1. Khadidiatou Ndiaye, PhD Department of Global Health

2. Preview  What do we know about African Communication theories  Important constructs  Contributions

3. African Communication Theories  African Communication Complex mix of cultures, languages and traditions spread across the continent  Emic constructs in African forms of communication largely understudied  Impractical to think about one ‘grand African Theory’

4. African Communication Theories  Essential for enhancing health communication programs  Without theorizing about communication phenomena in Africa, communication research throughout the continent would continue to be “shots in the dark” (Okigbo, 1987)

5. What we know: Historical perspectives  Strong media influence. In particular, several articles in Africa Media Review since 1980’s  Links to philosophy of African communication (Okigbo, 1986)  Behavior change theories/models began in 1990s (i.e. Airhihenbuwa etc.)

6. Berger (2012) proposes seven “salient phenomena” to consider in building African communication theories:  Prevalence of word-of-mouth communications  Imported technologies and genres  Colonial legacy approaches to media roles  Pluri-lingualism (Colonial dominant languages vs. local)  Social inequality  Particular demographics (rural vs urban, hybridized cultures etc)  Political repression

7. Building evidence: Important constructs to further explore…  Cultural Identity  Norms  Social Systems  ‘ Traditional’ systems of communication

8. Example: Traditional systems of Communication  Oragbojah (1985) has proposed the term Oramedia to account for important forms of oral communication (storytelling, dance, drumming etc.)  Traditional systems of communication: Town Criers, traditional newsman

9. Importance of Oral Media Most people in the region relied on oral media prior to colonialism, and word-of-mouth remains a major form of not just information transmission, but also the direct interaction that is often characteristic of communication (as distinct from information). In the nature of the medium, it pre-empts the distancing of participants which can more easily occur when information is “mediated” via a “third- party mechanism” – often thereby separating sender and receivers from the possibility of direct and immediate dialogue. (Berger, 2012)

10. Example: PEN 3 Model  PEN3 communication model challenges the “deficit” and “need” models and promotes the “value” approach where community strengths are identified and acknowledged (Airhihenbuwa, 1994)  3 primary constructs - Social relationships and expectations - Cultural empowerment - Cultural identity

11. Example: PEN-3 Model Airhienbuwa, 1989

12. Contributions of African theories  Going beyond individual focus  Incorporating overlooked forms of communication (oral media, indirect communication)  Highlighting importance of ecological perspectives (layers of influence impacting behavior)

13. Conclusion  More research on African communication theories needed  Limited literature point to some key constructs  Understanding and using African communication theories is key in developing successful behavior change interventions throughout the continent

14. Looking forward to your questions! kndiaye@gwu.edu