"This paper demonstrates the extent to which the media and belonging in Africa are torn between competing and often conflicting claims of bounded and flexible ideas of culture and identity. It draws on studies of xenophobia in Cameroon and South Africa, inspired by the resilience of the politicizati
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on of culture and identity, to discuss the hierarchies and inequalities that underpin political, economic and social citizenship in Africa and the world over, and the role of the media in the production, enforcement and contestation of these hierarchies and inequalities. In any country with liberal democratic aspirations or pretensions, the media are expected to promote national citizenship and its emphasis on large-scale, assimilationist and territorially bounded belonging, while turning a blind eye to those who fall through the cracks as a result of racism and/or ethnicity. Little wonder that such an exclusionary articulation of citizenship is facing formidable challenges from its inherent contradictions and closures, and from an upsurge in the politics of recognition and representation by small-scale communities claiming autochthony at a historical juncture where the rhetoric espouses flexible mobility, postmodern flux and discontinuity." (Abstract)
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"The essays collected in this book follow a contemporary critical trend in the field of trauma studies that reflects comparatively on artistic and media representations of traumatic histories and experiences from countries around the world. Focusing on a diversity of art and media forms—including
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memorials, literature, visual and installation art, music, video, film, and journalism—they both apply dominant theories of trauma and explore the former’s limitations while bearing in mind other possible methodologies." (Publisher description)
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"Cet ouvrage a pour ambition de poser les bases d'une réflexion globale sur les enjeux actuels de l'informatisation de la RDC : quels bénéfices et avantages la RDC tirera-t-elle d'une informatisation de toute la société ? A l'inverse, quels sont les effets pervers et autres manques qui résulte
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nt de la pauvreté numérique ? Comment l'Etat peut-il s'engager dans cette logique de numérisation de façon stratégique et prospective ?" (Description de la maison d'édition)
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"Marqué par la vision de l’Eglise dans le domaine des médias, le développement de la radio catholique en République démocratique du Congo s’apparente au moyen de communication sociale dont l’accès est plus ou moins facile pour une grande partie de la population, comme nous rappelle l’a
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uteur de cet ouvrage. Le contexte dans lequel s’est développée la radio catholique en République démocratique du Congo témoigne de la volonté pour chacun d’affirmer, d’afficher, de prendre conscience de sa liberté d’accès à l’information, malgré le contexte socio-économique difficile. C’est ce qui ressort aussi de cet ouvrage." (Préface Federico Lombardi, page 9)
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"The proceedings of a conference held at the Africa Institute of South Africa in 2009, this is a major new collection of essays on the state of scholarly publishing in Africa, with a strong emphasis on the situation in South Africa. The conference was convened, and the papers published, in an attemp
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t to influence “policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in developing an enabling environment for scholarly publishing to thrive.” Containing a total of 26 papers – all of them, usefully, preceded by abstracts – content is arranged under seven sections: (i) The State of Research Publishing in Africa, (ii) The State of Scholarly Publishing in Africa, (iii) The Challenges of Book Distribution, (iv) The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Scholarly Publishing, (v) Alternative Publishing Models, (vi) The Politics of Peer Review in Scholarly Publishing, and (vii) Scholarly Publishing and Intellectual Property Development in Africa. While the majority of the contributors are from South Africa, other contributors include Kenyan veteran publisher Henry Chakava, James Currey of James Currey Publishers, Mary Jay, Chief Executive of the Oxford-based African Books Collective, and a number of academics from the West African region. The book is particularly strong in overviews of scholarly publishing in South Africa, covering both book and journal publishing. It offers some interesting discussions and fresh insights about alternative publishing and distribution models, with articles reporting about new initiatives and strategy approaches, and also including papers on the politics and practise of the peer review process, and on South African intellectual property rights. One or two papers, by academics from other regions of Africa, unfortunately are weak and poorly informed about the current state of scholarly publishing in Africa, for example citing literature that goes back to books and articles published in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the book can be seen as a useful companion to ‘African Scholarly Publishing Essays’, edited by Alois Mlambo, and published by African Books Collective in 2006." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2581)
