Sharath Srinivasan

radio.frontlinesms.com@smsradio

Centre of Governance and Human RightsUniversity of Cambridge

ss919@cam.ac.uk

Mobile v Internet in Africa (source: Appfrica Labs, Guardian Unlimited Jan 2010)

Version 2

“The only technology that compares to the mobile phone in terms of pervasiveness and

accessibility in the developing world is the radio. Indeed, considered together, radios and mobile

phones can serve as a broad-distribution, participatory media network with some of the

same citizen media dynamics of the Internet, but accessible to a much wider, and non-literate

audience.” Ethan Zuckerman, 2007

Radio still rules

Nkhotakota Community Radio Station in Malawi

Nkhotakota Community Radio, MalawiCourtesy of DRP

Community Radio and technology’s ‘long-tail’

Breeze FM, Zambia: Community volunteers with presenter (standing) Courtesy of DRP

PamojaFM, Kibera, KenyaCourtesy of Emil Graesholm

How do new ICTs impact upon:

Public debate?

People’s political capabilities?

Citizen-State relations?

Relations with other governance actors?

Public goods?

Researching ICT innovations and citizen-led governance