Overview

Description

Debates in universities across the world over analysing what African studies means, what its objectives are, what its disciplinary focus and geographical scope should be, what relations of power it is bound up with – and even whether it should exist at all, are more relevant than ever before. At the same time, demands for decolonisation of knowledge production on Africa today, and the many global struggles and movements around anti-racism and social justice in universities globally, raise questions which deserve to be taken seriously. This resource, specially curated to support the MPhil in African Studies at Cambridge University, provides a wide range of television and radio programmes to help students understand key aspects of African history, politics, and society. The resource is organised geographically by country and highlights both early materials from the BBC archive and current broadcasts from channels and stations available through BoB (Box of Broadcasts), including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Arte, Al Jazeera, Sky Arts and CNN, among others. Keeping this vast resource up to date presents numerous challenges, not least finding and selecting new material to be added. We hope this in turn will offer opportunities for students to develop their research skills in the use of audio-visual archival facilities.

Curator

Jennifer Skinner, Centre of African Studies, Cambridge University