Publications
Books
Social Media Misinformation and Disinformation Studies and Perspectives from Africa
Every intellectual endeavour that focuses on the still ravaging effects of misinformation and disinformation via social media channels is imperative in today’s world. It is against the backdrop of the persistent undesirable consequences of misinformation and disinformation on the global society that this book’s importance is underscored. In no small way, the book contributes to facilitate understanding of the social media-misinformation and disinformation conundrum, thereby a much-valued contribution to the knowledge on this subject of currency.
Indigenous Language For Development Communication In The Global South Copy
Edited by Abiodun Salawu; Tshepang Bright Molale; Enrique Uribe-jongbloed and Mohammad Sahid Ullah
Indigenous Language for Development Communication in the Global South brings together voices from the margins in underrepresented regions of the Global South, within the context of scholarship focusing on indigenous languages and development communication
Indigenous Language For Social Change Communication In The Global South Copy
Edited by Abiodun Salawu, Tshepang Bright Molale, Enrique Uribe-Jongbloed, Mohammad Sahid Ullah
This book captures contemporary debates around indigenous languages and social change communication. Contributors bring together voices from the margins to engage in dialogue about common social change issues in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Indigenous African Popular Music, Volume 2: Social Crusades And The Future
Edited by Abiodun Salawu, Israel Fadipe
Indigenous African Popular Music, Volume 2: Social Crusader and the Future, unravels African myriad cultural backgrounds. This book catalogues Africa’s pre-and post-independence realities and it exposes digital technology influence on African music.
Indigenous African Popular Music, Volume 1: Prophets And Philosophers
Edited by Abiodun Salawu, Israel Fadipe
This book documents unpopular African music genres and artists by capturing African varied experiences through music lens.
African Language Media
Edited By Phillip Mpofu, Israel A. Fadipe, Thulani Tshabangu
This book outlines how African language media is affected by politics, technology, culture, and the economy and how this media is creatively produced and appropriated by audiences across cultures and contexts.
African Language Digital Media And Communication
Edited By Abiodun Salawu
African Language Digital Media and Communication analyses the online presence of African language media. The chapters in the book focus on the speed, structure, content, navigation and interactivity, operations and performance, and audience of the online media.
Articles
Influence Of African Indigenous Language Media In Covid-19 Digital Health Messaging
COVID-19 pandemic era has further energized humans to consider their health more than before, especially in the digital age when they experience a deluge of health information. This study, therefore, examined COVID-19 digital sources, health message types and how the use of African Indigenous language media enhanced people’s utilization of coronavirus health messages.
Music Advocacy and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) During Covid-19 Pandemic
I.A Fadipe, F Amenaghawon.
Songs are a powerful instrument for social mobilization. Different studies have acknowledged their influence at different times in societies worldwide. Based on muted group theory and social responsibility theory’ assumptions, this paper therefore explored the use of local songs/jingles in creating public Gender-Based Violence (GBV) awareness during COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. It sampled and analysed three songs/jingles used to create GBV sensitization during this period, looking at the dominant messages and gender-based violence types mentioned in the songs/jingles.
Deconstructing the participation of rural dwellers in a community radio station: a participatory development communication approach to a radio station in the North …
P Leketanyane, T Molale, A Ogunsanya, M Asak
The ubiquitous nature of the radio and its flexibility to accommodate literate and illiterate populations has never been in doubt. This advantage is further enhanced by technological convergence which has made radio ever more mobile. The convergence of radio and other information and communications technologies is globally growing at a fast pace and this presents an advantage to the programming of participatory radio content to maximise the diverse expression of opinions and allows Africans to share their daily experiences through the use of easily accessible mobile technologies (Thompson 2013). It is in this respect that the radio is a critical mass medium in the development of rural or local communities, hence making community radio a constant talking point in the scheme of rural community development.
