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The Reality of Fake News in Kenya

London et al.: Portland; GeoPoll (2017), 18 pp.

"Alarmingly, the research reveals that fake news is a pervasive problem surrounding the Kenyan elections with 90% of respondents having seen false or inaccurate information and 87% viewing this information as being deliberately false. Why does this matter? An informed citizenry is vital to Kenya’s ... more

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"Not Worth the Risk": Threats to Free Expression Ahead of Kenya’s 2017 Elections

Human Rights Watch (2017), 76 pp.

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Twinning Social Memory and Social Imaginary: Challenges for East African Media Policies

Ullamaija Kivikuru

African Journalism Studies, volume 38, issue 3-4 (2017), pp. 50-73

"The article discusses the significance of the past in the planning of media policies in two neighbouring countries in Africa, namely Kenya and Tanzania. The theoretical frame is composed of four concepts: social imaginary, collective memory, domestication, and liminality. The scrutiny starts from t ... more

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Everyday Media Culture in Africa: Audiences and Users

Wendy Willems, Winston Mano (eds.)

London: Routledge (2017), 260 pp.

"This volume examines the lived experiences of Africans and their interaction with different kinds of media: old and new, state and private, elite and popular, global and national, material and virtual. By offering a comparative, critical and largely qualitative account of audiences and users across ... a range of national contexts in different regions of Africa, the book examines media through the voices and perspectives of those engaging with it rather than reducing audiences and users to numbers and statistics, ready to be exploited as potential target markets or as political constituencies. The critical, qualitative research perspective adopted in this book enables us to gain a better understanding of how African viewers, listeners and users make sense of a range of media forms; what role these play in their everyday lives and what audience and user engagement can tell us about how citizens perceive the state, how they imagine themselves in the wider world and how they relate to each other. The book argues that the experiences of audiences and engagements of users with a range of media—newspapers, radio, television, magazines, internet, mobile phones, social media—are always grounded in particular contexts, worldviews and knowledge systems of life and wisdom: ‘It is akin to the tortoise. The tortoise never leaves its shell behind. It carries it wherever it goes’ (Chivaura 2006: 221). African media audiences and users carry their contexts and cultural repertoires in the same way a tortoise carries its shell. Thus far, the bulk of academic research on media and communication in Africa has addressed the policy and regulatory aspects as well as the relation between media institutions and the state (Willems 2014a). While studies on media, democratization and press freedom are invaluable, the ways in which ordinary people make sense of, and relate to, media in their everyday lives are largely left beyond consideration. As Barber (1997: 357) has pointed out, ‘[w]hat has not yet been sufficiently explored is the possibility that specific African audiences have distinctive, conventional modes and styles of making meaning, just as performers/speakers do. We need to ask how audiences do their work of interpretation’." (Page 4) more

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Conceptualizing an African Media System: An Examination of Media and Politics in the Ethiopian Context

Menychle Meseret Abebe

Kristiansand (NO): NLA University College, Master Thesis (2017), x, 124 pp.

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Mobile Money Ecosystem in Somalia: Summary

