Adoption of digital media by African language print newspapers: the case of Isolezwe

Digital media have transformed media’s news gathering, production and news dissemination traditions. However, African language newspapers’ use of digital media has been overlooked and understudied. Therefore, this study explores the adoption of digital media by Isolezwe, a South African indigenous language newspaper that publishes in IsiZulu. Data were gathered using the interview and observation methods. Deploying strands drawn from media convergence and diffusion of innovation theories, the study shows the convergence of African language print media and digital media, and advancement of African language newspapers towards increasing their digital and social media presence. This development has positively enhanced Isolezwe’s journalistic functions of newsgathering and dissemination. The study provides insights into understanding African language journalism in the context of the advancement of digital and communication technologies. Findings from this research show that Isolezwe has expanded its digital presence to social media. Over and above the online version, Isolezwe is also actively engaged on Twitter and Facebook which are the two most popular social networking sites in South Africa. The platforms are strategically deployed for newsgathering and news dissemination purposes. This is a timely contribution to existing scholarship on the adoption of digital media by indigenous languages newspapers in South Africa in particular and Africa in general. The study also provides insights into understanding African language journalism in the context of the advancement of digital and communication technologies

HIV/AIDS awareness advertising: representation of the linguistic and socio-cultural repertoires on ZBC/ TV

This paper analyses HIV/AIDS advertisements in the electronic form focusing in particular on the manipulation of the linguistic and socio-cultural repertoire of the target audience in sense creation as part of HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. By utilizing the communication and discourse analysis models as the methodological tools, this paper analyses the ambiguities and accuracies in the advertisements focusing on language use, socio-cultural references and the reception of the advertisements. This study is based on selected advertisements screened on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Television (herein referred in this paper as ZBC TV) in the first half of the year 2009. The paper argues that though the advertisers carefully manipulated the linguistic and socio-cultural repertoire of the recipient audience, inadequacies, ambiguities and assumptions were also detected in the advertisements thereby reducing their effectiveness in their intended purpose

Cultural capital and the sustainability of NGOs’ development programs in Zimbabwe: an integrative approach

http://dx.doi.org.access.msu.ac.zw:2048/10.5539/jsd.v5n10p89,This paper examines the compatibility of the development programs which are implemented by the Non-Governmental Organizations’ (NGOs) in the Midlands, Matabeleland and Masvingo provinces of Zimbabwe with the cultural sustainability and sustainable development in these cultural communities. This paper argues for the integration of cultural capital in the developmental projects which are implemented by the NGOs in the provinces of Zimbabwe. This paper is based on the data which was collected from five NGOs and six cultural communities which are the beneficiaries of the NGOs’ development programs. The theoretical underpinnings of this paper are situated in cultural conservatism, a philosophy which valorises the traditional cultural institutions and the organic change of these cultural communities. This study establishes that, the programs implemented by the NGOs in Zimbabwe are predetermined and are detached from the cultures of the communities in which they are implemented. In view of the argument that culture is an important component in development, both as cultural capital and in defining development, this paper concludes that the prescriptive NGOs’ development programs are detrimental to cultural sustainability and sustainable development in Zimbabwe. Therefore, this paper argues that there is need to integrate the cultural capital of the communities in the designing and implementation of the NGOs development programs in Zimbabwe

HIV/AIDS awareness advertising: representation of the linguistic and socio-cultural repertoires on ZBC/ TV

This paper analyses HIV/AIDS advertisements in the electronic form focusing in particular on the manipulation of the linguistic and socio-cultural repertoire of the target audience in sense creation as part of HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. By utilizing the communication and discourse analysis models as the methodological tools, this paper analyses the ambiguities and accuracies in the advertisements focusing on language use, socio-cultural references and the reception of the advertisements. This study is based on selected advertisements screened on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Television (herein referred in this paper as ZBC TV) in the first half of the year 2009. The paper argues that though the advertisers carefully manipulated the linguistic and socio-cultural repertoire of the recipient audience, inadequacies, ambiguities and assumptions were also detected in the advertisements thereby reducing their effectiveness in their intended purpose

Multilingualism, localism and the nation : identity politics in the Zimbabwe Braodcasting Corporation

