-
Introduction: Chapter 49 in book titled: Supply Chain Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications.
Introduction: Since their emergence and subsequent integration into the highly suffocating global economic system, the group of countries tagged the "Third World" have been miserably engulfed in hunger and poverty, debts and deaths. Their hallmarks are negative indices in quality of political management, Gross National Income, freedom of information, human development, healthcare delivery system, security, and general welfare. The effect of unstable government, alongside the plight of high level illiteracy, tribal conflicts, military dictatorship, and brutal civil wars, have chronically beset the prospect of meaningful development within these nations. Allied to these are poor quality of life, diseases, uncontrollable population growth, high infant and adult mortality rates, including low economic development, and extreme dependency on the developed, industrialized countries. Notwithstanding the various endeavours in different aspects of development projects at different periods, the "Third World" countries have continually retained the derisive tag ever since they were first labelled as such in 1955 at the Conference of Afro-Asia countries in Bandung, Indonesia.
Drawing on extensive number of academic works and new research, Third World Development Strategies, examines some of the salient factors responsible for gross underdevelopment in Third World countries, and makes a compelling case for new approach to Third World Development Strategies.
Introduction: The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria, extended a livelihood support programme to neighbouring villages it adopted for its Agricultural Productivity Programme (APP). The APP included training, advisory services, and dissemination of some agricultural technologies. The targets of APP were to effectively tackle development challenges by increasing agricultural productivity and to reduce poverty and hunger (malnutrition) as entrenched in the first two Sustainable Development Goals. Four technologies were disseminated and demonstrated to the rural dwellers. The project beneficiaries were guided into personal investment using practical knowledge acquired from the demonstration. At the end of 2 years, an early impact assessment was conducted. Results revealed that the income of farmers improved from $1.81 to $3.76 a day from just two enterprises. Nutritious food such as vitamin A-fortified cassava, quality protein maize, fish, eggs, and chicken were made available to people in the rural areas. The University-led APP intervention is an empirical way of actualising the SDG at the village level.
Introduction: English Language Teaching Methodology implies the processes and strategies involved in teaching the English language to pupils.
Introduction: This paper explores the thorny issue of corruption as depicted in the African novel
Introduction: This paper examines a number of poems from Maduagwu's Amnesty to Garbage from the Expressive Critic's perspective.
Introduction: The Security Sector and Conflict Management in Nigeria
Introduction: History of Social Conflict and Conflict Management in Nigeria
Introduction: The Security Sector and Conflict Management in Nigeria
Introduction: Africa’s Radicalism and Conservations
Introduction: Spirituality, Between Faith and Social Activism
Introduction: African Epistemology: Essays on Being and Knowledge
Introduction: Indigenous African Language Media: Practices and Processes, Palgrave Macmillan
Introduction: This volume explores the nature, philosophies and genres of indigenous African popular music, focusing on how indigenous African popular music artistes are seen as prophets and philosophers, and how indigenous African popular music depicts the world. Indigenous African popular music has long been under-appreciated in communication scholarship. However, understanding the nature and philosophies of indigenous African popular music reveals an untapped diversity which only be unraveled by knowledge of the myriad cultural backgrounds from which its genres originate. Indigenous African popular musicians have become repositories of indigenous cultural traditions and cosmologies.With a particular focus on scholarship from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa, this volume explores the work of these pioneering artists and their protégés who are resiliently sustaining, recreating and popularising indigenous popular music in their respective African communities, and at the same time propagatingthe communal views about African philosophies and the temporal and spiritual worlds in which they exist.
?
Introduction: This volume examines how African indigenous popular music is deployed in democracy, politics and for social crusades by African artists. Exploring the role of indigenous African popular music in environmental health communication and gender empowerment, it subsequently focuses on how the music portrays the African future, its use by African youths, and how it is affected by advanced broadcast technologies and the digital media. Indigenous African popular music has long been under-appreciated in communication scholarship. However, understanding the nature and philosophies of indigenous African popular music reveals an untapped diversity which can only be unraveled by the knowledge of myriad cultural backgrounds from which its genres originate. With a particular focus on scholarship from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa, this volume explores how, during the colonial period and post-independence dispensation, indigenous African music genres and their artists were mainstreamed in order to tackle emerging issues, to sensitise Africans about the affairs of their respective nations and to warn African leaders who have failed and are failing African citizenry about the plight of the people.
At the same time, indigenous African popular music genres have served as a beacon to the teeming African youths to express their dreams, frustrations about their environments and to represent themselves. This volume explores how, through the advent of new media technologies, indigenous African popular musicians have been working relentlessly for indigenous production, becoming champions of good governance, marginalised population, and repositories of indigenous cultural traditions and cosmologies.
Introduction: This volume examines how African indigenous popular music is deployed in democracy, politics and for social crusades by African artists. Exploring the role of indigenous African popular music in environmental health communication and gender empowerment, it subsequently focuses on how the music portrays the African future, its use by African youths, and how it is affected by advanced broadcast technologies and the digital media. Indigenous African popular music has long been under-appreciated in communication scholarship. However, understanding the nature and philosophies of indigenous African popular music reveals an untapped diversity which can only be unraveled by the knowledge of myriad cultural backgrounds from which its genres originate. With a particular focus on scholarship from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa, this volume explores how, during the colonial period and post-independence dispensation, indigenous African music genres and their artists were mainstreamed in order to tackle emerging issues, to sensitise Africans about the affairs of their respective nations and to warn African leaders who have failed and are failing African citizenry about the plight of the people.
