"This book provides an important set of critical reflections from a selection of foundational scholars of African media and communication studies through biographical method. The book interrogates the center of mainstream academic scholarship by providing the foundational history and origins of an A
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fricanist conceptual model while highlighting its significance globally. The editors use biographical and life story interviews to critically review the respondents’ interpretations of their key works and arguments in relation to key moments in the field, the continent and globally. Though the book is focussed on recovering pioneering arguments by key thinkers in African media and communication, efforts of individual academics are to be understood in the context of their work with others and within institutions that are networked, locally and globally. By bringing together many of the leading figures of African communication and media studies in a single volume, this book provides a critical corrective to the dearth of knowledge and information about who the key thinkers are and what their key arguments, theories and models for media and communication in African contexts entail." (Publisher description)
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"How can current debates on ‘media capture’ be understood within the contexts of Africa and Latin America? This edited collection provides a nuanced exploration of media capture—a critical yet contested concept that examines and illuminates how media can become skewed in favour of power—whil
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e also highlighting spaces and strategies of resistance. By adopting a South-South perspective, it brings together scholars focused on these issues in both regions, featuring a dialogue between two leading scholars, Herman Wasserman and Silvio Waisbord in the Foreword. The book not only demonstrates how media practices in Africa and Latin America are influenced by the political economy of their media systems, but also contributes significantly to advancing empirical, theoretical, and comparative research on media in non-Western settings." (Publisher description)
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"This report presents an in-depth examination of Uganda’s media legal and regulatory framework, with a particular focus on its implications for press freedom, democratic engagement, and the overarching vitality of the media sector. The findings reveal a disconcerting trend: although constitutional
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protections for freedom of expression ostensibly exist, their practical enforcement is increasingly compromised by restrictive legislation, administrative overreach, and a lack of transparency in regulatory processes. The evolution of the regulatory framework governing media in Uganda has intensified in recent years, particularly in relation to digital expression, with significant ramifications for journalists, media organisations, and civic stakeholders." (Executive summary)
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"This book critically examines how the media assistance and broader "development" sectors have appropriated the catch-all concept of sustainability, originally rooted in economic and environmental fields, to suit their agendas. Analysing 289 project evaluations conducted globally between 1999 and 20
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19, it scrutinizes the tacit discourses underpinning what Pierre Bourdieu termed "the imperialism of the universal" in fostering media systems in the Global South. The book reveals how processes of self-legitimation operate within an increasingly competitive aid market, highlighting a shift from "post-missionary" approaches to business-driven models. Focusing on the often-overlooked African context, it explores nuanced coping capacity in Uganda and the Eastern DRC. Amid questioning of the populist wave as well as power-motivated new entrants, it challenges the recurring aid pattern, emphasizing the urgency of centering social impact and values in media assistance. It offers essential insights for scholars and practitioners navigating the evolving geopolitics of development and public diplomacy. Michel Leroy has been active in media action for over 25 years, both as an implementer and as a consultant. A member of an international research programme on media action, he holds a doctorate from the University of Dortmund. He is now a researcher focusing on the social impact." (Publisher description)
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"A clear indicator of Uganda's digital divide is that, even in 2023, radio remained both the primary and most trusted source of information in the country. This is why we, at TRAC FM, leverage radio and toll-free SMS technology to serve the increasingly isolated public spheres across Uganda's distri