Matthieu Dillais, Anne-Elisabeth Costafrolaz

Altai Consulting; World Bank (2017), 48 slides

"Mobile money embodies financial opportunity in Somalia. Deemed convenient, affordable and fast, mobile money has been widely adopted. It has reached a penetration rate of 83% in urban areas, 72% in IDP camps and 55% in rural areas, compared to a penetration rate of 15 for formal bank accounts. Give ... n the depreciation of the local currency and lack of other satisfying and accessible alternatives, people and firms rely heavily on mobile money for their daily money transfers, and mobile money services have been acting as a virtual dollarized currency. Thus, mobile money has become the primary financial instrument in Somalia and Somaliland while cash usage is decreasing. The ecosystem is also already robust, with nearly two thirds of users choosing to keep funds in their mobile accounts rather than cashing them out. Large shares in the value mix of disbursements and bill and merchant payments suggest an expanding ecosystem of institutions and businesses using the system. Most of the success has been due to the home grown nature of mobile money. Mobile Network Operators have managed to nurture, from scratch, a local context appropriate, unique and compelling mobile money ecosystem that meets Somalis’ needs. This is a substantially different environment than telecommunications in countries across the rest of the African continent, which have traditionally been dominated by incoming multi nationals such as India’s Bharti or France’s Orange. Given Somalia’s complex political environment and volatile security conditions, investments in telecommunications have been almost exclusively led by Somalis, both from the diaspora and within the country. As a result, the ICT sector has been able to leverage Somali social and business networks, and has created products uniquely suited to the Somali context. While mobile money services are broadening the reach of financial services for the unbanked, the most vulnerable are more likely to be excluded from the system. Barriers to direct use by the poorest segments include cellular coverage, cost of phone ownership and use, limited access to electrical power, illiteracy and the predominance of mobile money services being offered in USD (rather than the local Shilling valued in rural areas). Nevertheless, there is strong evidence of a social impact Mobile money circulates across groups of different vulnerability levels and in a society of frictionless financial interdependence, mobile money enables more fluidity within the family and clan, and constitutes a lifeline for the poor. Mobile money transfers from NGOs and aid agencies also contribute to flows targeting vulnerable populations." (Executive summary) more

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Evaluation of the East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands Beneficiary Communications Program

Hans Kuntner

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (2017), 25 pp.

"Beneficiary Communication is a program which emphasizes the use of communication equipment in passing relevant, timely and accurate lifesaving information to communities. The program supports an environment of transparency and accountability through creation of feedback mechanism. It is about provi ... ding practical, useful information at the right time, listening to people’s needs and opinions and using this information to improve the programming and operations of Partner national society (PNS), National Society (NS) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Beneficiary Communication program utilizes technology like SMS, Radio, Mobile Cinema, Posters, Sound tracks, Wall painting or traditional channels like drama and community meetings to pass lifesaving information to communities. The impacts listed in this report cannot be solely attributed to the use of beneficiary communication tools. The impact is the contribution of the tools to the realization of the results of the projects in which the tools were mainstreamed. Indeed, the results of the programs in which beneficiary communication tools was mainstreamed are the impact of the use of tools by proxy. The levels of knowledge of the beneficiaries with regards to causes of malnutrition and prevention of diseases which are caused by unhygienic conditions such as cholera have increased tremendously. This is evident from the results obtained through the pre and post mobile cinema evaluation on the above mentioned thematic areas, from the sites where the Red Cross Societies have implemented projects aimed at addressing malnutrition and hygiene. The activities of the beneficiary communication program were well received by the target communities in all the five countries. The communities appreciated the mobile cinema and drama perhaps due to ease of learning from audio visual or observation. The putting to practice the knowledge gained in various thematic areas is another way of determining how well the beneficiaries have received beneficiary communication activities. A random check of households by personnel in-charge of community health in Rwanda revealed that nine in ten beneficiaries put to practice the knowledge they acquired from the mobile cinema shows. The use of audio visuals and drama in local languages in all the countries sampled has proved to be an effective way of training both literate and illiterate members of the society. This is because both illiterate and literate members of the community simply learn through listening and observation." (Executive summary) more

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Listening In: An Internews Assessment of Community Radio in Tanzania

Brice Rambaud

Internews (2017), 52 pp.

"Internews set out to take stock of community radio stations (CRS) in Tanzania through a rapid, structured assessment. We were determined to understand the extent to which CRS across the country were providing a valuable public information service, and what barriers could be overcome and opportuniti ... more

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Needs Assessment: Strengthening Indigenous Academic and Digital Publishing in Tanzania

Oxford: International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) (2017), 7 pp.

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Digital Principles Into Practice

Dar es Salaam: Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) (2017), 15 pp.

"At HDIF, we want to share learning from our own experience to assist players in ICT4D to ensure we are not creating more stacks of unused hardware and limited viability which combine to create a larger wasteland of well-intended development projects. A broad set of donors and partners have combined ... more

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Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017 – 2021: An African Perspective. An In-Depth Analysis of the Trends Shaping the Entertainment and Media Industry in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania
Deep Insights

Price Waterhouse Coopers (pwc), 8th. annual ed. (2017), 161 pp.