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"Dans le cadre africain dit « francophone », les langues locales sont le parent pauvre de la réflexion sur la communication. Pourtant, une majorité d’Africains de ces pays ne maîtrisent pas le français. Les promoteurs (nationaux ou internationaux) de campagnes d’information et de conseil o
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nt bien été obligés de le constater sur le terrain. Ils font donc doubler leurs discours en français par des traductions improvisées ou non contrôlées en langues africaines. Avec une telle procédure, les concepts un peu délicats sont évacués et les phrases non comprises sont sautées, ou on leur substitue un remplissage quelconque. Le présent ouvrage rend compte d’une recherche menée au Cameroun septentrional avec le soutien de l’Agence nationale de recherche sur le sida et les hépatites virales. On y trouvera aussi bien les résultats d’enquêtes sur la conception et la perception du sida et du préservatif que des études sur les divers discours que tiennent les intervenants du domaine (personnels de santé, hommes d’Église, personnalités islamiques, agences spécialisées). Une attention particulière a été accordée à l’étude d’affiches, de dépliants et de films éducatifs. A titre de contribution pratique, l’ouvrage offre également un guide de communication sur le sida, le texte d’une chanson en langue peule, destinée à populariser un nom du VIH, ainsi qu’une proposition de normalisation du fulfulde véhiculaire du Cameroun." (Dos de couverture)
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"For almost twenty years, United Nations peacekeeping missions have set up local radio stations in conflict-prone countries - 14 to date, seven of which remain in operation. According to this report, some of the fourteen peacekeeping radio stations implemented by the United Nations contributed more
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to democratisation and media development in certain post-conflict countries than any other media assistance programmes. Surveys have confirmed their popularity and credibility with national audiences, and local journalists have lauded their contributions to media diversity and journalism standards. Nevertheless, Bill Orme states that the UN radios were created without long-term planning. Upon disappearance of UN peacekeeping missions the stations were simply closed, therefore losing their positive effects on democratisation and plurality. Only in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Radio Okapi) were there serious attempts to continue the stations after the exit of the UN missions. Based on detailed description and analysis of the different experiences, Orme formulates a number of policy steps that would help UN radios to become lasting contributions to press freedom and peacekeeping." (CAMECO Update 2-2010)
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"In this classic of investigative journalism, Linda Melvern tells the compelling story of what really happened, revealing both the scale, speed and intensity of the unfolding genocide, as well as exposing the governments and individuals who could have prevented what was happening, if they had chosen
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to act. The book also tells the unrecognised heroism of those who stayed on during the genocide - from volunteer peacekeepers to courageous NGO workers. Twenty-five years on from one of the darkest episodes in modern history, A People Betrayed is a shocking indictment of how Rwanda was ignored then and how today it is remembered in the West." (Publisher description)
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"This publication provides examples of the way in which media can be used for the non-violent management of regional conflicts. Practitioners from radio initiatives in Chad, Niger, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo report their experiences regarding the function and perception of the media i
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n both conflict management and the promotion of peace. The publication also shows the different contexts in which radio may be used to supply the largely illiterate population with basic information (in Niger) or as a platform for political debate (Southern Chad). The reports from the field are complemented by conceptual considerations on media in conflict-prone societies." (CAMECO Update 4-2009)
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"During the past 15 years Central Africa, and specifically Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been through devastating wars in which the media became actors. In 1993, some Burundese newspapers were described as ‘hate media’ and one year later Radio télévision mille coll
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ines (RTLM) in Rwanda became the first of those described as ‘death media’, preparing minds for genocide and helping in its implementation. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, in1998, certain newspapers took to inciting ethnic hatred and violence towards some Congolese citizens. By 2006, when this research was completed, these three countries were undergoing fragile peace processes and trying to rebuild themsleves. The media certainly have a major role to play in helping to soothe the hatred and move people from different communities back into dialogue. But how should the media sector be reorganized in countries where the media have contributed to killings? What is the best way to find a balance between freedom and control in a context where the microphone and the pen have been weapons of murder? This is one of the main issues that must be addressed by the communications regulatory bodies which have been established to support press freedom and to organize and monitor the media landscape." (Abstract)
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