Appreciating vulgarity in raw Zimdancehall music as expression of truth
B Parwaringira, PMpofu
While there are refined creations, vulgarised Zimdancehall has been a subject of academic, political and cultural concern. It is widely disparaged as abominable and culturally subversive music. However, vulgar lingo has always been a functional and ornamental component of speech and song in specific contexts of the Shona cultural community. Deploying the aesthetics of vulgarity thesis, this article appreciates the place of raw Zimdancehall in today’s society and its representation of the socio-political realities of life.
Handling of sexually offensive expressions on Zimbabwe’s selected radio stations
P Mpofu, A Salawu
Sexual and reproductive health-related communication in Africa is culturally regulated. This chapter analyses the handling of sexually offensive expressions on Zimbabwe’s African language radio stations. The conceptual lens for this study is grounded in the indigenous knowledge systems perspective, which underscores indigenous communication systems as indispensable assets for African cultural communities. The chapter shows that African language radio stations are expedient channels for sexual and reproductive health-related communication in the contemporary society.
Handling+of+Sexually+Offensive++Expressions+on+Zimbabwe%E2%80%99s++Selected+Radio+Station+&btnG=
Critical reflections on erotic content in Star FM’s Couples quality time and Ya FM’s Moto mubhurugwa (fire in underwear)
P Mpofu, A Salawu
In Shona tradition, sex education customarily occurs in gendered, compartmentalised and private contexts. Accordingly, sexually explicit representations in the public sphere are morally obnoxious. However, there has been an unpredicted upsurge of sexually explicit content in Zimbabwe’s Shona language broadcasts. This study is an evaluative and explanatory enquiry of erotic content in Star FM’s Couples quality time and Ya FM’s Moto mubhurugwa, and an account of radio producers/presenters’ intensified interest in the subject of sex, against the Shona people’ ethics on sexual deliberations.
In Pursuit of Recognition and the Expression of Power? Making Sense of Vulgarity in Zimdancehall
B Parwaringira, PMpofu
While there are many refined musical productions, Zimdancehall is epitomised by the use of explicit vulgar lyrics. This article attempts to make sense of vulgarity in the musical genre against the knowledge that, although vulgarity is obnoxious in the public sphere, it is functional in specific contexts among the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Deploying a theoretical gaze that is grounded in concepts of indigenous knowledge systems, aesthetics of vulgarity and subalternity, the article grapples with Zimdancehall artists’ pursuit of creative power and recognition through unorthodox use of vulgar lyrics.
Indigenous Media and Social Media Convergence: Adaptation of Storytelling on Twitter, SoundCloud and YouTube
P Mpofu
Storytelling is ordinarily trivialised as an antiquated oramedia genre, and of less significance in Zimbabwean mainstream media and communication studies, hence it is understudied. Recent studies largely take a literary gaze on storytelling, and do not theorise it from an indigenous media viewpoint or appreciate its convergence with social media. Drawing on concepts of media convergence and the digital public sphere, this netnographic study examines the adaptation of storytelling on Twitter, SoundCloud and YouTube, focusing on patterns of production, delivery, participation, language forms, reception and audiences.
Naming the ghost: self-naming, pseudonyms, and identities of phantoms on Zimbabwean twitter
A Chibuwe, P Mpofu, K Bhowa
In Zimbabwean online spaces, especially Twitter, use of phantom names is widespread. It is arguable that this is partially a result of the country’s repressive political environment. It is the names that the nameless Twitter characters select and the motivations for using specific names that are the focus of this present study. The study is grounded in anthroponomastic concepts of pseudonymity and self-naming, and self-presentation and identity theory as well as semiotics of names while methodologically it is qualitative. Specifically, the study deploys archival research and netnography to gather data.
Sex Gospel in Zimbabwe’s Pentecostal Christianity as a Response to Social Change: The Case of Apostle Kapandura and Mai Lucia Gunguwo
M Sipeyiye, P Mpofu
Sexuality has always been a closely guarded subject in both Christianity and African Traditional Religions (ATRs), and regarded as a sensitive topic unfit for public discussion. In Zimbabwe, there is an emerging trend of sex gospel in Pentecostal Christianity. This has stirred mixed feelings among Christians and ATR adherents. Deploying the religion and social transformation perspective, this netnographic study of Christopher Kapandura of ZAOGA (FIFMI) and Lucia Gunguwo of Eternal Word Ministries’ sermons, explores the eccentric development and argues that sex gospel is inevitable.
