Democracy

and the media-

a view from South Africa

Guy Berger

Coming up

1. In the beginning…2. The democracy-media dance3. Cheers for civil society4. Praise for public sphere5. Remembering the private6. Predicting digital dreams

1666

1896

1389

Periodising media history

GHANA 2007

50 years of independence:

Some lessons

Precolonial: original indigenous media – rock art, folk

tales and drama, drums, statues, griots, hieroglyphics, Timbuctu manuscripts

= rich heritage

Colonial: censorship & control

= poor heritage!

Lessons

early decades

•1950s: nationalist media –

newspapers.

•1960s: national

development – FM radio.

•1970s: propaganda.

democracy decades

•1980s: independent press (DTP) ?

•1990s: broadcast pluralism ??

•2000s: reform state broadcasting ???

•2010s: phones = interactive media…

(digital networks, incl TV)

Summing up:• Independent press

= celebrate civil society! • Broadcast pluralism = state makes space for

civil society & business. • PBS reform = state itself must change.

Enough

already!

Still with us… C O N T R O L

‘Barbie doll democracy is alien’

“Cultures are not suited to liberal democracy”

Media role?

Or?

Francis Nyamnjoh:

Choice of stereotypes!

Elections = universal

But, like anywhere, they are just

one part of the story…

Definitions

•M&D = two institutions– With historically specific forms

• So look at processes & functions.

• African democracy vs Western?

– But: apples & oranges still count as edible foodstuffs

Summing

up

Civil society

Public sphere

State

GovtSociety at large

Concepts to grasp democracy:

Civil Society

Public Sphere

Making democracy work:the CS paradigm

•Civil society

– ushers in African democracy– keeps a government on its toes.

• The media is expected to express CS’s democratic role (eg. Human rights).

•Qtn: Rural areas – CS sparse?•Qtn: Sustainability?•Qtn: is Business included?

Civil Society & media

•Non-state activities– Organisations, churches,

(businesses?)– Do they have their own media? – Is that cost-effective and feasible?

• Is media outside of civil society?– Or at least different to the rest of cs?

• What about community media?

Civil Society- assumptions

“state bad, civil society good”

•But what of democratic qualities in state?

•What if private media is part of the problem?

Civil Society- limitations• Summing up CS complexities:

– Can’t apply willy-nilly to African media.

• Instead, we have to think about:

–Donor-driven and urban bias,

–Business as ally for democracy,

– Not all media being within or part of CS,

– Get past good-bad dualism.

Enter PS paradigm

•Public sphere

– where democracy lives.

•Qtn: Singular or plural?•Qtn: Includes civil society & state?

•Qtn: Private & primordial realms?

How PS works• Public (opinion):

– Impacts on exercise of power – Sets agendas, limits “the possible”

• Sphere (of influence):

– contrasts to governmental & private.

• Not all politics is public sphere

PS implies a realm distinct from force.

Re-thinking Public Sphere

•Contrary to Habermas’ (normative) view: – non-democrats are involved; – irrationality is a force.

• Result: ever-moving & re-sizing space.

• Africa: state-owned media has reach & languages for an urban + rural PS …

CS & PS enrich each other

•PS sans CS … is sterile

(or coloured by govt/business)

• CS sans PS …

lacks a centre.

The logic leads to media

Both CS and PS see role for media, but:

• CS sees media broadly (eg. Including banners; song; drama);

– PS sees the classic mainstream.

• CS → private press + community radio;– PS sees a role for state-owned media.

PS as holistic

• PS looks at role of all media.

• PS ideal: totality of voices needed,– Place of ps-style journalism ethics

reflecting the full spectrum?– Degree of pluralism & dialogue is an

issue.

• PS embraces: impartial PBS, + partisan private media, + community media + even govt media.

Role of media

• CS suggests rights against the state, (watchdog & community media IDs)

• PS suggests rights through the state (forum & educational media IDs).

Thus, PS = strategic view of state:– Transform government-controlled media,– Promote enabling regulation,– Develop notion of citizenship.

Happily ever after?

• Need both together – lesson of African media history.

• Trajectory: – From civil society to public sphere,– And beyond, a continuing contribution.

• Communications central to it all.

Horizons:

Globalisation

The issues:

• Global agendas? Only security?• Transnational public

space with diasporas?

• African continent public space?

• African cybersphere with cellular media?

Conclusion:

1. History lessons2. Democracy is universal &

particular3. CS and PS concepts → media

roles4. Synthesis advanced5. Limitations noted6. International dimensions

Thank you

•Democracy is an end in itself

•It runs from macro to micro

•Media can help to make it.