Media and Democracy in Africa

by Leslie,Michael

• ISBN13: 9780765809803
• ISBN10: 076580980X
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2003-05-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Recent discussion of democratization in Africa has focused primarily on the reform of formal state institutions: the public service, the judiciary, and the legislature. Similarly, both scholars and activists have shown interest in how associational life -- and with it a civil society -- might be enhanced in the countries of the African continent. Much less concern, however, has been directed to the communications media, although they form a vital part of this process. Media and Democracy in Africa provides the first comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the role of the media in political change in sub-Saharan Africa.The central argument of the volume is that while the media may still be relatively weak compared to their positions in liberal democracies, they have come to play a much more important role than ever before since independence. Although they have not yet demonstrated sufficient effectiveness as public watchdogs and agenda setters, they have succeeded in creating new communicative spaces for people who have previously been intimidated or silent. Building on this the contributors argue that a different conceptualization of democratization from what the mainstream currently uses may be necessary to capture the process in Africa where it is characterized by contestation rather than consolidation. As this volume shows, the media scene in Africa is diverse. It stretches from the well-developed and technologically advanced situation in South Africa to the still fledgling media operations that are typical in sub-Saharan Africa. In these countries, print media as well as television and radio are just beginning to take their place in society and do so using simple and oftenoutdated technology. The volume also examines how these growing outlets are supplemented by informal media, the so-called radio trottoir, or rumor mill whereby the autocratic and bureaucratic direction of public affairs are sub

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Communications and Democratization in Africa	p. 1
The Media and the Two Waves of Democracy	p. 29
Media Laws in Political Transition	p. 55
Broadcasting and Political Reform	p. 81
The Internet and Democratization	p. 107
Media Ownership and Democratization	p. 129
African Politics and American Reporting	p. 157
Alternative Small Media and Communicative Spaces	p. 177
Media and Democracy in Twenty-First-Century Africa	p. 207
Contributors	p. 239
Index	p. 243
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