The research entity has sub-programmes such as:
African Language Journalism
The nature, content and language use of African language journalism form part of the focus of this sub-programme. Journalism practice in African language media is also studied to understand their peculiarities, challenges and prospects for improvement. African language media (newspapers, radio, television and online) are also studied for their graphics and designs as well as their production techniques.
African language journalism is studied in terms of whether or not the media have started embracing the digital technologies and the extent to which their operations have been digitalised, if at all.
Impact of the technologies on the operations of the media and the practice of African journalism is also studied. African language media are studied as alternative media and popular media. A robust theorisation is done in this regard.
Democracy and Development Communication in African Language Media
This forms part of the application of indigenous language media. The essence of this sub-pro-gramme is partly predicated on the idea that indigenous language media would foster the participation of the masses of the people – for whom the indigenous language is the everyday language – in the democratic process. The specific objective of the particular sub-pro-gramme is to experiment with culturally and linguistically innovative media forms which lend themselves to a more democratically engaged journalistic practice.
The indigenous language media have played and continued to play a key role in Africa‘s democratisation. It is also no gainsaying that there is a symbiosis between communication and development.
Therefore, the media through which the communication is done cannot but be important. Specifically, the media that use indigenous languages are important for the purpose of information, mobilisation and continuity i.e. survival of the language and culture. The language in which a development message is disseminated is a very important aspect of the message treatment. It is posited that the indigenous language of any community is the best suited for the purpose of conveying any message, whatsoever, to the said community.
Corporate Communication in African Languages
This is another leg of the application of African language media. This sub-programme is interested in studying public relations and advertising mes-sages done in African languages. The styles of such messages and their reception by the audi-ence as well as the ways in which such audi-ence(s) are constituted are major foci of research in this area. The treatment, construction and consumption of messages form the bedrock of research in this sub-programme. Research into the audience of the messages as well as the effective-ness of the messages, in terms of the achievement of their objectives, are some of the major interests here.
Management and Political Economy of African Language Media
The story of indigenous language newspapers rising and dying is the same across most parts of Africa. What is of curiosity to this sub-programme is the reason why businesses in Africa language press are unstable. It is critically important to note that the issue of political economy cannot be discountenanced in the success or otherwise of African language media.
African Indigenous Communication Systems
Before the advent of mass media in Africa, Africans had their own means of communication. The traditional African media of communication include the folklore and its artistic components such as dance, drama, songs, poetry, folktales, proverbs etc. Others are symbolic objects, drum, gong and the town-crier. This sub-programme is interested in exploring these traditional media for social, economic, political as well as development and social change communication.
In carrying out these inquiries, the research entity adopts, among others, approaches such as socio-linguistics, journalism and media studies, critical political economy as well as cultural studies.
The entity is open to accepting postgraduate students from all indigenous languages of Africa. Limited bursaries are available.
Research in any of the sub-programmes can be embarked upon towards earning an Honours, Master's or PhD degree.