ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that media education has a crucial role to play in support of an education for critical citizenship. It examines the contribution which media education makes to the development of critical literacy. Strengthening the creative and analytical media skills of learners has been supported by other educational initiatives, which aggregate to develop a critical literacy essential for civic courage. Political power, technological resources, and media access were not for black South Africans. The analysis and diagnosis of educational, political, technological, and media impoverishment led to many community and university-based development projects. Social literacy relates to competencies and understandings of political and social relations. Establishing a civil society demands an analysis of apartheid as a precursor to national reconstruction and critical citizenry. The analytical process of “naming the world” of apartheid South Africa and its media environment did not go unnoticed by the State.