At the same time, indigenous African popular music genres have served as a beacon to the teeming African youths to express their dreams, frustrations about their environments and to represent themselves. This volume explores how, through the advent of new media technologies, indigenous African popular musicians have been working relentlessly for indigenous production, becoming champions of good governance, marginalised population, and repositories of indigenous cultural traditions and cosmologies.
Introduction: Ethical Reorientation
Introduction: The survival of the printed newspaper in the digital age remains uncertain because the internet has emerged as an effective news delivery platform and a vibrant public sphere. The present challenge for most newspapers is to deliver news to their audiences on various digital platforms. This cross nation comparative study anchored on cultural discourse studies is concerned with digital journalism practice by indigenous African language newspapers (IALNs) in Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Using multicultural discourse analysis as the point of departure, the objective is to determine the context-specific and cultural factors that affect the deployment of digital technologies in the newswork process of small-scale and resource-constrained IALNs. We argue for the need to understand the discourse of digital journalism in Africa from a multicultural perspective which places context at the core and resists universal assumptions about the appropriation of digital technologies. Drawing from interviews with editors and journalists and online observations, this chapter reveals that IALNs adopt or reject digital journalism practices depending on their perceived usefulness and relevance to the operation context. The barriers to digital journalism by IALNs include several contextual, institutional and human agency factors, such as lack of prerequisite digital skills, conservative organisational cultures and resource constraints.
Introduction: Successful marketing communication thrives on deploying appropriate language and medium to appeal to and convince the target audience. Yoruba language usage and its agencies have attracted a lot of scholarship, especially in relation to marketing communication in different sectors. In the society, music performance as a form of communication is largely associated more with entertainment than the performance of meaningful functions like conventional media of television, radio and newspaper. Yoruba music scholars and aficionados can attest to the fact that Yoruba popular music artists oftentimes utilize marketing communication in serenading their patrons’ and matrons’ businesses. Indigenous African music has been ascertained to be an influential form of communication and socialization because it uses native languages that people can relate with. This chapter explored the marketing communication styles inherent in selected popular songs of the selected Yoruba music artists. The chapter also examined the products or services that these artists market, and the likely influence of these marketing tools on people and society in general. The paper employed qualitative research design using data gathered from song texts. The data were subjected to interpretive data analysis method anchored on Monroes Motivated Sequence, which outlines how persuasive messages from particular sources encourage audience to take certain action.
Introduction: Western (US and Europe) and Eastern (Middle East and Arabian) media institutions have been made more potent by the advent of globalization and digitization drives of their sponsors. These institutions have been used systematically to recolonize Africa’s efforts at shedding their hold on the continent. Leveraging on the tools of globalization and digitization, our argument is that African language media are powerful enough to be used to win the fight against recolonization. In recent times, the entertainment industry (film and music) has offered some examples in the deployment of African language media with these tools, particularly with the indigenous language and culture use. Language is the window through which the untapped and beautiful cultural wisdom, history, and traditions of African people can be exhibited. African peoples’ innate qualities and unique DNAs are shrouded in respective African languages and the media through which they display their essence. History has shown that colonizers often replace colonized people’s languages with theirs to achieve total subjugation. Ever since the colonized Africans realized the gimmick, there has been an ongoing campaign for decolonization. Consequently, x-raying the Nigerian entertainment industry’ contributions and anchored on decolonization theory, the paper focuses on film and music industries to establish how practitioners have utilized African language media to decolonize the industries and show the world the vibrant African cultural philosophies and histories that foreign media institutions usually suppress in their coverage of the continent. While relying on secondary data, the paper hopes to shed light on decolonization efforts and encourage more studies on how African indigenous language media are being used for decolonization drive.
viii. Bakenne, N.A., and Fadipe, I.A. (2024). The Media, Armed Conflict,
and the Responsibility to Protect. In: Erameh, N.I., Ojakorotu, V. (eds)
Africa's Engagement with the Responsibility to Protect in the 21st
Century. Africa's Global Engagement: Perspectives from Emerging
Countries. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-
981-99-8163-2_15 .
ix. Fadipe, I.A. and Salawu, A. (2024). Elements of Fake News in Facebook
Comedy Skits: A Study of Dr Whiteberry and Baba Alariya. Ibadan:
University Press Ibadan.
x. Fadipe, I.A., Mobolaji, A. & Egbokhare, O.A. (2024). Divided in Nigeria,
United by Football: An exploration of football fandom culture as a
motivating factor for unity and communication among Nigerian youths. In
K. Aiseng, I.A. Fadipe & Mpofu, P., Political Economy of Contemporary
African Popular Culture: The Political Interplay, Lexington Publishers.
xi. Erameh, N.I. and Fadipe, I.A. (2023). Socio-Political Reading of
Nigerians’ Criticisms and Commendations of Big Brother Nigeria (BBN)
Shows. In: Isike, C., Ogunnubi, O., Ukwueze, O. (eds) Big Brother Naija
and Popular Culture in Nigeria. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8110-4_10 .
