How the African environment restricts the flow of information. The role of key stakeholders in information.

1. Information Environment in
Africa
Handout 1: THE ROLE OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN
THE INFORMATION INDUSTRY
Fabian Kapepiso

2. Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course (module), students should be able to:
★ Describe the role of key stakeholders in the information industry.
★ Discuss different types of creators, custodians and disseminators
of information.
★ Discuss the challenges of free-flow and censorship of information
★ Discuss the new information profession and implications for the
future

3. ASSESSMENTS
1. Group Assignment [40
Marks]. Due 6 Sept.
2. Test 1 [30 Marks]. 21 Aug.
3. Test 2 [30 Marks]. 25 Sept.
4. Make-up Test [30 Marks].
3 Oct.
5. Exam [100 Marks]

4. 1. The role of key stakeholders in the information
industry
What you will learn in this handout:
★ Definitions of key concepts
★ Information infrastructure
★ Background to the information environment in Africa
★ Information stakeholders (including Print and Electronic Media,
Books and Publishing, Telecommunications, and Film)

5. 1.1. Definitions of keywords
 Environment: the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives
or operates.
 Information environment encompasses issues ranging from literacy to satellite
communications. It involves the roots of information generation, transmission and
use within the specific context of Africa. The aggregate (whole) of individuals,
organizations, or systems that collect, process, or disseminate information; also
included is the information itself.
 Creators are those who produce information. These include authors, artists, etc.
 Disseminators are institutions or organisations that acquire significant amounts of
information materials from distributors and disseminates them to individual users.
Those who spread information and knowledge so that it reaches multitudes.

6. ★ Distributors are those who deliver information to people or organisations. Agents
who supply information to users or clients.
★ Censorship is the act or policy of censoring books and other information media. The
removal of the parts of a book, film, or movie, etc. that are considered to be
offensive, immoral or a political threat. Prohibition of the production, distribution or
sale of items considered to be objectionable on political, religious or moral grounds.
★ Infrastructure refers to the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities
(e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or
enterprise. Infrastructure is composed of public and private physical improvements
such as roads, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, and
telecommunications (including Internet connectivity and broadband speeds).

7. 1.2. Information infrastructure
★ All of the people, processes, procedures, tools, facilities, and technology which
supports the creation, use, transport, storage, and destruction of information.
★ This infrastructure enables users to access libraries, databases, educational
institutions, hospitals, government departments, and private organisations located
anywhere in the world.
★ It is characterised as a process, as devices, as networks, as media industries, and as
institutions which make the flow of information necessary. Information infrastructure
integrates a variety of elements such as educational materials and telecommunication
network systems.
★ Characteristics of information infrastructure includes: process, devices, networks,
media industry, and institutions.

8. Group Discussion
1. Explain the following five components of the traditional process (who/what are they?
What is their role in information?):
★ Creators
★ Products
★ Distributors
★ Disseminators
★ Users
2. Provide feedback after discussions.

9. 1.2.1. Characteristics of information infrastructure
★ As a process. Knowledge and information are created, disseminated, and used in
society. The traditional process consists of five components: creators, products,
distributors, disseminators, and users.
★ As devices. Used to transmit information and knowledge.
★ As networks. Networks serve as major communication channels and include
telephone, radio, television networks; ground-based and wireless utilities; digital or
satellite links; and the network of all network, the Internet.
★ As the media industry. Produce and distribute the knowledge and information
provided by libraries and information agencies.
★ As institutions. These infrastructures include libraries, schools and academic
institutions, and non-formal educational units

10. 2. Background to information environment in Africa
 Africa has a famine of published information caused by the propensity of some African
governments to suppress information
 Infrastructure of information is poorly distributed or available. Mostly in urban areas
and little attention given to rural areas
 Information is rarely available and accessible to the public
 Africa possesses a rich and adaptable mode of information transfer inherent in the
social and psychological make-up of the people themselves
 The modes of information transfer in Africa: oral medium, radio and television, the
press, and books and publishing.

11. 2.1. Oral Tradition
 This is predominant in rural areas. The two types or levels of oral communication:
 General oral communication: information, ideas, and feelings are conveyed from one
person to the other. It involves the presence of subtle layers of added meaning arising
from who is addressed, where, how, and by whom, as well as the use of gesture, tone of
voice and particular modes of speech.
 Specialised oral communication: the ways in which society selects certain types of
information for special treatment and public use, embodying them in formal patterns such
as poetry, song and story. Accordingly, the oral medium has acquired specialised
practitioners such as storytellers, singers, praise poets and traditional healers who have
had well-defined roles and forums permitting the exposition of the communal knowledge
and wisdom for which they are the major repository.

12. Example of praise poetry with music
● Praise singers are the oral librarians of
the African knowledge, culture and
practices.

13. 2.2. Radio and television
 In Ghana, a survey found that about 30% credited people as their usual source of
information, while over 40% cited radio as their principal source of information.
 Radio and television have extended the scope of oral tradition.
 In an event of a coup d’etat, the nation’s radio and television stations are also the main
targets. Radio is used to communicate development-oriented information.
 Folk tradition programming on radio have listeners who value their moral lessons, etc.
 Television is narrowly available, mostly found in urban areas and places where there is
electricity. The expense and technical difficulty of creating sufficient programmes have
led to almost total dependence on cheaper foreign television companies which
dominate the screens of television viewers in Africa. Nigeria wants to eliminate
important of TV programmes and rely on locally-produced programmes

14. 2.3. The press in Africa
 Newspapers played an important part in the struggle for independence. Political
parties and trade unions often formed newspapers. A good example of Namibia is the
newspaper, Namibia Today.
 African leaders recognised the potential of the press as a means of rallying the people
towards a call for national unity and development. The creation of government
newspapers which could better put across this message was a natural consequence.
 Western media has the tendency to only report negative news from Africa.
 Circulation of newspapers in Africa is restricted to cities and towns. The distribution
of newspapers in rural areas does not even exist except when someone from urban
areas brings old newspapers.
 An individual who reads the news to a group of illiterate people multiplies the
effective use of each copy. The listeners are quite capable of absorbing the content
and passing it on even further through subsequent conversation.

