"Partnerships between the public sector, the private sector and particularly civil society in promoting information and communication technology (ICT) policy are a relatively new venture. The mechanisms, management and governance of such partnerships, from loose arrangements to more formal mechanism
...
s, are still relatively new and not always fully understood. This guide is an attempt to add to the growing body of knowledge and experience on multi-stakeholder processes and partnerships, based on the practical experiences encountered during the three-year CATIA programme on ICT policy advocacy. It presents guidelines that may assist national ICT policy facilitators in coming to grips with the complexities of multi-stakeholder relationships and the attainment of common goals and objectives. It considers practical issues for the establishment of a multi-stakeholder process for ICT policy and looks at how multi-stakeholder partnerships work, what has been successful and what has not, and offers some practical suggestions on how to make them more effective. Practical experiences from two African countries – the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Kenya – are used to illustrate two possible approaches." (About this guide, page 4)
more
"Can the media reduce intergroup prejudice and conflict? Despite the high stakes of this question, understanding of the mass media’s role in shaping prejudiced beliefs, norms, and behaviors is very limited. A year-long field experiment in Rwanda tested the impact of a radio soap opera about two Rw
...
andan communities in conflict, which featured messages about reducing intergroup prejudice, violence, and trauma. Compared to communities who listened to a control radio soap opera, listeners’ perceptions of social norms and their behaviors changed concerning some of the most critical issues for Rwanda’s post conflict society, namely intermarriage, open dissent, trust, empathy, cooperation and discussion of personal trauma. However, the radio program did little to influence listeners’ personal beliefs. Group discussion was a notable feature of the listening experience. Taken together, the results suggest that radio can communicate social norms and influence behaviors that contribute to intergroup tolerance and reconciliation." (Abstract)
more
"This in-depth investigation of the role that local news media play in Central African conflicts combines theoretical analysis with case studies from nine African countries: Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republi
...
c of Congo, and Rwanda. Each case study presents a comprehensive discussion of media influences during the various conflicts that have spread in the region and their impact on the peace process. Enriching the exploration, a chapter by Jean- Paul Marthoz (former director of information at Human Rights Watch) focuses on the ways in which the media in the global North cover crises on the African continent." (About the book, page 287)
more
"This article describes an interdisciplinary and theory-based radio campaign that has been developed to counteract, and sensitize citizens to hate speech in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The article provides a brief overview of the instrumentalization of hate speech and the violent eff
...
ects it has had in the Great Lakes region of Africa. A summary of the most recent events in the DRC is given. Here, hate speech was used in the presidential election campaigns in 2006, contributing to a polarization of the country and giving the campaign an ethnic underpinning. A radio program developed to counteract hate speech during the election campaigns is described. Its theoretical basis, the application of Staub’s (1989) theory of the evolution of mass violence to hate speech, is presented. Based on this and other relevant psychological concepts, characteristics and psychological aspects of hate speech are summarized, and markers and guidelines are provided that allow listeners to detect and counteract hate speech." (Abstract)
more
"Dokumentarfilme boomen: In den vergangenen Jahren schafften es nicht nur viele ins Kino, auch die FilmtheoretikerInnen brachten ihnen eine erhöhte Aufmerksamkeit entgegen. Dies ist vor allem darauf zurückzuführen, dass Dokumentarfilme das starre Korsett, Repräsentationen der Wirklichkeit zu sei
...
n, abgelegt haben und dass ihnen wie Fiktionsfilmen auch erzählerische Qualitäten zuerkannt werden." (Seite 16)
more
"The importance of hate radio pervades commentary on the Rwandan genocide, and Rwanda has become a paradigmatic case of media sparking extreme violence. However, there exists little social scientific analysis of radio's impact on the onset of genocide and the mobilization of genocide participants. T
...
hrough an analysis of exposure, timing, and content as well as interviews with perpetrators, the article refutes the conventional wisdom that broadcasts from the notorious radio station RTLM were a primary determinant of genocide. Instead, the article finds evidence of conditional media effects, which take on significance only when situated in a broader context of violence." (Abstract)
more
"Les Congolais ont une histoire et une culture cinématographique et audiovisuelle fascinante. Dès la naissance du cinéma, ils ont été confrontés à cette invention qui était à la fois un art et un instrument de propagande. La politique du gouvernement colonial, dans un premier temps, puis ce
...
lle du président Mobutu, n’a pas facilité l’accès « libre » au cinéma, qu’il s’agisse de réaliser des films ou de les voir. Le cinéma et la télévision ont été conçus et censurés par les coloniaux et le dictateur Mobutu pour soutenir ou illustrer leur pouvoir. Après la chute de Mobutu, la libéralisation des médias a provoqué un foisonnement d’initiatives privées, dont celles de la société civile. Le livre du Dr Guido Convents propose un regard sur les différents acteurs de la culture audiovisuelle congolaise, au Congo ou à l’étranger : le gouvernement, le public, les réalisateurs, les exploitants et les comédiens. Il s’interroge sur les relations qu’entretiennent les Congolais avec les images animées et constate que l’imaginaire de ce pays a été fortement imprégné de cinéma. Cet ouvrage met en évidence le fait que depuis les années cinquante, les Congolais sont conscients qu’une production audiovisuelle libre et artistique est essentielle pour le développement démocratique de leur pays." (Description de la maison d'édition)
more
"On the whole, interviewees report both a positive quantitative and qualitative change in terms of the number and content of media messages. Liberalisation and more stable political climate has facilitated the opening up of the telecommunications sector, and has led to a diversification of the media
...
industry. Community radio has proliferated and has brought many benefits, particularly in terms of enhancing participation and information provision to those living in remote areas. The establishment of a Press Congress and the High Authority for Media has created a more favourable environment for the media to development. The advent of national and international NGOs that promote peace, and defend freedom of information and of the press, has been important in supporting journalists who suffer repression. There has been a substantial increase in the number of further education institutions and courses that offer training in journalism and communication sciences. According to one interviewee, expanding digital telecommunications networks offer the greatest potential to improve communication and information provision across the country." (Summary & conclusions, page 73
more
"This research initiative assessed the key media changes and developments in seventeen African countries over the past five years and aimed at recommending intervention strategies for strengthening an independent, professional media sector. The summary report presents the main findings regarding med
...
ia landscapes, media legislation, media technology and equipment, journalism training and principles of media development. According to this publication "substantial evidence is provided that points to: non-sustainable and short-term approaches to projects; disconnected programmes; unneccesary competition amongst donors; and, consequently wasted investment of donor funds" (Page 15). In addition, individual country reports have been released, written by renowned African media specialists and researchers. They include: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Each country report consists of three sections: 1) Media sector developments, 2) Challenges for future media development activities, 3) Case study: illustrating good practice in media development." (commbox)
more