xii. Mpofu, Philip, Fadipe, I.A. & Tshabangu, T. (2023). Introduction: African
Language Media: Present, Past and Future, Routledge,
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003350194-
2/introduction-phillip-mpofu-israel-fadipe-thulani-tshabangu.
xiii. Mpofu, Philip, Fadipe, I.A. & Tshabangu, T. (2023). Conclusion:
Reflections on the Future of Indigenous Language Media in Africa,
Routledge,
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003350194-
28/conclusion-phillip-mpofu-israel-fadipe-thulani-tshabangu.
xiv. Mpofu, P., Fadipe, I.A., Tshabangu, T. (2023). Appreciating
Indigenous African Language Media’ Practices and Processes: A
Transdisciplinary Approach. In: Mpofu, P., Fadipe, I.A., Tshabangu, T.
(eds) Indigenous African Language Media. Palgrave Macmillan,
Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0305-4_1 .
xv. Fadipe, I.A.and Salawu, A. (2022). Indigenous and Indigenised Yoruba
Popular Music. In: Salawu, A., Fadipe, I.A. (eds) Indigenous African
Popular Music, Volume 1. Pop Music, Culture and Identity.(pp.79-98)
Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97884-6_5 .
xvi. Salawu, A., and Fadipe, I.A. (2022). Introduction: Indigenous African
Popular Music. In: Salawu, A., Fadipe, I.A. (eds) Indigenous African
Popular Music, Volume 1. Pop Music, Culture and Identity. (pp.1-21)
Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97884-6_1 .
xvii. Bakenne, N.A. and Fadipe, I.A. (2022). ‘Extra-Mundane
Communication in Ayinla Omowura Music: Exploring Connections
between a Tool and an Agent’, in Indigenous African Popular Music:
Social Crusades and Future (Vol. 2), Salawu, A. and Fadipe, I.A. (Eds.)
Palgrave Macmillan Publishers,
https://www.springerprofessional.de/en/extra-mundane-communication-in-
ayinla-omowura-s-music-exploring-/23161704.
xviii. Fadipe, I.A. and Salawu Abiodun (2021) ‘Strategic communicati
Introduction: Fact-checking and media literacy promoting organisations are now more committed than ever to combatting misinformation in Africa. The challenge, however, is that they have been publishing the bulk of their contents in colonial legacy languages of the African countries, thereby losing the opportunity to enlighten a significant part of the population that are not on the internet nor conversant with those global languages, particularly as it relates to misinformation about public health. Interestingly, a few Nigerian fact-checking organisations have commenced publishing contents in the three major indigenous Nigerian languages. This chapter reviews the efforts of three purposively selected Nigerian fact-checking organisations in reaching media publics who are not likely to be English-literate nor on the internet. Key findings are that indigenous speaking publics prefer audio-visual contents to texts, and the efforts of the media literacy organisations in reaching indigenous publics is significantly impacted by funds.
Introduction: Western (US and Europe) and Eastern (Middle East and Arabian) media institutions have been made more potent by the advent of globalization and digitization drives of their sponsors. These institutions have been used systematically to recolonize Africa’s efforts at shedding their hold on the continent. Leveraging on the tools of globalization and digitization, our argument is that African language media are powerful enough to be used to win the fight against recolonization. In recent times, the entertainment industry (film and music) has offered some examples in the deployment of African language media with these tools, particularly with the indigenous language and culture use. Language is the window through which the untapped and beautiful cultural wisdom, history, and traditions of African people can be exhibited. African peoples’ innate qualities and unique DNAs are shrouded in respective African languages and the media through which they display their essence. History has shown that colonizers often replace colonized people’s languages with theirs to achieve total subjugation. Ever since the colonized Africans realized the gimmick, there has been an ongoing campaign for decolonization. Consequently, x-raying the Nigerian entertainment industry’ contributions and anchored on decolonization theory, the paper focuses on film and music industries to establish how practitioners have utilized African language media to decolonize the industries and show the world the vibrant African cultural philosophies and histories that foreign media institutions usually suppress in their coverage of the continent. While relying on secondary data, the paper hopes to shed light on decolonization efforts and encourage more studies on how African indigenous language media are being used for decolonization drive.
Introduction: The mass media is central to the development of any democratic society. Section 22 of Nigeria’s 1999 constitution indicates that the watchdog role is a constitutional duty of the press to ensure that government is responsible and accountable to the people. Its duties become prominent during emergencies and conflicts where, practitioners are expected to report without prejudice and as well feed the citizenry with reliable and up-to-date information to the extent that compel those in authority to take drastic action in order to assuage the feeling of the vulnerable. However, the number of people living under constant threat of banditry, terrorism and plethora of human rights Abuses in Nigeria is stunning, especially in Northern Nigeria where Boko Haram insurgents have culminated in abductions, kidnap-for-money and killings. These situations demand the attention of the media more than before. It is against this background that this paper examined the critical role of the media practitioners in crises situation, especially how they monitor NGOs, international organisations and voluntary agencies in applying the concept of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in relation to vulnerable people-women, children, aged and communities-affected by conflicts and how journalists tailor their reportage towards the welfare of the defenseless citizenry in particular to fulfill their watchdog role at large—all in a bid to make the society a better place. The theoretical underpinning of this study is formed by the Social Responsibility Theory. The study also employed focus group discussion (FGD) to gather qualitative data.
