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

Sexuality in the Media: Emerging Issues in Africa
The book is divided into four (4) sections which covers the print media
reportage of sexuality issues in four (4) African countries: Nigeria (in West
Africa), Egypt (North Africa), Kenya (East Africa) and South Africa (in
Southern Africa).
It is perhaps the first and only baseline research study in the genre in Africa.
Content analysis and in-depth interviews were used for the baseline studies.
Selected major newspapers and soft sell magazines were content-analyzed to
know the frequency, intensity, direction and flow of sexuality issues in these
four African countries.
The findings, conclusions and recommendations are similar. The print media
all record low coverage, shallow analysis of sexuality issues and sometimes
misinformation and disinformation. They recommend among other things, a
re-orientation and re-engineering of media coverage of sexuality issues to
enable understanding and appreciation of the complexities of sexuality issues in
the media.
It is therefore a source of joy for me to be associated with this pioneer effort of
the Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre. I salute their courage and
wisdom in making this contribution to alleviate the dearth of this type of books
in the genre written by Africans in Africa for Africans and others too.
As you read this volume, I am told that the Africa Regional Sexuality Resource
Centre is already preparing to go to press with the second edition of the book.
But I wish to suggest that they should focus this second edition on Sexuality
Issues in Africa as covered by the Radio and Television.
It is my hope that readers would find this book very useful. I, therefore,
recommend it to all lovers of health communication for behavioural change,
particularly medical and mass media institutions, NGOs, educators, researchers
and international agencies.
Happy reading.
Professor Ralph A. Akinfeleye, Ph.D, FNIPR
Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria
July 2005
MONITORING MEDIA COVERAGE OF SEXUALITY:
AN INTRODUCTION
Richmond Tiemoko and Arit Oku-Egbas
In the last two decades the media has gained much significance in Africa. As
literacy levels improve and the quest for information and knowledge grows, so
will the significance of the media.
The media is significant largely because of its recognized and powerful role in
the dissemination of information to large populations; as well as its prominent
role in the moulding of public opinion and as a socialization agent. The media,
undisputedly, has a powerful influence on society and conversely, social groups
also have the opportunity to influence what is reported in the media.
The media is a powerful tool and as such must be aided to present and
disseminate factual and balanced information that will engender behaviour
change. This is especially crucial for the largely misunderstood and emerging
fields of sexuality, sexual health and sexual rights.
There are raging controversies surrounding the way sexuality is portrayed in the
media. This is especially true with regards to the way the media tends to
reinforce stereotypes. Indeed, there has been growing interest in and concern
about the media coverage of sexuality issues.
In response to these felt needs, the Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre
is hereby launching a project on sexuality in the media. Under this project, the
ARSRC will regularly produce a serial publication known as a Sexuality in the
Media, which in general examines how sexuality, sexual health and sexual
rights issues are being treated in the mass media in Africa. The series of
publications will answer these questions - what in essence is the media in Africa
saying about sexuality issues? How is the media in Africa portraying sexuality
issues?
The publication will analyse and disseminate the findings of research and
evaluation of media coverage of sexuality issues in targeted key media in
African countries.