Communicating National Integration : Empowering Development in African Countries

This book addresses the negative impact of social cleavages on the development of many African countries. It proposes new ideas on how the development crisis in Africa may be addressed by conceptualizing the underlying problem as a communication issue. In contrast to the frequent neglect of this key factor this book provides a provocative discussion of how communication strategies can help to promote national integration and social, economic and political development. It argues that the activities associated with the communication of national integration must be seen as an all-encompassing task that transcends official speeches in attempts to persuade a disparate population to cultivate national consciousness. Such activities must encompass efforts to persuade leaders to eliminate policies that seek to promote spatial dislocation and cross-cultural interaction, and to arouse the audience to pay closer attention to integrative messages disseminated through the mass media.