Introduction: Popular cultures constitute the predominant attitudes, living styles, and aspirations practised consciously and unconsciously by the people in a society. They emanate from the admixture of indigenous practices and foreign media influences that permeate the people’s ways of life. Sometimes, popular cultures can be regarded as youth cultures. In Nigeria in recent times, Big Brother Nigeria (BBN), a TV reality show franchise that started in 2006, has continued to draw criticisms and commendations from Nigerian citizens at home and abroad. Concerned citizens have drummed up various arguments and counter-arguments with regard to issues emanating from BBN show. Nevertheless, it continues to be produced such that it was even produced during the COVID-19 lockdown in the country. Therefore, this paper is interested in the arguments that people advanced for the cancellation or continuation of BBN shows in the Nigerian media landscape. It will investigate the socio-political implications considered by the Nigerian government through its regulatory bodies not to cancel the TV show. Its findings will be compared with the agenda-setting and social responsibility theories of the mass media. As an explorative study, it will rely on secondary data. It is hoped that the study will contribute to the literature on popular cultures and related fields.
Introduction:
The African media are positioned as change agents of development and in combating the ongoing crises. This chapter underscores the need to shift research foci from media’s role as information disseminators, to consider the processes and contexts of media discourse production, reception, consumption, and the cultural predispositions where meaning construction and interpretations take place. It seeks to argue for Cultural Studies as a useful framework in explaining how social relations are represented, contested, and different interests served in media discourses. Four key Cultural Studies theoretical strands, i.e., ‘discourse’, ‘representation’, ‘circuit of culture’, and ‘language’ are identified and justified useful in analysing the socio-political, economic, and cultural factors that influence the mediation of developmental issues in the African media. Most African media institutions (particularly radio) operate in indigenous languages or local vernaculars that are widely spoken by most populaces. The notion of language becomes central in the textual generation of meanings, as it affects thought and meaning, and its possible cultural biases. Language in Cultural Studies suggests that while all cultural phenomena are signs that produce meanings, meanings are only produced through reference to a system of conventions, which help organise and categorise objects in relation to each other.
Introduction: Indigenous language media in Africa function to meet the communication, social interaction, information, educational, development and entertainment needs of people. Indigenous African language media are part of the African indigenous communication system including music, drama, storytelling, proverbs and poetry. The Arab Spring revolutions were a series of anti-government protests that started in Tunisia in 2010 and spread into Morocco, Libya and Egypt in 2011, disposing authoritarian regimes in those countries. Indigenous communication forms can still be effectively used to inform authorities of citizen discontent and to communicate messages that can impact policy formulation. Decoloniality must be employed as a theoretical and methodological approach that forms part of a bigger decolonial project to promote a positive disposition towards African languages and culture. It is also important for policymakers to take indigenous media seriously because it is embedded in the culture of the people.
Introduction: Despite the growing amount of research into indigenous language media, many studies are still grounded in normative theories that look at African language media through a historical and normative lens. By gravitating towards a critical theory tradition that foregrounds critical political economy and cultural studies approach, the papers in this book make theoretical, methodical and empirical contributions about indigenous African language media are affected by structural factors of politics, technology, culture and economy and how they are creatively produced and appropriated by their audiences across African cultures and contexts. Thus, this chapter is a summary that explores topics on indigenous African language media about media representations, media texts and contents, practice-based activities, audience reception and participation, television, popular culture and cinema, peace and conflict resolution, health and environmental crisis communication, citizen journalism, ethnic and identity formation, beat analysis and investigative journalism, and corporate communication.
Introduction: The purpose of this chapter is to clarify the difference between indigenous and indigenised Yoruba popular music. It is an open secret that African cultures suffered and are still suffering from this systemic erosion through neo-colonialism and media imperialism such that most Africans find it difficult differentiating what are indigenous African cultures and the indigenised cultures. Considering the power and reach of popular music generally, there is a need to differentiate between those African indigenous music genres and those ones borrowed, forced upon but already indigenised. The Yoruba people of South West Nigeria are one of the prominent tribes on the African continent who are blessed with music genres such as apala, sakara, fuji, juju, were, awurebe and dadakuada that are indigenous to them and those from abroad that they have indigenised such as hip hop, Afrobeat, religious music, medley R & B and jazz. Consequently, this chapter examines the Yoruba music concepts, origins, composition techniques and instruments. Essentially, the chapter adopted qualitative approach relying on secondary data from archival materials. It is hoped that this chapter will be able to contribute to scholarship and proper understanding of African indigenous popular music.
