A group of scholars and development practitioners from across the African continent is set to launch a book about communications and social change on the continent.
The book, titled “Communication and Social Change in Africa: Selected Case Studies”, examines the development Research and Projects Centre’s (dRPC) project to develop a localised advocacy communication programme on family planning with models and strategies responsive to the cultural context of Kaduna and Kano states of Northern Nigeria.
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It also reviews other initiatives across the African continent, including youth disability advocacy in Tanzania, ethical tensions and conflicts with healthcare workers in Malawi, and mental health promotion.
The book is published by the Institute of Network Cultures and will be launched virtually on Friday.
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According to the preface, the book, drawing from 13 selected cases across Africa, delves into the relationship between communication, media, culture and social change to explore how communication is reshaping the future of the continent.
“Collectively touching base with almost every part of Africa, the book demonstrates a firsthand and grassroots understanding of the continent. The 13 case studies in the book from across the continent illuminate the challenges, opportunities, and successes of communication-driven narratives, offering valuable lessons for scholars, policymakers and practitioners,” it said.
African Insights in Communication
In his foreword to the book, the President of the African Journalism Education, Franz Krüger, said the collection of case studies in the book provided answers to calls that African scholars in the field of communication studies present their insights and understanding.
Mr Krüger, an associate professor at NLA University College, Kristiansand, Norway, noted that imbalances of power in communication and in the generation of knowledge about communication are legacy of colonialism which need to be continuously challenged.
“African media must be understood on their own terms, not as somehow just following trends in the Global North,” he said.
“The collection offered here answers this call, bringing an African perspective to bear on the study of African communications. The editors and contributors have done the hard, careful and detailed work of studying African communications on their own terms.”
“The use of case studies serves to unpack the rich variety of experiences across the continent, where shared historical experiences meet a range of differences in context. The scholarship is grounded in the specific, offering fine-grained and textured insights from a range of cases.”
Contributors, Editors
The book, with contributions from 22 researchers, is edited by Manfred Asuman, an assistant professor and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Western Ontario, Canada; Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey of the Durban University of Technology, South Africa; and Modestus Fosu, of the University of Media, Arts and Communication, Institute of Journalism in Accra, Ghana.
Contributors to the book are; Kareem Abdulrasaq, Khadijat Adedeji-Olona, Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, Bukola Christiana Ajala, George Kwabena Asamoah, Kwabena Badu-Yeboah, Catalin Brylla, Andrew Chimpololo, Africanus Lewil Diedong, and Abena Kyeraa Duah.
Others are: Emmanuel Essel, Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Anthea Garman, Eliza Govender, Mary Kamwaza, Hassan Aliyu Karofi, Kings Ferrels Kondowe, Johanna Mack, Flemmings Fishani Ngwira, Toyosi Olugbenga Sam- son Owolabi, Rose Reuben, Noeem Taiwo Thanny, Stanley Ukpai, and Judith-Ann Walker.
