Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
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200 radio stati<strong>on</strong>s, 23 TV channels,<br />
five daily newspapers, 33 weekly<br />
newspapers and 42 magazines.<br />
C<strong>on</strong>trast that with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> neighbouring<br />
countries of Rwanda and Burundi<br />
where government c<strong>on</strong>trol remains<br />
str<strong>on</strong>g, state media outlets dominate<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media scene and private media<br />
are discouraged.<br />
In West Africa, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media scenes<br />
in Nigeria and Ghana are vibrant.<br />
Nigeria now boasts 140 televisi<strong>on</strong><br />
channels, but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Sahel countries<br />
to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> north are still living in very<br />
media dark times with extremely<br />
low levels of access to media and<br />
technology.<br />
This enormous disparity of access<br />
and diversity of choice is reflected<br />
in Africa’s media c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong> patterns.<br />
Generally, however, traditi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
media (radio, TV and print) still<br />
dominate <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media landscape. Radio<br />
remains <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> universal medium<br />
and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> medium of choice for most<br />
people, televisi<strong>on</strong> is still a more urban<br />
and more up-market medium,<br />
while newspapers in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir many<br />
forms (nati<strong>on</strong>al, local, daily, weekly,<br />
<strong>on</strong>e page leaflet types) are still read<br />
by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> more educated people who<br />
tend to live in urban areas.<br />
Televisi<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tinues to grow in popularity<br />
largely due to infrastructure<br />
developments and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> relatively recent<br />
investment in local programming<br />
and local movies, which can<br />
attract very large audiences. Nollywood<br />
is possibly <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> third largest<br />
film producer in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world and<br />
perhaps <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world’s largest video<br />
producer. Its films attract wide audiences<br />
throughout <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinent.<br />
Technology will inevitably drive<br />
media use and access in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
future. People will c<strong>on</strong>sume and<br />
create media c<strong>on</strong>tent <strong>on</strong> multiple<br />
platforms and in many forms and<br />
formats. It is highly likely that<br />
mobile teleph<strong>on</strong>y will become <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
dominant media platform across<br />
Africa enabling people to ‘leap frog’<br />
176 | Media in Africa - 2011<br />
and close <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> digital divide. Already<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is survey-based evidence that<br />
people are listening to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> radio,<br />
watching televisi<strong>on</strong>, accessing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Internet and interacting with social<br />
media sites through <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir mobile<br />
ph<strong>on</strong>es.<br />
“Broadband will<br />
change our world as<br />
citizens increasingly<br />
become c<strong>on</strong>tent<br />
creators and start to<br />
act like media – which<br />
will inevitably blur <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
existing distincti<strong>on</strong><br />
between informati<strong>on</strong><br />
producers and<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sumers.”<br />
Looking into <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> future, two<br />
technological developments will<br />
change media across <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinent.<br />
Broadband will change our world as<br />
citizens increasingly become c<strong>on</strong>tent<br />
creators and start to act like<br />
media — which will inevitably blur<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> existing distincti<strong>on</strong> between informati<strong>on</strong><br />
producers and c<strong>on</strong>sumers.<br />
Media producti<strong>on</strong> is likely to<br />
become more democratic as costs<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tinue to reduce.<br />
Every<strong>on</strong>e will become a media node,<br />
and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re will be co-ownership of<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tent and media brands. Access<br />
to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Internet will make it easier<br />
to find and form communities. The<br />
process of creating and sharing<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> will lead to a greater<br />
sense of engagement that will<br />
lead to less dependence <strong>on</strong> media<br />
organisati<strong>on</strong>s who will need to find<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir way into <strong>on</strong>line networks and<br />
communities.<br />
Social networking has brought subsurface<br />
activities in people’s lives to<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> surface. We will be able increasingly<br />
to watch what people are saying<br />
and doing as never before. Already,<br />
people outside <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media are<br />
building <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir own audiences. A major<br />
shift in trust is underway from<br />
big instituti<strong>on</strong>s to each individual’s<br />
own network, and informati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong><br />
is increasingly in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> form<br />
of interactive c<strong>on</strong>versati<strong>on</strong>. Media<br />
organisati<strong>on</strong>s will need to become<br />
active participants in people’s pers<strong>on</strong>al<br />
networks.<br />
Media c<strong>on</strong>tent providers will need<br />
to get ever closer to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir users<br />
and understand how to engage and<br />
involve with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m. Many advertisers<br />
are ahead of media owners in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir understanding of how best<br />
to do this. The traditi<strong>on</strong>al media<br />
measurement metrics of reach and<br />
share will no l<strong>on</strong>ger be relevant in a<br />
world where dialogue, engagement<br />
and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> involvement of users will be<br />
of paramount importance.