African Broadcast Cultures

Radio has played a pivotal role in Africa situations of conflict, crisis, and in the overall development of the African continent. No other medium of communication in Africa comes close to radio in terms of audience, political significance and cultural power. Local radio stations as well as international broadcasters have been at once the barometers and the agents of change. This book provides a timely and cross-continental perspective on a much-neglected aspect of African public...
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Radio has played a pivotal role in Africa situations of conflict, crisis, and in the overall development of the African continent. No other medium of communication in Africa comes close to radio in terms of audience, political significance and cultural power. Local radio stations as well as international broadcasters have been at once the barometers and the agents of change. This book provides a timely and cross-continental perspective on a much-neglected aspect of African public culture in its political structures and economic fortunes.

Based on a series of case studies by academics and radio journalists, the contributors to this book analyze the role of radio in public life in situations of conflict and peace, and argue for the importance and success of diversity and localization in African radio.