Introduction: Indigenous African popular music has long been an under-appreciated indigenous African media of communication in scholarship. At face value, the significance of indigenous African popular music genres is easily lost to its being seen as pandering to aesthetics and entertainment alone. However, understanding the nature and philosophies of indigenous African popular music will reveal its untapped diversity which can only be unravelled by the knowledge of myriad cultural backgrounds from which its genres originate. Indigenous African popular music is also as robust as the very many artistes who have pioneered, nurtured and succeeded and their protégés who are resiliently sustaining, recreating and popularising its various forms and genres in their respective African communities. Indigenous African popular music genres and artistes have been known to represent the individual African communities and at the same time propagate the communal views about African philosophies and the temporal and spiritual worlds in which they exist. During colonial period and post-independence dispensation, indigenous African music genres and their artistes were mainstreamed in order to tackle emerging issues, to sensitise Africans about the affairs of their respective nations and to conscientise African leaders who have failed and are failing African citizenry about the plight of the people. In fact, some of those emerging issues then have become full blown crises that have adversely affected basic things: food, shelter, health, education that should guarantee the comfortable existence of an average African. This debilitating situation equally has spurred indigenous African popular music artistes, and they have become champions of good governance, marginalised population and repositories of indigenous cultural traditions and cosmologies. After all, artistes, like their counterparts in literary world, can only reflect realities in which they themselves exist. At the same time, indigenous African popular music genres have also served as some beacon to the teeming African youths to express their dreams, frustrations about their environments and to represent themselves. The truth is that African youths are the hope of preserving indigenous African music in their integration of innovative ideas that will help refine African music generally. With the advent of the new media technology, indigenous African popular music and its artistes, the sustenance of indigenous African popular music genres and their artistes has become challenging. Without doubt, it is apparent that all these qualities and functions of indigenous African popular music genres and artistes have not been fully documented; hence, the need for this book: INDIGENOUS AFRICAN POPULAR MUSIC: THE ART AND ITS APPLICATIONS, which attempts to capture all these strands of scholarship in indigenous African popular music. Eighty-one contributors, who are from either academy or professional bodies from fields of knowledge such as Music, African Studies, Media and Journalism, Communication, Political Science, History, Gender Studies, Sociology, English, Indigenous Languages, or Theatre Arts, have submitted their abstracts and proposed topics. Below are summaries of their proposed topics and contents arranged in three sections.
Introduction: Studies have been established on the use of African extra-mundane communication such as incarnation, spiritual chants, rituals, prayers, sacrifices, invocations, trances, hysterics or liberation in both indigenous and exogenous media of communication, except music. Meanwhile, Apala, as an example of indigenous popular music, is one of the Yoruba many notable music genres that rely heavily on Yoruba cosmological views used to describe the Yoruba identity. As a result, this study will explore forms and levels of extra-mundane communication in selected songs of Ayinla Omowura, who was one of the prominent proponents of the indigenous Apala popular music in Yoruba land. We argue that the artiste’s (as an agent of communication) use of extra-mundane communication (as a tool) helps to preserve and reinforce the significance of extra-mundane communication in Yoruba people’s cultural memory. Also, we believe that the evidence of these African extra-mundane communication styles reveals the rainbow role of traditionalist, priest, prophet, seer, activist, ombudsman, devil advocate, father—all of which Ayinla Omowura signified as an agent who employed indigenous music in his society. Consequently adopted textual research design because we regarded the artiste’s songs as texts, which we listened to, transcribed and translated from their native Egba-Yoruba language into English language. Applying the purposive sampling technique, we also selected only songs that paraded Yoruba extra-mundane communication forms and levels from 22 music albums Ayinla Omowura released in his roughly 10-year career, spanning between 1970 and 1980 when he died. As units of analysis, we used extra-mundane communication components to analyse the selected songs, with excerpts culled from the songs to show how the artiste deployed extra-mundane communication in his music. We hope that the findings were able to confirm Ayinla Omowura as an agent who utilised extra-mundane communication forms and levels to perform his role among the Yoruba people.
Introduction: 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. Findings revealed that African indigenous popular music medium is unique because of its inherent qualities, encapsulating all other African indigenous media in audio and visual texts and performance. Also, studies revealed that they had utilised music as a communication strategy. Its use covers political parties, protest movements and health issue campaigns for creating awareness. However, African corporate organisations, unlike other organisations, have not used African indigenous popular music as a communication strategy much. This attitude shows their reliance on conventional media when African indigenous language media like music still thrive.
Introduction: One of a series of titles on the Futures of Asia, “Future of Media in Asia” explores diverse facets of Asia's media landscape during the transformative 2020s, offering insights into pivotal transformations and potential trajectories. The covered topics include artificial intelligence, digital technology and media practice. Examining the topics from corporate foresight and past-future to technological trends and environmental shifts, this book showcases a collaborative effort from multidisciplinary researchers navigating the complexities of forecasting and envisioning Asia's media futures. This book offers valuable insights to the dynamic discourse on future studies, while offering a nuanced understanding of the possibilities that lie ahead of Asia as well as deciphering Asia's evolving impact and roles within the broader global context. An insightful read for scholars with an interest in Asian media and future studies.
Introduction: Journalistic Interventionism is the active engagement of journalists in shaping public opinion, influencing policy, and steering socio-political discourse. It is commonly expressed through three core functions: setting the political agenda, influencing public perception, and advocating social change. In setting the political agenda, journalists frame and emphasise specific themes to guide public and political attention. To shape public opinion, they often use human interest or conflict-oriented frames, influencing how audiences interpret events. Additionally, journalists promote social change by spotlighting key issues, leveraging editorial tools such as headline selection and story placement. Accordingly, emotional framing (such as the use of evocative language or personal stories) is used to elicit empathy and mobilise public sentiment. In some cases, journalists align with advocacy networks or organisations to broaden the reach and impact of their message. Journalistic interventionism approach enhances journalism’s transformative potential and also raises ethical concerns. For example, presenting information in alignment with a particular viewpoint blurs the line between reporting and advocacy. This persistent coverage of certain topics can create a sense of urgency and call to action, but it challenges traditional norms of objectivity. Thus, journalistic interventionism reflects a complex and evolving role of media in society, one that must balance influence with responsibility.
