Africa (and in some other developing countries). It contains the proceedings, and reflects the thinking and the deliberations that emerged from a seminar on“Understanding the Educational Book Industry”,
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which was organized by the World Bank in Washington, DC in September 1997. Participants included representatives of publishing houses and book trade associations from both industrial and developing countries, as well as donor representatives with a strong interest in strengthening publishing capacity in Africa and in other parts of the world. The objective of the seminar was to offer World Bank Group staff from education, finance, and private sector development networks with a better understanding of the nature of educational publishing, including the linkages between government textbook policies, the publishing industry, and Bank-financed textbook operations. It also provided an opportunity for some participants to voice their current grievances about the World Bank’s textbook procurement procedures and bidding systems. The book contains over 30 papers which are grouped under four major themes: “Policies for the Long-Term Provision of Educational Materials’” “Finance and Book Trade Issues”, “Procurement, Protection, and Copyright”, and “The Role of Publishing Partnerships”, together with a section on “The Publishing Industry in the Twenty-First Century”. Contributions include papers reporting about the publishing industries in various countries of Africa, in Central and South America, the Caribbean, as well as in Eastern Europe. A record of the discussions that took place follows each section." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1885)
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"L'Afrique subsaharienne est un ensemble hétérogène, tant du point de vue culturel, historique que géographique. La place prise par les médias est récente, inégale et toujours liée à des influences extra-continentales. Parce qu'ils sont inséparables des sociétés dans lesquelles ils fonct
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ionnent, leur observation (surtout la radio, mieux africanisée) fournit un excellent indicateur du changement de ces sociétés, de leurs espoirs et de leurs illusions. L'auteur, spécialiste de la presse écrite et audiovisuelle, dresse un constat des transferts et des ruptures apportés par les médias en Afrique. Si ces modifications sont porteuses d'espérance et liées aux aspirations à mieux vivre, elles provoquent aussi des effets pervers : dépendance au niveau international et inégalités inter-étatiques. Les médias véhiculent donc autant d'espoirs que d'illusions et posent pour eux-mêmes comme pour les sociétés africaines le problème de la démocratie." (Description de la maison d'édition)
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