PROBING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE INDIGENISATION OF NIGERIAN MEDIA IN AN ERA OF CULTURAL GLOBALISATION: A STUDY OF NIGERIAN RADIO AND TV PRODUCERS

Year 2021, , 8 - 20, 30.06.2021

Floribert Patrick C. Endong

https://doi.org/10.18221/bujss.777426

Abstract

The myth of media imperialism (presumably engendered by the globalisation current) has motivated most less developed countries to adopt customised media policies geared towards cultural protectionism. In line with this protectionist movement, Nigeria has adopted a local content policy which, over the years, has militated for a national media output which is dominantly shaped according to its local cultural specificities. This policy which strongly urges endogenous broadcasters to thrive to attain a 100 percent local content has variously been assessed by media practitioners and ideologues. Using secondary sources and critical observations, this paper argues that, although laudable, the idea of resorting to local content regulation for cultural protection in the Nigerian media sphere has been poorly conceived. Government has so far failed to provide all the accompanying measures to secure the success of this policy. As conceived by Nigeria, the policy does not provide a comprehensive and clear cut definition of local program and Nigerianess. Also, the policy’s insistence on a 70-100 percent is utopian. It really overlooks the fact that Nigerian audiences have progressively become Westernised and logic will want media producers to pragmatically go for western or westernised media programs, so as to stay afloat.

Keywords

Cultural Protectionism, Cultural Globalisation, Local Content Regulation, Media Indigenisation, Media Imperialism, Westernization

Supporting Institution

-

Project Number

-

Thanks

-

PROBING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE INDIGENISATION OF NIGERIAN MEDIA IN AN ERA OF CULTURAL GLOBALISATION: A STUDY OF NIGERIAN RADIO AND TV PRODUCERS

Abstract

The myth of media imperialism (presumably engendered by the globalisation current) has motivated most less developed countries to adopt customised media policies geared towards cultural protectionism. In line with this protectionist movement, Nigeria has adopted a local content policy which, over the years, has militated for a national media output which is dominantly shaped according to its local cultural specificities. This policy which strongly urges endogenous broadcasters to thrive to attain a 100 percent local content has variously been assessed
by media practitioners and ideologues. Using secondary sources and critical observations, this paper argues that, although laudable, the idea of resorting to local content regulation for cultural protection in the Nigerian media sphere has been poorly conceived. Government has so far failed to provide all the accompanying measures to secure the success of this policy. As conceived by Nigeria, the policy does not provide a comprehensive and clear cut definition of local program and Nigerianess. Also, the policy’s insistence on a 70-100 percent is
utopian. It really overlooks the fact that Nigerian audiences have progressively become Westernised and logic will want media producers to pragmatically go for western or westernised media programs, so as to stay afloat. 

Keywords

Cultural Protectionism, Cultural Globalisation, Local Content, Local Content Regulation, Media Indigenization, Media Imperialism, Westernisation

Project Number

-

References

• Aliagan, A.R. (2017). Kawu: Changing the narrative in Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Time Nigeria Magazine, Retrieved May 9th, 2018 from http://timenigeria.com/kawu-changing-the-narrative-in-nigerias-broadcasting-industry/ (Accessed 9, 2018).
• Bobda, A.S. (2000). The uniqueness of Ghanaian English pronunciation in West Africa. Studies in the Linguistic Science. 30(2): 185-198.
• Centre for International Governance Innovation. 2014. The internationalisation of indigenous rights: UNDRIP in Canadian context. Special report. Waterloo: CIGI.
• Effiom, V. E. (2005). Electronic media management in a developing democracy. Calabar: Balynhen Nigeria Limited.
• Ekpang, E. J. (2008). Globalization and cultural imperialism: The Nigerian experience. West African Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies 2(2):1-17.
• Endong F. P. (2014). Westernisation of audiences as a threat to the indigenisation of media broadcast in Nigeria. In JMC: Journal of Media and Communication Studies 6(8): 121-129.
• Endong, F.P.C. (2015). Indigenisation of media in Nigerian and cultural globalisation: Mutual bedfellows or implacable foes? Journal of Globalization Studies 6(2): 106-118.
• Endong, F.P.C. (2018). Culture and heritage preservation in an era of globalization and modernism. A comparative study of China and Nigeria. In Handbook of research on heritage management and preservation, ed. Patrick Ngulube, pp.320-339. Hersey: IGI Global.
• Forbes. (2017). Globalisation. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/08/28/is-globalization-creating-a-single-world-culture/#c0a417a3bd36 (Accessed 7 April, 2018).
• Grawhall, N. (2006). MDGs, globalisation and indigenous people in Africa. Indigenous Affairs 1(6): 6-13. Huntington, S, (1993). "The clash of civilizations". Foreign Affairs. 72 (3): 22–49.
• Koblowe, O. & Madu, O. (2012). “Programming content of Nigerian broadcast media: Towards an indigenizing paradigm” in Estudos em comunicacao 1(8): 75-91.
• Leornard, C. (2016). Local content quotas on TV are global – but they just don’t work everywhere. The Conversation https://theconversation.com/local-content-quotas-on-tv-are-global-they-just-dont-work-everywhere-60656 (Accessed May 9th, 018).
• McWhorter, J. (2014). The “ax” versus the “ask” question. Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/19/opinion/la-oe-mcwhorter-black-speech-ax-20140119. (Accessed June 3rd, 2018).
• Nigerian Broadcasting Commission. (2016). The Nigerian Broadcasting Code (6th edition), Abuja: Nigerian Broadcasting Commission.
• Omoera, O.S. & Ibagere, E. (2010). Revisiting media imperialism: A review of Nigerian television experience. The International Journal of Science and Review 5: 1-18.
• Revise Sociology (2015). What is cultural globalisation. Revise Sociology. https://revisesociology.com/2017/05/25/cultural-globalization-definition-examples/ (Accessed 7 April, 2018)
• Salawu, A. (2004). The Yoruba and their language newspaper: Origin, nature, problems and prospect. Studies of Tribes and Tribals. 2(2): 79-92.
• Salawu, A. (2006). Paradox of a milieu: Communication in African indigenous languages in the age of globalisation. In Indigenous language media in Africa, ed.Salawu A., pp.1-20. Lagos: Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC).
• Samalavicius, A. (2005). Culture and globalization. Eurozine. Retrieved April 9th, 2018, from https://www.eurozine.com/national-identity-culture-and-globalisation/
• Steffensen, N.K. (2012). BBC with an Accent: “African” and “Asian” Accents. Meta, LVII(2), 510-527.
• Suryadinata, L. (2011). Migration, indigenisation and interaction. Chinese overseas and globalisation. Singapore : World Scientific Publication Co.
• Thinus, F. (2016). SABC set to bulldoze SABC3 schedule. Channel 24, from https://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/sabc-set-to-bulldoze-sabc3-schedule-20160601 (Accessed May 9, 2018).
• Van der Puye, F. (2008). Media and the preservation of culture in Africa. Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine, 22(2): 32-49. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/media-and-preservation-culture-africa (Accessed May 11, 2018)
• Watson, J. L. (2016). Cultural globalisation. Encyclopedia Bitannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/cultural-globalization (Accessed September 8, 2016)