Introduction: Mental Health in the Digital Age, a book written by Sheri Bauman and Ian Rivers, explores the impact of digital platforms on mental health in today’s tech-driven world. The book addresses critical topics such as teletherapy, the dual effects of social media, cyberbullying, “Zoom fatigue,” and the role of artificial intelligence in mental healthcare. These topics are discussed against the backdrop of evolving dynamics since the onset of the pandemic. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, the authors integrate perspectives from psychology, public health, and technology studies, offering a balanced perspective on the benefits and limitations of digital media. Key discussions include teletherapy’s accessibility versus its relational challenges, social media’s impact on mental well-being, and the need for ethical digital practices. This comprehensive volume, which is supported by extensive research, is a crucial resource for professionals and researchers seeking to understand the nexus between mental health and digital media.
Introduction: Cultural Chauvinism: Intercultural Communication and the Politics of Superiority, written by the esteemed scholar Minabere Ibelema, is a thought-provoking exploration of the complexity surrounding intercultural communication and the power dynamics that often underlie these interactions. Minanere Ibelema delves into the concept of cultural chauvinism, shedding light on the implications of superiority politics in cross-cultural exchanges. This exploration of cultural chauvinism is presented in a detailed and unique multidimensional manner. Ibelema introduces the book by establishing an all-encompassing backdrop of chauvinism as “the tendency of peoples of the world to think of themselves as superior to others and therefore more valuable” (xi).
Ibelema uses a nuanced and insightful approach to explore the power dynamics embedded in intercultural convergence. This is the foremost way in which cultural chauvinism serves as a tool for asserting dominance, whether at the individual, institutional, or societal level. The regularity of this occurrence across global regions is evident in discourses concerning racial, political, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic issues. For example, the author demonstrates the tendency of individuals or societies to assert the superiority of their own culture over others. Moreover, racism is situated in the manifestation of cultural superiority: “Cultural chauvinism is obviously attitudinal. Yet, it has concrete—sometimes tragic—consequences” (2). The author implores the readers to confront the underlying biases and preconceptions that can permeate interculturality.
The author skilfully offers a clearer understanding of how these attitudes can obstruct clear communication and reinforce negative perceptions, inequality, and discrimination. For example, he explores the perspectives of identity using real-world issues to illuminate the pivotal superiority of Western values and their centrality in global politics. The author demonstrates how overtly offensive expressions can reveal the varied and routine ways through which the superiority of cultures is often expressed without arousing raised eyebrows. This shows too that even when such expressions do not offend, they influence consequent behaviors and policies.
The author weaves theoretical frameworks with practical examples, to help readers grasp the relevance of the book’s insights in their everyday lives and interactions. Throughout the book, Ibelema offers valuable insights into the role of language. As he observes, language is not just a tool for connecting with others, but it also functions as a repository of cultural values and identity. The author argues that lingual jingoism—the belief in the superiority of one’s own language—can be a subtle yet potent form of cultural chauvinism.
Ibelema emphasizes throughout this book the need for cultural humility, which stands in direct contrast to cultural chauvinism (116). According to him, cultural humility involves a willingness to engage in self-reflection, recognize one’s own cultural biases, and approach intercultural communication with an open mind. The author insists that fostering cultural humility is essential for building genuine connections and mutual understanding between individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
Overall, this book makes a significant and timely addition to the field of intercultural communication scholarship. It encourages readers to address the power dynamics present in cross-cultural interactions, critically evaluate their cultural prejudices, and work toward developing cultural humility. In an increasingly diverse and linked world, this book is an invaluable tool for academics, students, and anybody else who wants to build meaningful interpersonal connections.
The ideas in this book hinge on inclusivity, which specifically includes but is not limited to cultural understanding, empathy and perspective-taking, tolerance and acceptance, social justice and equality, and intersectionality. This allows room for people to recognize cultural bias, critically examine power dynamics, promote cultural humility, dismantle stereotypes, demonstrate shared humanity, encourage intercultural dialogue, and practically apply the principles of unification. All these activities are not only applicable but also essential for fostering a more welcoming and peaceful global community as we traverse an era of globalization.
Introduction: A country’s reputation plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions, attracting investment and promoting economic development. At the same time, good governance is essential for promoting environmental sustainability and addressing pressing environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and natural resource depletion. This study examines the impact of a country’s reputation on environmental sustainability in Developing-8 countries using panel data obtained from the Worldwide Governance Indicators and World Development Indicators for the duration from 1996 to 2020. This panel study adopted the Method of Moment Quantile Regression with fixed effects and mean-based regressions. The results demonstrated that the impact of the country’s reputation index on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is negative, yet significant. Also, all the country’s reputation indicators negatively affect CO2 emissions, but the case of political stability is only significant in the mid-quantiles, while government effectiveness is albeit insignificant across quantiles. Furthermore, economic growth is observed to stimulate CO2 emissions, while renewable energy consumption decreases CO2 emissions. These results have an inherent heterogeneity, culminating in an asymmetric pattern of the distribution of CO2 emissions. The novelty of this study is, firstly, the construction of a country’s composite reputation index for Developing-8 countries; and secondly, assessing the impact of this index in mitigating environmental externalities measured by CO2 emissions. Based on these findings, it is recommended, among other things, the need for the D-8 countries to improve their reputation policy to be able to attain the desired environmental sustainability. .