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Combined Final Evaluation for ‘I Love my Country’: Strategic Communications for Peace Building in South Sudan” & Baseline Evaluation for ‘I Love my Country’: Promoting Localized Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan

Search for Common Ground; Forcier Consulting (2017), 83 pp.

"The present report provides the findings of a combined baseline evaluation of “‘I Love My Country:’ Promoting Localized Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan” (PLUPC) funded by the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPS) of the Canadian government, and endline eva ... luation of the project, “‘I Love My Country’: Strategic Communications for Peace Building in South Sudan” (SCPB) funded by the European Union (EU). The goal of the “‘I Love My Country:’ Promoting Localized Understanding and Peaceful Coexistence in South Sudan” project is to build greater understanding and application of key concepts embodied within the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) through key stakeholder meetings, participatory theater performances, civil society engagement, small-scale peace initiatives, short media productions, and radio drama production and broadcast. The project began on December 15, 2016 is expected to end on June 15, 2018. The purpose of the “‘I Love My Country’: Strategic Communications for Peace Building in South Sudan” project is “to promote social cohesion, resilience, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts among individuals and communities in South Sudan” by strengthening national platforms for diverse and constructive and promoting peace, tolerance, and reconciliation with key groups and individuals. Search for Common Ground, iHub, UNESCO, and Catholic Radio Network launched the project in November 1, 2014 and it was concluded on March 1, 2017. The objectives of the baseline evaluation for PLUPC are to update the analysis of local conflict dynamics in the targeted zones for outreach activities, collect baseline data for project indicators, to reflect upon the Objectives and Theory of Change (TOC) of the project, and to evaluate potential risks to project participants, implementing staff, and partners. The final evaluation for SCPB seeks to measure changes in key indicators after the implementation of activities, evaluate the project using OECD-DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability), and provide lessons learned and recommendations to inform future peace building activities in the country." (Executive summary) more

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Improving Maternal and Child Health Through Media in South Sudan: Final Evaluation

Trish Doherty, Karen O’Connor

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 51 pp.

"Following decades of civil war, South Sudan still lacks a functioning healthcare system and has some of the worst maternal and child health indicators in the world. To help address this, between 2012 and 2017 BBC Media Action produced and broadcast a range of national radio programmes seeking to in ... more

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Strengthening Accountability Through Media in Kenya: Final Evaluation

Catharine Buckell, Sopie Baskett

London: BBC Media Action (2017), 59 pp.

"Funded by DFID, under the Global Grant project, BBC Media Action produced three seasons of the weekly TV and radio programme Sema Kenya (Kenya Speaks). Sema Kenya featured a moderated discussion between a live panel of officials and an audience of ‘ordinary’ Kenyans and was designed to enable i ... ndividuals, communities and governments to be better informed and more engaged in tackling governance challenges. Alongside this, BBC Media Action delivered a mentoring programme, initially with six local radio stations, and later with the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which has the largest footprint in the country. Through this work, BBC Media Action aimed to strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s media sector to produce governance programming that supported and mainstreamed the overall objectives of the project at both the local and national level. [...] Sema Kenya contributed to people being more informed about and engaged in politics. Audiences were more knowledgeable about politics, discussed it more with friends and family, felt more confident in their ability to influence political processes and participated more in governance related activities (particularly at the community level) – all factors that support bottom-up accountability. Audiences themselves linked Sema Kenya with these outcomes. This finding was validated by analysis confirming a significant positive relationship between watching or listening to Sema Kenya and consistently higher knowledge, discussion and confidence to engage in politics, even when taking into account other factors that might influence these outcomes (such as education, age and interest in politics). While Sema Kenya’s audience was more likely to participate in politics, qualitative research respondents rarely attributed their actions directly to what they had heard on Sema Kenya. This reflects findings from advanced quantitative analysis (structural equation modelling) that suggests the link between Sema Kenya and increased political participation is indirect and mediated by political knowledge, discussion and self-efficacy. Supported by an extensive network of broadcast partners that stretched across all 47 counties in Kenya, the discussion programme reached an estimated 12.7 million people over three seasons, with a peak audience of 5.7 million in 2013 – the year of the general election. The show also maintained a loyal audience throughout all three seasons, with around half of all those reached annually tuning in for at least every second episode." (Executive summary, pages 6-7) more

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In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy
Deep Insights

Anya Schiffrin (ed.)

