Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Africa

This book explores the role and place of popular, traditional and digital media platforms in the mediatization, representation and performance of various conflicts and peacebuilding interventions in the African context.The role of the media in conflict is often depicted as either ‘good’ (as symbolized by peace journalism) or ‘bad’ (as exemplified by war journalism), but this book moves beyond this binary to highlight the ‘in-between’ role that the media often plays in times of conflict. The volume does not only focus on the relationship between mass media, conflict and peacebuilding processes but it broadens its scope by critically analysing the dynamic and emergent roles of popular and digital media platforms in a continent where the semi-literate and oral communities still rely heavily on popular communication platforms to get news and information. Whilst social media platforms have been hailed for their assumed democratic and digital dividends, this book does not only focus on these positive aspects but also shines a light on dark forms of participation which are fuelling racial, gender, ethnic, political and religious conflicts in highly polarized and stratified societies.Highlighting the many ways in which traditional, digital and popular media can be used to both escalate conflicts and promote peacebuilding, this volume will be a useful resource for students, researchers and civil society groups interested in peace and conflict studies, journalism and media studies in different contexts within Africa.

Jacinta Maweu is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Media Studies and an Associate Faculty Member at the Institute of Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA) at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Her key research interests revolve around media and democracy, media and human rights, media in peacebuilding, media ethics and the political economy of the media.Admire Mare is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Communication at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, and a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Journalism, Film and Television at the University of Johannesburg. His research interests include digital media, digital journalism cultures and practices, media and democracy, youth studies, the intersection between technology and society, mediation of conflict and peacebuilding initiatives, innovation in African journalism, the role of artificial intelligence in newsrooms, sociology of African news and digital campaigns. He currently leads the international research project Social Media, Misinformation and Elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe (SoMeKeZi) funded by the Social Science Research Council (2019–2021).