The Nollywood cultural effect in Zimbabwe: manifestation of Nigerian lingo in everyday discourses
P Mpofu
The Nollywood films, Nigeria’s greatest cultural export, have had phenomenal cultural impact in Zimbabwe. Deploying a theoretical gaze grounded in the social learning theory and notions of linguistic diffusion, lexical and pragmatic borrowing, this article explores the manifestation of lexis, accents, semantic and pragmatic elements of Nigerian linguistic and cultural heritage in Zimbabwe’s everyday discourses, as well as cultural productions.
Can National Development Thrive without Local Government’s Constructive Input? Outlook of Nigeria, with Lessons for Africa.
ITP Okudolo, NB Breakfast, I Mekoa
Satisfactory nationwide development without constructive local governments’ input cannot manifest. Effectual local administrations are essential to discourage the production of deleterious interaction-effect of development. This paper evaluates published articles between 2010 and 2020 in the Nigerian context to comprehend what undermines impactful local governments’ participation in national development to pinpoint lessons for African nations. It addresses how abject local governments in place do not support their positive involvement in national development.
Corruption and the Contradictions of Nation-building in Nigeria, 2015-2019
ITP Okudolo, I Mekoa
Legislative oversight is an important immanent variable as a nation-building mechanism to interrogate how to eradicate corruption in society. Pervasive corruption can be the manifestation of unpleasant interactions between the legislature and executive arms in politics towards operations of anti-graft agencies and thereby undermine nation-building. The article examines the politicking between the legislature and executive arms that played out between 2015 and 2019 in Nigeria regarding the official confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairperson.
Corruption+and+the+Contradictions+of+Nation-building+in++Nigeria%2C+2015-2019&btnG=
Imperative Political Behaviour for Effective Incapacitation of Pandemics (Covid-19) in Africa: Overview of Primary Healthcare in Nigerian Context
ITP Okudolo, I Mekoa
The role that primary health care (PHC) and primary healthcare systems (PHC-S) ought to play to effectively mitigate pandemics such as the COVID-19 in the African continent is examined. Given the veracity of pandemics (i.e. coronavirus) on African communities located within local government domains which manifestly portray the nature of PHC-S, the examination of primary care of the continent becomes imperative.
An evaluation of constructive journalism in Zimbabwe: A case study of The Herald’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic
T Tshabangu, A Salawu
The coverage of crises such as the global health pandemic, COVID-19, is to a large extent guided by national interest, journalistic culture and editorial policies of media outlets. This article argues that the state-controlled newspaper, The Herald, in Zimbabwe deployed constructive journalism as an approach to report COVID-19. Constructive journalism is about injecting positive angles into news reports while abiding by the core news values of accuracy, impartiality and balance….
Indigenous-language Media Research in Africa: Gains, Losses, Towards a New Research Agenda
Research on indigenous-language media in Africa is often neglected for several reasons, such as an obsession with research on mainstream media that uses colonial languages of English, French and Portuguese and a general lack of scholarly interest. This semi-systematic review paper looks at the research trajectory of the last two decades, identifying gaps and proposing a new research agenda. Available research conducted from a cultural studies and critical theory perspective reveals the intersection of indigenous-language media with gender and health communication; democracy and development; economics and management; and digitalisation.
Indigenous-language+Media+Research+in+Africa%3A+Gains%2C+Losses%2C+Towards+a+New+Research+Agend&btnG=
Spectacles of transition: Texts and counter-texts in the historiography of Zimbabwe in transition
ML Hove
The chapter examines the political and cultural performances of uncertainties embodied in what I perceive as an incestuous runaway history in Zimbabwe post the Emmerson Mnangagwa political assemblage. Nostalgia holds no charm: there are no certainties to redeem from the violence, political and economic muddle characterising the waning years of Mugabe.