This study examines the mediation of multilingualism, localism and the nation in the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, henceforth, ZBC as the local content and multilingual broadcasting policies subsumed in the Broadcasting Services Act (2001) and the Broadcasting Services Amendment Act (2007) respectively translated into radio and television programming. This purpose is pursued by analysing the language choices and practices on the ZBC radio and television stations and programming. This study is informed by an eclectic approach within the critical theory tradition and therefore it disapproves the domination, marginalisation and exclusion of the indigenous African languages in the ZBC as a public sphere. Against this backdrop, the study envisages the promotion of linguistic diversity and indigenous African languages in the ZBC broadcasting. Data for this study was gathered from the ZBC employees, academics and the ZBC audience using questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. As the local content and multilingual broadcasting policies translated into ZBC programming, this study detected a hierarchical organisation of the languages spoken in Zimbabwe on the radio and television stations where English is the most dominant language, while Shona and Ndebele dominate the minority languages, Shona dominates Ndebele and the supremacy of the Zezuru dialect in the Shona language is easily felt. This is a confirmation of the fragility of Zimbabwean linguistic nationalism in the ZBC which is convoluted by the ideological and political nature of the media, electronic colonisation, the political economy of broadcasting, the transformation of the ZBC public sphere by the market and state interests, the influence of the global media firms, and the relentless hegemony of the western countries in the world system. This study established that broadcasting in indigenous African languages is obligatory if the informative, communicative and symbolic functions of the public service broadcasting are to be achieved. However, this study contends that it is remarkably insufficient for linguists to minimally identify, lament and deplore the marginalisation and exclusion of the indigenous African languages in the ZBC without taking into account the economic, political and technological factors which contribute to the marginalisation and exclusion of these languages in the ZBC broadcasting in the context of the local content and multilingual broadcasting policies. Therefore, this study implores scholars in the discipline of language studies to ameliorate their sophistication by espousing a multidisciplinary approach to the study of language if they are to make meaningful arguments which can influence meaningful language policy outcomes instead of parroting

Multilingualism, localism and the nation : identity politics in the Zimbabwe Braodcasting Corporation

This study examines the mediation of multilingualism, localism and the nation in the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, henceforth, ZBC as the local content and multilingual broadcasting policies subsumed in the Broadcasting Services Act (2001) and the Broadcasting Services Amendment Act (2007) respectively translated into radio and television programming. This purpose is pursued by analysing the language choices and practices on the ZBC radio and television stations and programming. This study is informed by an eclectic approach within the critical theory tradition and therefore it disapproves the domination, marginalisation and exclusion of the indigenous African languages in the ZBC as a public sphere. Against this backdrop, the study envisages the promotion of linguistic diversity and indigenous African languages in the ZBC broadcasting. Data for this study was gathered from the ZBC employees, academics and the ZBC audience using questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. As the local content and multilingual broadcasting policies translated into ZBC programming, this study detected a hierarchical organisation of the languages spoken in Zimbabwe on the radio and television stations where English is the most dominant language, while Shona and Ndebele dominate the minority languages, Shona dominates Ndebele and the supremacy of the Zezuru dialect in the Shona language is easily felt. This is a confirmation of the fragility of Zimbabwean linguistic nationalism in the ZBC which is convoluted by the ideological and political nature of the media, electronic colonisation, the political economy of broadcasting, the transformation of the ZBC public sphere by the market and state interests, the influence of the global media firms, and the relentless hegemony of the western countries in the world system. This study established that broadcasting in indigenous African languages is obligatory if the informative, communicative and symbolic functions of the public service broadcasting are to be achieved. However, this study contends that it is remarkably insufficient for linguists to minimally identify, lament and deplore the marginalisation and exclusion of the indigenous African languages in the ZBC without taking into account the economic, political and technological factors which contribute to the marginalisation and exclusion of these languages in the ZBC broadcasting in the context of the local content and multilingual broadcasting policies. Therefore, this study implores scholars in the discipline of language studies to ameliorate their sophistication by espousing a multidisciplinary approach to the study of language if they are to make meaningful arguments which can influence meaningful language policy outcomes instead of parroting

Cultural capital and the sustainability of NGOs’ development programs in Zimbabwe: an integrative approach

http://dx.doi.org.access.msu.ac.zw:2048/10.5539/jsd.v5n10p89This paper examines the compatibility of the development programs which are implemented by the Non-Governmental Organizations’ (NGOs) in the Midlands, Matabeleland and Masvingo provinces of Zimbabwe with the cultural sustainability and sustainable development in these cultural communities. This paper argues for the integration of cultural capital in the developmental projects which are implemented by the NGOs in the provinces of Zimbabwe. This paper is based on the data which was collected from five NGOs and six cultural communities which are the beneficiaries of the NGOs’ development programs. The theoretical underpinnings of this paper are situated in cultural conservatism, a philosophy which valorises the traditional cultural institutions and the organic change of these cultural communities. This study establishes that, the programs implemented by the NGOs in Zimbabwe are predetermined and are detached from the cultures of the communities in which they are implemented. In view of the argument that culture is an important component in development, both as cultural capital and in defining development, this paper concludes that the prescriptive NGOs’ development programs are detrimental to cultural sustainability and sustainable development in Zimbabwe. Therefore, this paper argues that there is need to integrate the cultural capital of the communities in the designing and implementation of the NGOs development programs in Zimbabwe

