Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Radio in Africa

Today, I was part of a group presentation on "How colonialisation has influenced the media sysytems in Africa". It was just amazing to find out for how long the white man had manipulated Africa. What is more interesting is to know how Britain had hold on to sovereignty and for how long the English Language has subordinated other languages.

Will Africa ever come out of this supression? I asked myself so many questions that I had no immediate answers to in the near future.

Broadcast medium has been under colonial hands and this control was handed over to governments as countries gained independence. This mode of communication is a very big PROPAGANDA tool for politicians and this explains why the government will always have a firm grip over radio and television.

Is the African media's war for freedom and less manipulations by state machinary similar to those fought in Europe and America in the early 19th century? I ask this question becuase Europeans seems to think that all in Africa is dark and that they did not go through a similar phases.

Lets see if like them, Africa will one day have a dawn. ... no matter how long it takes.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Who should apologise here?

Who should have apologized in this case?
One of the renowned lawyers in Texas had made love to a city prostitute who unfortunately forgot to take her panty from the lawyer's car. Afterwards he drove home and as usual the wife came out with open arms, hugged him warmly and led him to the house. The man then remembered, 'Honey please rush to the car and get some chicken. Sorry I forgot to bring it with me after the hug.' The lady dashed to the car. What met her eyes? A woman's panty!!!!!! 'Caught this idiot today' she thought. 'You thought you could escape this time round!' She muttered. With all her strength she tore the panty into pieces and rushed back to the husband ready to tear him down. During all this time ' the man had realized his folly and was ready. He was smart enough.
'Now why do you ruin my life?' the lady asked. 'You! Do you realize what you have just done!?' the husband stammered outrageously 'That's the case worth ten million dollars I told you about yesterday and the panty was the rape evidence. What am I going to present before court tomorrow? Why do you rush into action without consulting me first? You must produce that item!'
Unbelievably the wife was so sorry. She even went to look for the torn pieces and brought back to her husband with a promise never to repeat the mistake. She wouldn't imagine her husband losing 10 million.
Really who should have apologized?
NEVER ARGUE WITH MEN THEY ARE NATURAL BORN LIARS!!!!!
MOST CAN MAKE GOOD LAWYERS, THEY JUST CHOOSE WRONG CAREERS '!!!!!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Media Tribunal in South Africa

Who is the ANC led government trying to fool here? Is this tribunal a go back to the Apatheid period?

look at this brief.
The press commission was set up in 1950. It sat for eleven years as an intimidating inquisition. Its charge included the concentration of control of the press and its effect on the editorial opinion and comment and media presentation. The press had been served a notice that it activities were under scrutiny and was warned to watch its steps. This sound like and look like the direction which ANC is going with its proposal of a Media tribunal.
By 1954, Strydom regarded the English press as the enemy of the government. But at the same time, the government remained relatively unfettered by the negative reporting about Africans. Apartheid had in fact suppressed authentic African politics, which were really the politics of opposition. This suppression systematically affected both institutions and the press.
application of the Suppression of Communism Act. This Act prohibited newspapers from quoting the utterances, past of contemporaneous, of any person place under a special restriction called the "Banning Order". Similarly, newspapers could not publish anything deemed to further the aims of any banned organization. This was the law used to ban the ANC, PAC, BCM and 37 other organizations. This made it impossible for newspapers to report authentically to report on African politics for over 20 years.
Slowly the net tightened. Defense matters were placed out of bounds, except when publications were authorized by the Defense authorities themselves. The Official Secrets Act was tightened under the title of "The Protection of Information Act"(The ANC is using the same terms and ACt to create a media tribunal).