Home remedies as a medical development in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe: A cultural memory paradigm
T Marevesa, E Mavengano, PN Nkamta
The increasing dependence on home remedies during the surge of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has drawn international attention and prompted academic conversations about the efficacy and effectiveness of home remedies in the treatment of the pandemic in Africa, in general, and Zimbabwe in particular. The purpose of this study was to investigate the medicinal contribution of home remedies in Zimbabwe during the Pandemic.
Reimagining Indigenous Language Hip-Hop for Political Communication: A Thematic Analysis of Pete Pete by 9ice and Asa
F Amenaghawon, A Salawu
Various studies on Nigerian hip-hop have presented it as promoting drug abuse, internet fraud, immoral sexual orientations, and disregard for societal values. Some focused on sociological effects and pragmatics, code-mixing, or switching in hip-hop. However, this study departs from this stereotypical presentation of Nigerian hip hop using the song Pete Pete by 9ice and Asa to discuss political communication. It was anchored on the agenda-setting theory and used thematic content analysis as its methodology. The study’s objectives include identifying themes, literary devices, purpose, target, and appeals.
Will there be a Country? A Thematic Analysis of Selected Youtube Videos of Radio Biafra
F Amenaghawon, A Salawu
Fifty years after the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), agitations for the rebirth of the nation called Biafra have become heightened by pro-secession groups like the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and others. Radio Biafra has become a key platform for pro-Biafra groups engage to promote their agenda, especially through social media platforms such as YouTube.
‘Coronavirus, you are a Stranger,’ Examining Yoruba Indigenous Music in the Quest to Tackle COVID-19 Pandemic
IA Fadipe, A Salawu
Just like in other African countries, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the music industry. In Yorubaland, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the Yoruba indigenous music, as many artistes used music to bring awareness of health issues. Therefore, this study explored how Yoruba indigenous music artistes advocated health issues surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria and the effects on their fans’ well-being.
Strategic communication: Can African indigenous popular music come to play?
A Fadipe, A Salawu
Scholars have adduced most African organisations’ failure to rely on Western strategic communication models to tackle peculiarly contextual communication problems and finance. However, appropriate media choice in achieving goals of strategic communication in an organisation is significant. Organisations often neglect or treat African indigenous language media as appendages to the conventional media like radio, television, print and recently internet and social media platforms. Using Salawu’s Model of Indigenous Language for Development Communication and explorative research method through review of relevant literature, this study examined how people and institutions have used African indigenous popular music to tackle social issues.
Students’ perceptions of the influence of media on perpetuating xenophobia in South African universities
Q Mgogo, O Osunkunle
Immigration and emigration are inevitable however, some South Africans have shown a strong dislike of those coming from other countries, in the form of xenophobia. Several studies have attributed the prevalence of xenophobia in South African communities to socio-economic, sociopolitical and scapegoating issues, with some researchers highlighting the role of the media in perpetuating xenophobia-related violence. On the other hand, xenophobia in institutions of higher learning in South Africa, which are a microcosm of society, has been under-prioritised in exploring the prevalence of xenophobia.
Discursive communities, protest, Xenophobia, and looting in South Africa: A social network analysis
L Mathe, G Motsaathebe
The article informs on a study that employed a digital ethnographic approach to analyse a network of human relationships and connections based on the physical and social phenomena of political protest and xenophobia, accompanied by looting and the destruction of property in South Africa. It examines how social media have been used to fuel violence, protest, xenophobic attacks, and the looting of shops, and for ordinary citizens to post videos or images of protest actions on the internet. This article uses the tenets of propaganda (the propaganda model) as a social media theory to analyse online activism in various forms, such as journalism and political protest for citizen mobilisation and participation.
Newsroom disruptions and opportunities in times of crisis: Analysing Southern African media during the COVID-19 crisis
A Chibuwe, A Munoriyarwa, G Motsaathebe, S Chiumbu, W Lesitaokana
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices.
UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF BROADCAST OPERATIONS DRIVEN BY A CONVERGED DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM
G Motsaathebe
Broadcast Media Africa’s 2021 conference in Cape Town, South Africa, was dubbed the “Broadcast Media Convention of Southern Africa” and was organised in partnership with the Southern Africa Broadcasting Association. The conference drew attention to several issues, including the technological developments affecting broadcasters and the effect of Covid-19 on broadcasting operations.
UNDERSTANDING+THE+DYNAMICS++OF+BROADCAST+OPERATIONS++DRIVEN+BY+A+CONVERGED++DIGITAL+ECOSYSTEM+&btnG=
Frank Okwu Ugboajah, Oramedia, and the Ethical Paradigm of Development (Civilization)
A Salawu
Frank Okwuadigbo Ugboajah was born in Nigeria in 1945. He received his MA (1971) and PhD (1975) in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA. His doctoral dissertation was entitled “Communication of Development Issues in the Nigerian Mass Media: A Sociological Perspective.” He started his career as an assistant lecturer in the then Institute of Mass Communication (later, the Department of Mass Communication) at the University of Lagos and rose to the rank of professor in the same institution. While at the University of Lagos, he was the institution’s representative on the Nigerian National Council on the UNESCO and a regular contributor to many Nigerian newspapers.
Frank+Okwu+Ugboajah%2C+Oramedia%2C+and+the+ethical+paradigm+of+development++&btnG=
ADOPTION OF DIGITAL MEDIA BY AFRICAN LANGUAGE PRINT NEWSPAPERS: THE CASE OF ISOLEZWE
A Salawu, F Tsutsa and P Mpofu
Digital media have transformed media’s news gathering, production and news dissemination traditions. However, African language newspapers’ use of digital media has been overlooked and understudied. Therefore, this study explores the adoption of digital media by Isolezwe, a South African indigenous language newspaper that publishes in IsiZulu. Data were gathered using the interview and observation methods. Deploying strands drawn from media convergence and diffusion of innovation theories, the study shows the convergence of African language print media and digital media, and advancement of African language newspapers towards increasing their digital and social media presence.
Alternative Media, Repression and the Crisis State: Towards a Political Economy of Alternative Media in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe
T Tshabangu, A Salawu
Zimbabwe has a tainted media history under Mugabe replete with examples of state orchestrated repression, draconian legislation, harassment of journalists and violation of their work premises. The post-November 2017 coup period is a critical reference point to understand the political economy of alternative media under the so-called ‘New Dispensation’ of President Mnangagwa with its promises of prodemocracy reforms. Using political economy as a theoretical approach that analyses media systems in a holistic manner by linking them to politics, economy, legislation and technology, this study assesses the extent to which the ‘New Dispensation’ has implemented political economy reforms that impact alternative media.
Code-Switching in Yoruba Newspapers as A Reflection of The Linguistic Half-Caste Mode in Nigerian Journalism
A Salawu, F Amenaghawon
This paper examines code-switching as a language style of Yoruba newspapers, within the larger context of the day-to-day speech mannerisms of Nigerians. This linguistic mode is a result of culture mix and has encroached on the indigenous languages of the peoples, and the style (of the writings) of indigenous language media. The paper analyses the texts of Alaroye newspaper to demonstrate the phenomenon.
Community radio acceptance in rural Africa: The nexus of language and cultural affinity
K Onyenankeya, A Salawu
Community radio has gained traction with the grassroots in South Africa, especially subaltern groups excluded from the public sphere during the colonial and apartheid years. This paper argues that rural audience acceptance of and participation in community radio is closely associated with indigenous language, which invokes cultural affinity. The paper used a qualitative methodology within the framework of the theories of cultural affinity to interrogate community radio listeners in Northwest Province, South Africa, looking at how local languages might influence listeners’ preferences and interactions with the stations.
