ABSTRACT
Like other societies worldwide, sophisticated forms of communication existed in Africa to exchange information despite diverse linguistic and ethnic differences among African peoples. Established forms of small-and large-group communication in African cultures include: an open market system, traditional ceremonies relating to agriculture and rites of passage, seasonal entertainment fairs, drums, town criers, storytellers, drawings, and physical communication (Ngwainmbi, 1995; Okigbo, 1989). However, modern mass media arrived in Africa along with the European scramble and partition of Africa in the mid-1800s. Print (newspapers and magazines) came fi rst, then radio, motion pictures, TV, and now modern information and communication technologies (Hachten, 1993).
