Sexuality in Media: Emerging Issues in Africa - Africa Regional ...

Sexuality in the Media: Emerging Issues in Africa
Foreword 4
Monitoring Media Coverage Of Sexuality: An Introduction
Richmond Tiemoko and Arit Oku-Egbas 6
Media Coverage Of Sexuality In South Africa
Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala And Sarah Lucy Kearney 11
Coverage Of Sexuality Issues In The Print Media In Kenya
Roseanne N. Njiru And Charity .K. Kinya 31
Print Media Coverage Of Sexuality Issues In Egypt
Gamal I. Serour And Ahmed R. A. Ragab 52
Print Media Coverage Of Sexuality Issues In Nigeria
Eno Blankson Ikpe And Serkinat Lasisi 73
Biography of Researchers
137
As a mass media educator, researcher and practitioner for over a decade, I have
had the privilege and opportunity to produce many journalists, health
communicators, media researchers, community health communicators,
educators and researchers.
In teaching Communication and Public Health, Message Design and Behaviour
Change course, to the MPH students of our College of Medicine over the years,
I have also experienced the power of mass media in attitude formation, and
behaviour change and/or modification.
Furthermore, I have also found out that many of the health problems including
HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections which we experience
daily in Africa are mainly due to ignorance. This is a result of lack of relevant
and proper information on the prevention of these diseases by the Mass Media.
The Mass Media also fails to provide early warning signals.
As the axiom says, “Information is power to any meaningful health system” in
fact it is according to Akinfeleye, (2003) the engine oil that lubricates the heart
of the people in attitude formation, which must precede Behavioural Change.
Generally people agree that the health of a nation is the wealth of that nation, but
I hasten to add that the ill-health of a nation is the death of that nation.
Sexuality is a muffed concept to define from the African viewpoint. In general,
the more you try to define sexuality from any perspective the more you get
confused, the more you move from the level of understanding to the level of
confusion.
But the more you try to “explain” sexuality (see Appendix A) the more you may
tend to appreciate the value of this book titled Sexuality in the Print Media:
Emerging Issues in Africa which is being put out by the Africa Regional
Sexuality Resource Centre in Lagos, Nigeria under the leadership of Dr.
Richmond Tiemoko.