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cts. By posing multiple-choice poll questions on the radio, we provide people with a platform to voice their opinions on matters of public importance, and to hear how others, sometimes hundreds of kilmetres away, have responded. Here are some of the views we received from our radio listeners this year: 1. 64% of 18,000 polled citizens are uninformed about their rights, More than half of these individuals actively sought information but were unable to find it. 2. 60% of 18,000 polled citizens prioritise healthcare, education, and basic needs over political and wome's rights. 3. Tow-thirds of 4,000 respondents observed that accidental teenage pregnancies often lead to forced children marriages. However, Uganda's policy apporach assumes the reverse: that forced child marriages lead to teenage pregnancies." (Page 36)
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"The uniqueness of journalism cultures across African nations often highlights the inapplicability of normative, Western-centric theories. The newly proposed African media typology suggests that media systems in Africa would be best understood by thinking about them within the context of the type of
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individual in a leadership position in that country at a specific moment in time. This study aims to begin operationalizing the African media typology by investigating journalist perspectives about political leadership, changes in press freedom, and the role of news media in promoting or inhibiting various forms of development and democratization. Cross-national surveys of journalists in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, conducted in 2019 (N = 424 journalists: 174 in Rwanda, 148 in Uganda, and 102 in Kenya), reveal ways in which journalists’ perceptions about the role of news media as contributing to various forms of development are similar and different across varying media environments within the typology." (Abstract)
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"The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a global issue that has unequally affected several countries. Due to the complexity of this condition and the human drama it represents to those most affected by it, several fields have contributed to solving or at least alleviating this situation, and the information syste
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ms (IS) field has not been absent from these efforts. With the importance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a starting point, several initiatives in the IS field have focused on ways to improve the adherence and effectiveness of this therapy: mobile phone reminders (for pill intake and appointments), and mobile interfaces between patients and health workers are popular contributions. However, many of these solutions have been difficult to implement or deploy in some countries in the Global South, which are among the most affected by this pandemic. This paper presents one such case. Using a case-study approach with an extreme-case selection technique, the paper studies an m-health system for HIV patients in the Kalangala region of Uganda. Using Heeks' design—reality gap model for data analysis, the paper shows that the rich interaction between social context and technology should be considered a central concern when designing or deploying such systems." (Abstract)
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"In an era when hashtag campaigns like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter capture global attention for victims of injustice, politicians and corporations are now spending billions employing Cambridge Analytica-type consultancies to manufacture disinformation - employing trolls, cyborgs and bots to disrupt
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dialogue and drown-out dissent. In the first study of its kind, this open-access book presents a range of case studies of these emerging dynamics across Africa, mapping and analyzing disinformation operations in ten different countries, and using innovative techniques to determine who is producing and coordinating these increasingly sophisticated disinformation machines. Drawing on scholars from across the continent, case studies document the actors and mechanisms used to profile citizens, manipulate beliefs and behaviour, and close the political space for democratic dialogue and policy debate. Chapters include examinations of how the Nigerian government deployed disinformation when the #EndSARS campaign focused attention on police brutality and corruption; insights into how pro-government actors responded to the viral #ZimbabweanLivesMatter campaign; and how misogynists mobilized against the #AmINext campaign against gender-based violence in South Africa." (Publisher description)
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"In November 2023, DW Akademie brought together journalists, civil society organizations, digital rights experts, and media influencers for a consultation workshop in Kampala, Uganda. In the two-day event, hosted by Media Challenge Initiative (MCI), the diverse group collaboratively developed recomm
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endations on how to promote constructive public dialogue on social media, in Uganda. In this publication, you will find these developed recommendations aimed at social media platforms, private actors, and governments (Part 1), and media organizations, journalists, tech and innovation hubs, civil society organizations, and media development organizations (Part 2).
