Through a meticulous exploration of oral traditions and community-based media practices, Unwana Samuel Akpan, Eddah Mutua, and the contributors of Indigenous African Communication and Media Systems in a Digitized Age explore the intricate interplay between traditional African communication methods and the modern digital terrain to unveil how these age-old systems are continuously evolving in response to globalization and digital advancements. From the rhythmic beats of the talking drum to the vibrant tapestry of oral histories, this book traces how Indigenous African societies have historically disseminated knowledge and preserved cultural identities. It examines the transformative impact of digital technologies on these practices to explore the rise of social media, mobile connectivity, and online storytelling platforms within African contexts. Akpan and Mutua challenge conventional narratives of media development by highlighting the resilience and relevance of African cultural expressions in an increasingly interconnected world. This book is essential reading for Afrocentric scholars and those interested in media studies, cultural anthropology, and the dynamic intersections of tradition and technology.
Contributions by:
Abayomi Bamidele Adisa,
Paul Agada,
Unwana Samuel Akpan
Edited by:
Eddah Mbula Mutua,
Unwana Samuel Akpan
Imprint: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781666965308
ISBN 10: 1666965308
Pages: 284
Publication Date: 05 February 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword Des Wilson Acknowledgments Introduction: Des Wilson and the Enduring Legacy in Preserving African Indigenous Communication and Media Systems Unwana Samuel Akpan and Eddah Mbula Mutua Part I: Importance of African Indigenous Communication and Media Systems Chapter 1: Relevance of Des Wilson’s African Indigenous Media Research Track in a Digitized Age Kehbuma Langmia Chapter 2: Examining the Impact of Digital Technology on African Indigenous Media in Botswana: A Potential Challenge to Sustainability/Longevity Shirley Marang Kekana Chapter 3: African Traditional Communication System in the Age of Hybridity: Habitual Media Customs and the Digital in the Nigerian Glocal Spaces Muhammad Hamisu Sani and Paul Obi Part II: Adaptation and Co-existence in the Digital Age Chapter 4: Communicating Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation in Nigeria for Development in the Digital Age: Where Does Des Wilson’s Trado-modern Media Come In? Herbert Batta Chapter 5: Ifa Divination, Extra-mundane Communication and Internet: An Overview Akinola Moses Owolabi, Bernice Oluwalaanu Sanusi, Oyinloye Oloyede, and Isaac Olajide Fadeyi Chapter 6: New Media Versus Traditional Media: 27 Years After Emergence of Internet in Nigeria Ibitayo Samuel Popoola and Paul Agada Chapter 7: African Language Media and BBC Yoruba Service Sports Headlines: Influence on Audience Engagement Online Unwana Samuel Akpan, Chuka Onwumechili, Abayomi Bamidele Adisa, and Abigail Odozi Ogwezzy-Ndisika Chapter 8: Egbe Bere Ugo Bere (Live and Let Live) Cultural Experiment as a Case Study on Igbo Traditional Public Relations Practice in Contemporary Digital Culture Nnamdi Tobechukwu Ekeanyanwu, Henry Chibueze Ogaraku, and Aloysius Chukwuebuka Ifeanyichukwu Part III: Enduring Relevance of African Indigenous Communication Systems in the Digital Age Chapter 9: Traditional Town Criers in Kenya and Nigeria: Enduring Relevance in the Digital Age Shamilla Amulega, Unwana Samuel Akpan, and Eddah Mbula Mutua Chapter 10: Nurturing Indigenous African Communication Modes in a Digital Age: Nigerian Performing Proverbs for Advice and Warning in Film Ihuoma Okorie Chapter 11: Implications of the Two Step Flow Theory on Traditional Leadership in the Digital Age: The Case of Annang People in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria Iniobong Courage Nda Chapter 12: Survival of Musical and Nonmusical Indigenous Namibian Media in the Digitized Age Perminus Matiure Chapter 13: Digital Technology in Breaking Information Barriers and the Preservation of Musical Arts in Zimbabwe Richard Muranda, Absolom Mutavati, Khulekani F. Moyo, and Almon Moyo Chapter 14: Vimbuza and Gule Wamkulu Traditional Dances as Enduring Malawian Indigenous Media Systems in the Digital Age Jerry Rutsate About the Contributors
Unwana Samuel Akpan is lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos. Eddah Mbula Mutua is professor of Intercultural Communication at St. Cloud State University.
Reviews for Indigenous African Communication and Media Systems in a Digitized Age
This book shines light on the integration of traditional Indigenous African processes of communication into the technological space. It further provides knowledge of Indigenous communication systems to understand their relevance in the present, past, and future while concurrently promoting inclusion in the digital age as an effective way of sustaining its rich culture through media. This book makes a great contribution to the pedagogy of Indigenous communication combined with new media, that is not limited to the African continent nor the Black races but enhances frontiers of knowledge within African communication theory and practice. It also serves as a great source of reference for students, scholars, communicators, researchers, and practitioners in the field of communication and media studies. --Ernest Yeboah Acheampong, University of Education, Winneba An incisive and contemporaneous contribution from an African perspective. Surely this will satisfy the curiosity of scholars who hitherto might have thought that nothing good could come from this part of the world. --Olusola Oyeyinka Oyewo, University of Ibadan
