International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

The media law regimes in Africa are the result of a confluence of historical and political factors: first, the authoritarian colonial systems inherited at independence; second, international communication policy transfers from the UN and its specialized agencies; and third, the post-Cold War liberalization of the 1990s. The 53 countries on the African continent can be classified into four major media law traditions : (1) the English-speaking tradition, an eclectic mix of British colonial traditions and indigenous African communication values; (2) the highly centralized regimes of the French-speaking countries; (3) the ideologically laden systems of the Portuguese-speaking countries; and (4) the authoritarian media law regimes of North Africa. There is considerable diversity between and within these broad classifications. Each country's media law regime is a reflection of its specific political, economic, social, and cultural context. The modern press was introduced in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1801 by former slaves from the US. The returnees brought with them some of the printing technology and press traditions of the American Republic (→ Printing, History of ). Pockets of returning Africans also started → newspapers in Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria. Under British colonial rule, the press was modeled on British newspapers. The colonial administrations allowed the press freedom ... log in or subscribe to read full text