15. 2.4. Books and publishing
 The poverty of book resources in Africa emanates from both the lack of demand and
inability to meet such demand as there is.
 The weakness of the book trades can be attributed to massive illiteracy, the lack of a
reading culture, lack of book production skills and equipment, poor libraries and
distribution networks, trade barriers and closed markets and the economic
dependence of the book trade, as well as the political, cultural and linguistic divisions
of the African continent.
 With this list of obstacles, the book has failed to play a significant role in the social
and cultural development of the continent and its people.

16. 2.4. Books and publishing…continued
 The origins of African publishing started as a means for producing and distributing
educational and missionary texts written by non-African authors. International
publishing houses continue to maintain the upper hand in publishing.
 Major languages manage to achieve reasonable levels of publication. Another
problem can be noticed in the production of children’s literature.
 Separate in 4 groups. Read an article from The African Writers’ Handbook and discuss in
class.

17. 3. Stakeholders in the information industry
● A stakeholder is any individual, group or organization that can affect, be affected by,
or perceive itself to be affected by the information.
● Those who play an important role in information creation, distribution, dissemination,
and use.
● These include the following: the government, the media industry, the book and
publishing industry, the telecommunications industry, and the film industry.

18. 3.1. Telecommunications
● Telecommunications is the suite of technologies,
devices, equipment, facilities, networks, and
applications that support communication at a distance.
It can also be defined as the electronic transmission of
signals for communications.
● The telecommunications industry encompasses
multiple service providers including telephone
companies, cable system operators, Internet service
providers, wireless carriers, and satellite operators.
● Examples in Namibia include: MTC, Telecom
Namibia, Paratus, etc.

19. 3.1.1. The role of telecoms
● To evolutionize mobile communications and the information society.
● Transmitting signals over a distance for the purpose of sending and sharing
information.
● To connect people and organisations through Internet, Wi-Fi, and networks.
● It enables companies to communicate effectively with customers and deliver high
standards of customer service.
● To maintain communication between people
● To boost competitiveness of organisations and individuals
● To improve efficiency and productivity
● It helps businesses expand

20. 3.2. Print and electronic media
● Media refers to the ways in which large numbers of people receive
information and entertainment, i.e. television, radio, newspapers and
the Internet.
● The media industry is an important stakeholder and includes firms
that specialize in broadcast content and delivery, including print,
Internet, television, radio, and direct mail.
● The difference between print and electronic media is that print media
deliver news and information through printed publications, whereas
electronic media creates, delivers and accesses, news and
information through electronic energy.

21. 3.2.1. The role of media
● It plays a crucial role in the uncovering, promotion, education, and dissemination of
information.
● The media also plays a role in companies maintaining an ethical environment.
● Media can influence business, society, and government through the provision of info.
● Consumers are affected by the media because it influences purchase decisions, voting,
activism, and opinions about the business.
● The government also learns about important news from the media to make decisions and
formulate or adjust policies.
●

22. 3.3. Government and its role
● Governments control how information is disseminated by promulgating regulations.
● Governments provide information targeting potential foreign investors.
● To develop policies and programmes to uplift the standards of citizens
● To provide information to citizens and deliver services
● To show transparency and attract investors and investment to the country
● To generate, receive, and distribute information affecting the country
● To use information to improve the citizens and develop the country
● To improve government services

23. 3.4. Books/publishing roles
● Publishing is the dissemination of literature, music, or information—the activity of
making information available to the general public.
● The publishing industry produces a variety of publications, including magazines, books,
newspapers, and directories.
● To create, produce, and distribute books or other publications to the public
● to generate debates and research
● To use and re-use information to teaching and personal consumption
● To encourage creative and imaginative minds
● To package and make knowledge available to the public
● To disseminate literature, knowledge, and information to the public

24. 3.5. The role of the film/movie industry
● A film or movie is a series of moving pictures recorded with a sound that tells a story,
shown on television or at the cinema or movie theatre.
● The film has become a powerful vehicle for culture, education, leisure and propaganda.
● The role of the film industry is, therefore, to tell a story or convey an idea, and
communicate the past and present histories and situations.
● The film industry educates us.
● It tells us things we never could have known.
● It tells us things we might not know, and it gives us a way to explore the past, the present
and the future.
● Movies can create controversy, and tell difficult stories
● The role of movies is always either to take a side, remain central, or project something
forward. The film creates a powerful sense of emotion and engagement, and it becomes a
cultural bank balance that we can draw from.

25. References
● Chisenga, J. (2002). Global information infrastructure and the question of African content. In Libraries in the
Information Society. T.V. Ershova & Y.E. Hohlov (Eds.) (IFLA Publications 102). Pp. 56-65. Munich: K.G.
Saur
● CollegeGrad (2018). Publishing industry (except software). Retrieved from:
https://collegegrad.com/industries/publishing
● Rubin, R.E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science. 3rd ed. New York: Neal-Schuman
● Sturges, P. & Neill, R. (1990). The quiet struggle: libraries and information for Africa. London: Mansell
● Vickery, B.C. & Vickery, A. (2004). Information science in theory and practice. 3rd rev. & enl. Ed. Munich:
K.G. Saur
● Vikas, S.M. (2011). The role of film in society. Thought Economics. Retrieved from:
https://thoughteconomics.com/the-role-of-film-in-society/