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"The impact assessment underscores the commendable achievements of the Rural Household Devices project. By December 2023, the initiative had successfully reached 54 districts and impacted 10,706 households. The outcomes are multifaceted and transformative, with a substantial number of beneficiaries
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experiencing internet-enabled devices for the first time. Low literacy, lack of affordability, low dominance of some telecom providers, and poor quality of service are cited as some of the major challenges. As a result of these systemic affordability, connectivity, and skills barriers, the majority of beneficiaries had never used the internet prior to the project. At the time of the study, a third of the participants interviewed now use the internet daily, 20% use it weekly, and 10% use it on a monthly basis. However, 22% indicated that they have never used the internet due to various barriers discussed in the report. Devices distributed through the program are predominantly used by children and household members for education, income generation, saving time for business, discovering new business opportunities (e.g., using Google Maps to carry out business in distant towns), entertainment, information access, and communicating with family. Two-thirds or 65% of participants reported increased income due to the use of the device for business activity, which was made possible by participating in the program and owning a household device. Participants also reported the benefits of saved time and money." (Executive summary, pages 5-6)
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"Compared with work on trust in news, surprisingly little research examines audiences’ expectations of journalism. Audiences’ expectations, after all, elucidate public opinion of news, including the criteria by which news and journalists may be trusted. Journalism expectancy research is particul
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arly paltry beyond Euro-American contexts, where normative and primarily Western understandings of journalism cannot be assumed. Drawing on 28 in-depth interviews, this study illuminates situated expectations of journalism and journalists in Uganda. I find that although respondents desire for media professionals to expose corruption, serve the public, and provide social support to communities, they expect in practice that journalists will accept bribes and produce government-leaning content. Despite this gap between desired and anticipated practices, respondents expressed positive perceptions toward journalists, often contrasting this confidence with frustration toward political representatives. Such favorability alongside unmet normative expectations, I argue, reflects individuals’ relative institutional trust in journalism above any substantive evaluation of media performance." (Abstract)
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"Sections of the book engage in critical reflection on what peacebuilding effectiveness is and who gets to decide, provide practical examples and case studies of the successes and failures of assessing peacebuilding work, and support innovative strategies and tools to move the field forward. Chapter
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s reflect a variety of perspectives on peacebuilding effectiveness and methods—quantitative, qualitative, and participatory—to evaluate peacebuilding efforts, with particular attention to approaches that center those local to the peacebuilding process. Practitioners and policymakers alike will find useful arguments and approaches for evaluating peacebuilding activities and making the case for funding such efforts." (Publisher description)
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"Featuring contributions from global scholars, that represent both new and established voices on the African continent and the diaspora, this volume explores themes of decolonization, media freedom, media censorship, identity, representation, pluralism, media framing, political economy of the media
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with emphasis on ownership, market trends and transnational media operations in Africa. Contributors explore these and other topics across a variety of media tiers, types, genres and platforms. The book also features contributions from practicing journalists and media practitioners working in Africa, providing students with hands-on knowledge from the field. Chapters in this volume take an instructional approach with contributors engaging key concepts and related theories to explore the praxis of media in Africa through specific case studies." (Publisher description)
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"This desk review report provides an overview of data governance in Africa, exploring policy frameworks, implementation challenges, regional collaborations, capacity building, governmental initiatives, civil society engagement, and academia's role. The continent's increasing reliance on digital syst
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ems has spurred a surge in data production, necessitating robust governance frameworks. While progress is evident with the enactment of data protection laws and establishment of regulatory bodies, implementation challenges persist due to resource constraints and political complexities.
Regional collaborations within Africa, particularly among East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), manifest a collective recognition of the importance of data governance. These collaborations offer guidance and promote policy enactments, shaping data protection laws and enhancing responsible data practices across member states.
Amidst the evolving data governance landscape, capacity building emerges as a critical aspect, spotlighting the need for nurturing skills in data management, analysis, and ethics. Challenges within educational infrastructure and workforce training gaps present barriers in fostering a skilled workforce capable of effective data governance practices.
Initiatives on data governance take on several forms notably through government endeavours such as the implementation of pivotal systems like the Health Management Information System, Integrated Revenue Administration System and Labour Market Information System among others. Furthermore, Civil Society Initiatives, including efforts from various organisations advocating for data privacy and open data, and initiatives in academia, such as Education Management Information Systems, significantly contribute to advancing ethical data practices and transparent data access." (Executive summary)
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"This book explores how television in the global South is 'future-proofing' its continued relevance, addressing its commercial, social and political viability in a constantly changing information ecosystem. The chapter contributions in the book are drawn from countries in East, South and West Africa
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, the Middle East and Latin America, specially selected for their illustrative potential of the key issues addressed in the book. Scholarly attention on television in the global South has largely been limited to studying evolving television formats with broader structural issues covered almost entirely by industry reports. Major gaps remain in terms of understanding how television in the global South is changing within the context of the significant technological developments and what this means for television's future(s). The chapters reflect on these futures, not in the sense of predicting what these might be, but rather anticipating important areas of intellection. The contributors contend that much of the scholarship on the global South, by scholars from the South, is often stilted by a reluctance to anticipate. This failure leads to a largely reactionary scholarship, constantly oppositional, and unable to recentre conversations on the South. This volume finds intellectual incentive in this urgent need to anticipate, hence its particular focus on television futures." (Publisher description)
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