Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

does not cost extra to broadcast in
it. Also, it does not cost <strong>the</strong> listener,
who may not be able to read <strong>the</strong>
language. That explains why we
have a good number of particularly
radio programmes in local languages
across <strong>the</strong> continent.
There are, however, some anomalies
with community radio: its outlets
are supposed to broadcast in <strong>the</strong>
languages of <strong>the</strong> communities <strong>the</strong>y
serve. Unfortunately, some community
radio broadcasts in foreign
and colonial languages. Meanwhile,
some community newspapers are
community-oriented in content, but
remain European in language.
Interestingly, however, African languages
are finding <strong>the</strong>ir way into
cyberspace. There is Google in a
number of African languages including
Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, isi-
Zulu, Igbo, isiXhosa and Sesotho.
Citizen journalism is also being
done in some African languages.
There are blogs in Swahili, and
speakers of o<strong>the</strong>r African languages
could derive some inspiration from
this. I am always enthralled when
I see my isiXhosa-speaking friends
posting and commenting on Facebook
in <strong>the</strong>ir language. This should
be a challenge and a model for
some of us to express ourselves in
our languages.
It is heart-warming that certain African
languages are present in some
international media. For instance,
<strong>the</strong>re is Hausa service on <strong>the</strong> BBC.
The quintessence of African media
should be that it speaks African
languages, represents and reacts to
African reality, and is in line with
African philosophies. For communication
to be effective and participatory
or interactive in Africa, <strong>the</strong>
languages of Africa must be used.
Au<strong>the</strong>ntic African communication
is one that is done in African
languages, and with African motifs.
There is a need to direction our
172 | Media in Africa - 2011
attention to communication in
African languages on any platform –
<strong>the</strong> mass media, <strong>the</strong> Internet, and in
<strong>the</strong> face-to-face private and public
communication. The traditional
folk media are also included in <strong>the</strong>
ensemble.
“In essence, <strong>the</strong>re is a
symbiotic relationship
between language,
communication and
media.”
There are some isolated success
stories in <strong>the</strong> African language print
media (Isolezwe and Alaroye, for
example), but <strong>the</strong>re is a role to play
by <strong>the</strong> wider society, governments
and regulatory bodies, and training
institutions in ensuring <strong>the</strong> survival
and vibrancy of this segment of our
media.
The onslaught of globalisation on
very many languages of <strong>the</strong> world,
including many national languages
in Europe, is real. That is why Africa
cannot fold its arms.
It is <strong>the</strong> case that some people highlight
<strong>the</strong> ‘Babelian motif’ against local
language media. This argument
refers to <strong>the</strong> biblical Tower of Babel
story which highlighted how social
unity broke down with <strong>the</strong> collapse
of <strong>the</strong> tower, leaving people unable
to understand one ano<strong>the</strong>r. The
counter argument to this is that
local/minority language media do
enable democratic participation in
democracy and development. This
avoids a ‘mass society’ vision which
is over-organised, over-centralised
and fails to offer realistic opportunity
for individual and majority expression.
REfEREncEs:
Hall, R. A. (1968). An Essay on
Language. New York. Chilton Books.
Ngugi, W. T. (1986). Decolonising
<strong>the</strong> Mind: The Politics of Language
in African Literature. London: James
Currey.