Global media and violence in Africa: The case of Somalia

TitleGlobal media and violence in Africa: The case of Somalia
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication2004
AuthorsJ.B. Gewald
EditorW.M.J. van Binsbergen, R.A. van Dijk, and J.B. Gewald
Secondary TitleSituating globality: African agency in the appropriation of global culture
Pagination90 - 106
Date Published2004///
PublisherBril
Place PublishedLeiden
Publication Languageeng
Keywords1991, Africa, civil wars, images, mass communication, Somalia, violence
Abstract

It has been argued that Africa has been sidelined in the global ICT revolution and that African societies appear to be cut off from global flows of information. Nevertheless, the manner in which war was waged in Somalia between 1991 and 1994 indicates that this global revolution has affected the manner in which war has come to be waged in Africa. African societies may indeed be cut off from owning and controlling the streams of images that reflect their continent, but they may, however, at times come to temporarily hijack and divert this stream of images, and ensure that images that support or reinforce their political aims come to be released into the global flow. In the case of Somalia, the real-time images of dead US soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu were sufficient to make the United States end their involvement in Somalia. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Book abstract]

IR handle/ Full text URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1887/4852
Citation Key869