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Popular media forms are often seen as inadequate spaces for democratic participation and the negotiation of social change, as these media are viewed as providing entertainment and diversion rather than a rational public sphere for political deliberation. Within the broader field of international communication, media in Africa tend to be viewed as vehicles for the deepening of democracy or the consolidation of developmental gains. Within this approach, media have been forced into normative paradigms where they appear as negative ‘others’ of Western media. An alternative approach to popular media in Africa would be to contextualise the role of the media within bigger political projects and social dynamics. From this point of view, the study of popular media formats can tell us more about the power relations in society, the relationship between audiences and media, how audiences make meaning in their encounter with media and how popular media may articulate the everyday lived experiences of citizens that are often neglected by the mainstream media.

This panel will focus on popular media in a specific geographic region of Africa, i.e. Southern Africa, in order to enable a sharp focus and resonances between the various contributions. The individual papers highlight entry points into relations between media, citizens and the political sphere, contextualising case studies within broader social and political processes.
Since popular media in Africa are often concentrated in urban centra, where they frequently serve as a point of connection between urban media producers and diasporic audiences, the panel will also speak to the overarching conference team of Cities, Creativity and Connectivity.