ABSTRACT
Sustained threats to democratic communicative spaces in most African countries have led to the resurgence of underground forms of communication, commonly associated with the historical struggles for independence from colonial power. Among these reincarnating alternative forms of communication are ‘pirate’ radio stations, also variously known as ‘clandestine’ or ‘exile’ radio. They largely beam their signals from outside the political jurisdiction of their target countries as a crucial means of providing information “in opposition to government-controlled airwaves” (Coyer, 2007: 15).