Introduction: This paper examined the adoption of social media to disperse information at the beginning of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Content analysis was employed to identify and select relevant posts for presidents of five African countries (Egypt, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Nigeria) from February to July 2020, which were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Results indicate that African leaders utilized Facebook mostly in April, posting majorly in text form about issues centered on diplomatic ties, information and orientation, and preventive measures. Followers were more inclined to share the posts than they react by emojis and comments based on Facebook account, post form, and post topic. The findings demonstratively uphold the significance of social media in leadership communication, highlighting ways by which frequent and dominant content can be directed in messages during a crisis.
Introduction: Who owns the media and communications in Africa today and with what implications? The book elegantly answers this urgent question by unpacking multiple dimensions of media ownership through rare and authoritative perspectives, including both historical and contemporary digital developments. It traces the evolving forms of ownership of media and communications in specific African contexts, showing how they interact with broader changes in and outside the continent.
The book also shows how Big Techs, such as Meta (formerly known as Facebook), are involved in a scramble for Africa’s digital ecosystem and how their advance brings both opportunities and concerns about ownership and control. The chapters analyse evolving forms of ownership and their implications on media concentration and democracy across Africa. The book offers a nuanced account of how media ownership structures are in some instances captured with an ever-growing and complex ecosystem that also has new opportunities for public interest media.
Offering a significant representation of the trends and diversity of existing media systems, the book goes beyond the postcolonial geographical divisions of North and Sub-Saharan Africa to highlight common patterns and significant similarities and differences of communications ownerships between and within African countries. The contributors expose media and communications ownership patterns in Africa that are centralised and yet decentralising and in some cases, battling, resurging and globalising.
Introduction: Introduction
With the changing dynamics in developed and developing economies of the world, technological innovations have ushered in new ways of communication and information sharing. This way, the use of internet has become part and parcel of daily routines for individuals, businesses, organisations and governments. In the case of Africa as a whole, the global statistics on internet use indicate that from year 2000 up to date, there is a penetration rate of 35.2% (Internet World Stats, 2018). As of year 2000, there were barely two hundred thousand internet users in Nigeria. Fast-forward to 2018, the internet population has grown to over 98 million people. According to Internet World Statistics (2018), this shows a penetration rate of 50.2% by the estimated population. By this global increase in internet use, social media tend to also offer a suitable platform for the projection of health communication to benefit citizens with varied levels of exposure across ages.
Global reports on world population shows an explosion and Africa alone has experienced a rapid population growth (van Bavel, 2013). Data available through the United Nations project that by the year 2050, more than half the world’s global population growth rate will be that of Africa (UNDESA, 2017). This population surge is not alien to Nigeria, whose widely popularised giant of Africa holds sway. Today, the World Population review approximate Nigeria’s current population to be 206.14 million people. There is no doubt that with such increase, there is also a great possibility that the continent will record an all high increase rate in health concerns.
Most recent disease outbreaks on the Africa continent include ebola virus, cholera, meningitis, yellow fever, zika virus plague, lassa fever, bird flu, measles, polio, typhoid, hepatitis, diarrheal, malaria (CDCP, 2017). These reported cases have variously claimed lives of unsuspecting victims, who ought to (if only they had the required information) have taken preventive measures. Hence, the need to use all available means to match the information needs of such growing population.
Using the backdrop of these statistics, it is clear that there is a growing population in Nigeria. To match the needs of the people, certain factors have the ability to ensure effective health communication. Among other relative issues are improved literacy, access to internet - specifically use of social media. In very common cases, internet users are able to search health-related information on the cyberspace but those who are unable to extensively navigate, social media becomes the easiest means to access the needed information. The potential benefits of using social media are vast because information and communication technologies have transformed web interaction a face-to-face process.
The health sector has experienced laudable improvement in service delivery, and the use of communication techniques to promote public health. Apart from using the mass media and other more traditional means (such as word of mouth, public announcements in markets, religious gathers, etc), information and communication technologies have also been utilised to provide the desired boost of the health system. Since the ICTs have offered new media platforms upon which health communication is thriving, there is need for more explorations on this issue.
Generally speaking, everyone needs information about their health to be able to take necessary proactive measures. In any given country, health instability needs to be addressed because, if not taken care of, it (in one way or another) gain grounds to become a global threat. Therefore, the most desired responses to health issues need to have a global outlook. For instance, the United Nations declaration of the millennium development goals clearly stated the need for people to have access to safe drinking water. This pronouncement on health emphasized the need to prevent individuals of all ages from suffering the lack of proper health care and eventual death(s).
The best approach to ensure the occurrence of preventable sicknesses and deaths is first to adequately provide people with information on best measures and practices. This brings us to the role play of health communication. Reports reveal that more than one third of deaths which occur across Africa have health-related causes. They include consumption of unclean water, poor sanitation and contaminated foods. Clearly, health information enlighten people about pathogens, germs, fungi, parasites, protozoans and odours that pose harm to the body if unnoticed.
