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Going Back to the Roots: Indigenous Language, Media Performance, and Change in Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2023

Fridah Kanana Erastus Open the ORCID record for Fridah Kanana Erastus [Opens in a new window]  and
Ann H. G. Kinyua Open the ORCID record for Ann H. G. Kinyua [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

The introduction of indigenous languages to Kenyan media, following pre- and post-independence realities, opened the floodgate of communications within the country, with both positive and negative consequences. Indigenous languages found expression in creative works, civic communication, and other areas previously reserved solely for English and Kiswahili. Kanana and Kinyua discuss this trajectory within the context of media liberalization, digital migration, and gains from the period of state crackdown on media to the promulgation of the 2010 Kenyan Constitution and devolution of government units reflecting traditional boundaries. Employing secondary research methodologies, they argue the advantages of indigenous languages in the media over the disadvantages highlighted in the literature.

Résumé

Résumé

L’introduction des langues autochtones dans les médias kenyans, suivant les réalités d’avant et d’après l’indépendance, a ouvert la voie des communications dans le pays, avec des conséquences à la fois positives et négatives. Les langues autochtones ont trouvé leur expression dans les œuvres créatives, la communication civique et d’autres domaines auparavant réservés uniquement à l’anglais et au kiswahili. Kanana et Kinyua discutent de cette trajectoire dans le contexte de la libéralisation des médias, de la migration numérique et des gains apportés durant la période de répression des médias par l’État ainsi qu’à la promulgation de la Constitution kenyane de 2010 et à la décentralisation des unités gouvernementales reflétant les frontières traditionnelles. En utilisant des méthodologies de recherche secondaires, ils font valoir les avantages des langues autochtones dans les médias par rapport aux inconvénients mis en évidence dans la littérature.

Resumo

Resumo

A introdução das línguas locais nos media quenianos no contexto das realidades pré- e pós-independência originou um enorme fluxo de comunicações no interior do país, com consequências tanto positivas como negativas. As línguas locais tiveram expressão em trabalhos criativos, na comunicação civil e noutras áreas anteriormente exclusivas do inglês e do suaíli. Kanana e Kinyua discutem este percurso no contexto da liberalização dos media e da migração digital, bem como as conquistas obtidas entre o período de repressão dos media pelo Estado, por um lado, e a promulgação da Constituição queniana de 2010 e respetiva reposição das unidades administrativas que refletem as fronteiras tradicionais, por outro. Recorrendo a metodologias secundárias de investigação, os autores defendem as vantagens da utilização das línguas locais nos media, em detrimento das desvantagens para as quais a literatura tem apontado.

Keywords

Kenyaindigenous African languagesradio broadcastsAfrican indigenous knowledgesocial cohesion and inclusivity
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 66 , Issue 2 , June 2023 , pp. 417 - 440
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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