Who cares about Swaziland? A textual analysis of the representation of Swaziland in South African media

Date
2015-06-03
Authors
Dube, Phesheya D
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Abstract
In 1994 two significant milestone transformations occurred in the balance of power and world order in Africa. First, South Africa having abandoned its apartheid system of governance repositioned itself as the regional middle power. Secondly, the country embraced liberal forms of social governance in its structures, including the media. This transformation positioned the country within globalization and sub-imperialism theories setting it on a contradictory course with the African continent and its pan African ideologies. Hypothetically, sub imperialism is linked to media and cultural imperialism argued to be the source of the distorted picture of the African continent. In light of the country’s global and regional position, this study explores the representation of Swaziland in South African media. It seeks to confirm or dispel the notion that South Africa replicates stereotypical western media reporting of the continent as a result of the structural similarities between the west and South Africa. The research employs thematic content analysis to three publications – The Star, Mail & Guardian and Sowetan – for comparisons with dominant discourses from the western media’s representation of Africa. To understand the underpinnings of South Africa’s media environment, the research applies semi-structured interview as a second method of choice. The conclusion is that South Africa replicates western media’s reporting of Africa.
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