Mass media in Africa
The media in Africa are expanding rapidly due to advances in telecommunications especially mobile phones and the internet, recent growth has taken place in leaps and bounds. By learning from developed countries, Africa has not been forced to 'reinvent the wheel'. Africans are a resilient people and although resources have been limited at times, it has produced people who could be referred to as genuine 'media giants'. In newspaper reporting, many Africans have won international media awards. In writing both prose and poetry, many awards have also been won by Africans, and Africa now claims a Nobel Laurete in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka of Nigeria.
History
In 1794 the first printing press arrived in Africa delivered to Freetown, Sierra Leone but this was destroyed by a French raiding party before it was ever used.[1] When another press arrived in 1800 the newspaper the Sierra Leone Advertiser began being printed. [1]
Communications
Advances in satellite communication, and its availability in Africa (some countries on the continent have their own communications satellites) has meant that some local television stations are now viewed outside their terrestrial broadcast areas.
Digital media and internet
From 2005 to date there has been an upsurge of Internet news publishing in some African countries especially in Nigeria. Some of these online publications include: Pointblanknews, Sahara Reporters, Nigeria Village Square, chidi opara reports, Elendu Reports, and a host of others.
Television
A 24-hour pan-African news and information channel called A24 will start broadcasting from Nairobi in 2008 by satellite and the internet.
Radio
Print media
Historically, Nigeria has boasted one of the most free and resilient newspaper presses of any African country, even under its past military dictatorships, most of whom have shown an intolerance of the press. In the rest of the continent, vibrant journalism is also getting to be the order of the day. As in more developed countries, many journalists, in a bid to uphold the integrity of the profession, have preferred to go to jail rather than betray the confidentiality of a source.
In 2005, journalists representing 23 African nations met in Cameroon and established the Society for the Development of Media in Africa (Société pour le Développement des Médias Africains, SDMA).[1]
Literature
References
- ^ a b Ziegler, Dhyana; Molefi K., Asante (1992), Thunder and Silence: The Mass Media in Africa, Africa World Press, pp. 11–12, ISBN 0865432511