Language policy, linguistic hegemony and exclusion in the Zimbabwean print and broadcasting media

This article examines linguistic hegemony and linguistic exclusion in the Zimbabwean print and broadcasting media. The discussion is based on the fact that the media carry language, operate through language and contribute to language promotion and development. Therefore, this article argues that there is need for a sound and working language policy for the print and broadcasting media in Zimbabwe. The language used in information dissemination, public debates and communication can include or exclude some speech communities in the country. However, the language choices in the media in Zimbabwe demonstrate multilayered linguistic hegemonies where English is generally the dominant language, while Shona and Ndebele are hegemonic to the other languages in Zimbabwe. This situation is attributed to the fact that the broadcasting media in Zimbabwe are part of the colonial heritage; that there is a lack of a clear and consistent language policy of the media in Zimbabwe, which is reflective of the absence of a comprehensible national language policy; that the domination of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation leaves no room for meaningful and authentic competing community radio and television stations; that the media in Zimbabwe are business and political organisations; and that the media in Zimbabwe are appendages of the global media system which favour the use of English

The dearth of culture in sustainable development: the impact of NGOs' agenda and conditionalities on cultural sustainability in Zimbabwe.

This article examines the agenda and conditionalities of donor agencies which are typically subsumed under the euphemisms of terms such as development, women/children's rights and democracy among others, focusing on how they affect cultural sustainability and sustainable development in Zimbabwe. The article is based on the data gathered from selected cultural communities in the Midlands, Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces of Zimbabwe which supposedly benefit from the programs conducted by the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The focus is on the NGOs agenda as well as the conditionalities attached to the aid. This article takes a cultural dimension to the debate on the problems of NGOs in the developing world which hitherto, has largely been political and economical. It valorizes the need for self-determination of the communities which supposedly benefit from foreign aid distributed through NGOs in Zimbabwe. The argument in this article is based on the cultural conservatism theory, a philosophy which is premised on the self-determination, autonomy and cultural freedom of the communities in Zimbabwe, Hence, the argument this paper raises is that the agenda and conditionalities of the NGOs in Zimbabwe are developed without the dialogic involvement of the community members such that they arc predetermined and judgmental. Considering the importance of culture in development, both as a resource and in defining the concept of development, the argument pursued in this article is that the prescriptive NGOs' agenda and conditionalities are inimical to cultural sustainability and ultimately sustainable development in Zimbabwe. This argument is premised on the preservation and safeguarding of the cultural capital of the Zimbabwean cultural communities in the implementation of sustainable development programmes by NGOs

Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja†in Zimdancehall music

The debate in this paper is enthused by the neurotic recurrence of the Shona linguistic expression “Musoja†(soldier) in Zimdancehall musical discourses. The enthusiastic utilisation of this name by the assemblage of Zimdancehall artists such as Sniper Storm, Jah Prayzer and Guspy Warrior, among others, is profoundly sustained by the militarised lingo, images and discourses that suffuse into their titles, chants, mannerisms, gesticulation and regalia in musical videos and performances. This article critically interrogates the foundation and motivations of the obsessive utilisation of the name “Musoja†(soldier) and other related militaristic expressions in the Zimdancehall music fraternity. It further analyses the outcomes and implications of employing these military images in expressing non-military phenomena as observed in Zimdancehall music to the image of the musicians, the content of music, their musical performances, music brand in general as well as the military service personnel. In addressing these issues, we make use of the discourse analysis method, semiotics and the theories of representation. It is argued in this paper that this militarisation of Zimdancehall music, where the artists symbolically present themselves as “soldiers†in music, is a way of transferring the power from the real soldiers to the seemingly feeble Zimdancehall musicians as a way of raising their own significance and the value of their music in a well-established music industry in Zimbabwe. Their militarised musical discourse has also resulted in militarisation of life by elevating military prowess above everything in life events. More so, it is ironic to note that the militarisation of Zimdancehall music has also resulted in the demilitarisation of the military service