Washington, DC: Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) (2017), 162 pp.

"In this volume of essays edited by Anya Schiffrin, media capture is shown to be a growing phenomenon linked both to the resurgence of authoritarian governments as well as to the structural weaknesses presently afflicting media markets. In this environment, political figures and economic elites are ... more

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Sauti za Wananchi formative study: Understanding the Kenyan public opinion polling landscape

Kampala: Twaweza East Africa (2017), 6 pp.

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Mediengesetzgebung in Tansania in Geschichte und Gegenwart

Martin Sturmer

Stichproben: Wiener Zeitschrift für kritische Afrikastudien, volume 17, issue 33 (2017), pp. 25-52

"Mit dem Media Services Act, 2016 ist in Tansania am 3. Februar 2017 ein neues Mediengesetz in Kraft getreten, das die Pressefreiheit drastisch einschränkt und in klarem Widerspruch zur Verfassung von 1977 steht. Die umstrittenste Bestimmung betrifft die Verpflichtung von JournalistInnen zur Akkred ... more

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In Media We Trust: Journalists and Institutional Trust Perceptions in Post-Authoritarian and Post-Totalitarian Countries

Alice N. Tejkalová et al.

Journalism Studies, volume 18, issue 5 (2017), pp. 629-644

"Trust is a societal value that is difficult to gain and easy to lose. This article deals with the levels of trust that journalists working in eight post-authoritarian and post-totalitarian countries (Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Latvia, South Africa and Tanzania) have i ... more

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Textbook Provision for All: Lessons Learned from the General Education Quality Improvement Project (GEQIP)

Girma Woldetsadik, Chandrani Raysarkar

Washington, DC: World Bank Group (2017), xiv, 40 pp.

"Ethiopia printed more than 78 million textbooks for 20.1 million students under GEQIP1. When the current reliance on development partners to provide teaching/learning materials comes to an end, these impressive gains can be sustained only if the Ethiopian government allocates adequate, predictable ... yearly financing from the treasury to do so. Based on the experience of GEQIP1, the average budget to sustain the provision of textbooks and teaching guides is estimated at 6–8 percent of the yearly recurrent budget for education (8–10 percent if supplementary materials are added). A second prerequisite for sustaining these gains is to develop an effective information management system to track national demand for textbooks in relation to supply and facilitate inventory control. To handle the complexities of international competitive bidding and maintain a strict timeline for routine delivery, the MoE should plan a robust capacity-building exercise that will help Ethiopia not only to manage textbook provision for larger linguistic groups but mainstream access to textbooks for minority groups as well. Lack of expertise and limited production facilities of local publishers and printers have required the government to resort to international alternatives, sometimes to the detriment of local enterprises. Given that it would be preferable to rely on local suppliers to produce teaching/learning materials of comparable quality to those produced internationally, a systematic effort is essential to scale up local capacity and enable the local printing industry to become competitive in supplying national requirements. As in many nations, Ethiopia’s weakest link in the textbook supply chain is the distribution system. Schools in rural and remote areas suffer the most. Restructuring the delivery system would ensure more timely distribution of teaching/learning materials from districts (woredas) to schools. Finally, students must be encouraged to bring their textbooks to school rather than keep them at home for fear of damaging them and incurring fines. Teachers, who are the primary facilitators of learning, must be trained in effective handling of textbooks and to play an active role in sensitizing families to the importance of using textbooks in the classroom." (Main findings, page xiv) more

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Strengthening Free, Independent and Professional Journalism in Ethiopia: Feasibility Study

Kalmar: Fojo Media Institute (2017), 35 pp.

Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017 – 2021: An African Perspective. An In-Depth Analysis of the Trends Shaping the Entertainment and Media Industry in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania Deep Insights

In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy Deep Insights

Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017 – 2021: An African Perspective. An In-Depth Analysis of the Trends Shaping the Entertainment and Media Industry in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania
Deep Insights

In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy
Deep Insights