ABSTRACT
A discussion of communications and democratization in Africa is incomplete without references to the manifold ways by which people on that continent exchange information of political significance without relying on the formal mass media. If there is any aspect of the media that has been forgotten in the literature on democratization, it is the whole set of alternative small media that are significant in helping people create meaningful communicative spaces for themselves. This point takes on special significance since, as Hyden and Okigbo in chapter 2, Ogbondah in chapter 3, and van der Veur inchapter 4 have indicated, the formal media are still not wholly free. In fact, in many countries, restriction of the media remains the rule.