Community+radio+acceptance+in+rural+Africa%3A+The+nexus+of+language+and+cultural+affinity&btnG=
COVID-19’S INFLUENCE ON AFRICA’S UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE DOMAIN: DEBRIEFING SOUTH AFRICA–NIGERIA SETTINGS
ITP Okudolo, F Amenaghawon
Studies acknowledge that COVID-19 is a game-changer resulting in an operational “new normal” across organizational endeavours including university governance. One effect of COVID-19 on social change organizations like universities in Africa is that it intensified operational disruptions. The study utilizes narrative analysis to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on university governance using South Africa-Nigeria settings as a template to generalize for Africa. Its data stems from a methodological qualitative orientation, implying that the narrations derive from unstructured interviews with key players within the university system.
Facebook groups as transnational counter public sphere for diasporic communities
P Mpofu, MO Asak, A Salawu
Mainstream media tend to frame media content from the perspectives of locals and seldom
in the interest of diasporic communities. However, the emergence of social media has
supported the existence of online diasporic communities. Deploying insights from the
concepts of alternative media, digital counter public sphere and hidden transcript, this study
explores the use of Facebook groups by Zimbabwean diaspora to form transnational online
communities and connect with the homeland.
Facebook+groups+as+transnational+counter+public+sphere+for+diasporic+communities&btnG=
Framing of the 2019 Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa in Selected African Newspapers
F Amenaghawon, A Salawu
Attacks on foreigners in South Africa are sometimes referred to as violence, xenophobia or criminality. This study focused on the framing of the 2019 xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Its objectives include how the violence was framed, sources of frames and reports; media functions used in the representation of the attacks; and differences in the framing of the attacks. The study was anchored in the framing theory and covered a three-month period between September and November 2019 in two newspapers.
Framing+of+the+2019+Xenophobic+Attacks+in+South+Africa++in+Selected+African+Newspapers&btnG=
Constructive Journalism and COVID-19 Safe Nation Narratives in The Herald Newspaper: Implications for Journalism Ethics in Zimbabwe
T Tshabangu, A Salawu
The coverage of crises such as the global health pandemic, COVID-19, is to a large extent guided by national interest, journalistic culture, and editorial policies of media outlets. This chapter argues that the state-controlled newspaper, The Herald, in Zimbabwe deployed constructive journalism as an approach to report COVID-19. Constructive journalism is about injecting positive angles into news reports whilst abiding by the core news values of accuracy, impartiality, and balance.
Redressing the Coronavirus Infodemic through Indigenous Yoruba Language Music from Southwest Nigeria
F Amenaghawon, A Salawu
The coronavirus pandemic created an infodemic through conspiracy theories about 5G, a new world order, the mark of the beast, and unverified cures. The scenario worsens in communities where access to news media is a challenge. This study investigated the use of Sakara music to redress coronavirus infodemic. One song was selected, and research questions asked to ascertain themes, messages, appeals and media functions and how respondents viewed the song as a tool for redressing infodemics.
SURMOUNTING NIGERIA’S PRESENT INSECURITY: ESSENTIALITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS’ POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
ITP Okudolo, A Salawu
Nigeria’s present insecurity situation has compelled various theories aimed at surmounting the condition. However, most of the theories emphasize ethno-religious dimensions than the character of policymaking to overcome the insecurity. Pundits barely deliberate the nexus between Nigeria’s present insecurity and relegation of local governments’ political communication (LGPC) in intergovernmental policymaking relations (IPR) to neutralize the circumstance. Incidentally, the overwhelming victims of Nigeria’s present insecurity domicile within local government jurisdictions. Consequently, the study aims to accentuate what LGPC offers the Nigerian state to overcome the recent insecurity.
Technology Innovation and Digital Journalism Practice by Indigenous African-language Newspapers: The Case of uMthunywa in Zimbabwe
Thulani Tshabangu & Abiodun Salawu
This paper analyses institutional, contextual and human agency factors that affect technology innovation and adoption of digital journalism practices by indigenous African-language newspapers focusing on uMthunywa, Zimbabwe. uMthunywa, a legacy newspaper, positions itself as a digital-only news outlet after it was forced to stop printing in May 2020 due to a hotchpotch of political economy challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. The conceptual framework of digital journalism is used to provide a benchmark against which to measure uMthunywa’s adoption of new digital journalism practices.