Evolution and change of communication policy in postcolonial Africa

The potential of communication and communication systems has long been promoted as a key piece for development in the developing world. In the late 50s and early 60s, as many African countries gained independence, modernization theorists such as Lerner (1958), and Schramm (1964) articulated the notion that communication, particularly mass media, could and should be harnessed to difuse modernity in the developing world. This view was readily adopted by inter-national organizations, notably the United Nations (UN) and UNESCO (Thussu 2000). Since then, the growing scholarly interest in communication for development has been steady and has experienced a real boom since the 1990s, with varying perspectives and approaches.

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Published in: Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003143840-24