Introduction: Tourism has been recognized as one of the world’s fastest growing sectors, with significant role in economic development of nations. Yusuff & Akinde (2015) identify tourism firms to include hotels, resorts, theatres, shopping centres among other attraction points. As an economic sector, tourism brings about economic diversification and promotes regional equalities while also supporting several other industries to create employment opportunities.
As a key economic driver through enhancing income growth, the spending on global tourism over the years continue to rise. According to the World Tourism Organization (2016), disbursements rose from US$1.3 trillion (contributing 6% of the world’s gross domestic product) to US$1.3 trillion in 2018 (contributing 10.4% of the world’s gross domestic product). The United Kingdom Bureau of Statistics (2015) also noted that the hospitality industry employs not less than 2.7 million people and the industry was valued around £524-600 billion. Due to the robust nature of the industry, there is increased attention by scholars, investors and governments. This stems not only because tourism affords people the pleasure of stress release and sight-seeing, but for the stead of major economic base as the thronging of tourists intensifies (Steinmetz, 2010).
Generally speaking, tourism development is driven by a number of factors, ranging from the uniqueness of tourist products and packages marketed (Pechlaner & Pichler, 2013; Mehmetoglu & Normann, 2013), cultural attractions and gastronomy (Fischer, 2009), internal security (Sainaghi, 2006), diversity of geographical features and good infrastructure as well as hospitable behavior/skills (Volgger, Pechlaner & Pichler, 2013) among others. Boyatziz (1982) cited in Hallin & Marnburg (2007) described these as the underlying characteristics of tourist destinations and they contribute decisively to the development of core competence.
According to Mehmetoglu & Normann (2013), the competitiveness of any destination, among others, depends on their ability to configure management strategy around these specific features as they provide competitive advantages to the enterprise in case they are unit/rare, valuable and sustainable. In the same vein, Volgger, Pechlaner & Pichler (2013) argue that combining high-quality infrastructure, diverse culture with social skills of hospitality personnel as core competence may build up and develop a niche for a nation compared with other competitors in the hospitality market in the long term. This underlines the theoretical postulation of core competency models.
While many tourist destinations in developed countries have realized this and configured their management strategy around their core competence as well as build business models that support these competences, little is known on the available core competence of the tourism enterprise in Nigeria. This is in spite of the importance theories and empirical works have accorded to identification and development of key competency as the major determinants of enterprise performance. It is against this backdrop that this study is designed to identify core competence necessary to drive competitive advantages in Nigerian tourism enterprise.
Introduction: For a long time, popular culture has assumed a central place in the debate on media content and consumption. Popular culture invades the lives of people and influences the attitudes and consumption patterns. With the changing dynamics of society, individuals experience overwhelming impact of messages in form of images, texts, and sounds. Therefore, common cultures with massive appeal are cultivated and become popular, irrespective of style. This chapter on the diffusion of mobile telephony popular culture is built on existing knowledge to draw a background on mobile telephony. Related literature explained the global emergence of mobile technology and established that mobile telephones have diffused in popular culture. While considering the shortfalls and scholarship, the study concluded that technological innovations have contributed to the popularity of mobile phones, and in the same way, the consumption needs of people have made the practices a popular trend.
Introduction: Today, the media environment has traversed several phases of technological advancements and as a result, there is a shift in the production and consumption of news. This chapter conceived fake news within the milieu of influencing information spread in the society, especially on the cyberspace. Using the hierarchy of influence model trajectory with fake news, it was established that it has become almost impossible to sustain trust and credibility through individual influences on online news content. The primary reason is that journalists are constrained by professional ethics, organizational routines, and ownership influence. Rather than verify facts and offer supporting claims, online users without professional orientation engage in a reproducing information indiscreetly. The chapter recommends that ethics be reconsidered as a means to recreate and imbibe journalistic values that will contend with the fake news pandemic.
Introduction: Despite that Nigeria has continued to grapple with hindrances, there are still prospects and the prisons authorities have continued to sue for the integration of inmates through skill-acquisition trainings in the area of furniture, soap-making, fabrication, aluminium and metal works, mechanised and non-mechanised agricultural practices, social entrepreneurship and several other business profiteering methods. These are the major ways through which the prisons services have continued reforms to rehabilitate and reintegrate inmates into the society (Asokhia & Agbonluae, 2013).
It is worthy of note that the Nigerian situation is one that is peculiar to most developing nations the world over, and to say the least, some developed economies also encounter some of these issues in their prison sector. The welfare of prisoners is primarily targeted towards preparing them to recuperate from the lifestyles that prompted them to commit crime in the first place, and in a lot more precise manner, enable them to fit back into the dynamic society. Even as there is no stated universal prison standards, the United Nations pronouncement of the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners2 using the provisions and core instruments of the human rights as a guiding principle. According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2015), the pronouncement contained in the standard minimum rules for treatment of prisons have greatly influenced the advancement, guidelines and performance of prison management across nations. On the Africa continent, several attempts have been made by governments to improve on the conditions in the prisons, yet, a lot is still desired (Dissel, 2001; Sarkin, 2008; Allen, 2010; International Committee of the Red Cross, 2012; Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2013).