1|Page
COM3714 Assignment 2 2026 (Answer Guide) - Decolonising Communication
Research
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2026
Contents
Introduction and Background......................................................................................................................2
Research Problem and Significance.............................................................................................................2
Aim, Objectives and Research Questions.....................................................................................................3
Aim..........................................................................................................................................................3
Objectives................................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions.................................................................................................................................4
Preliminary Literature Direction and Conceptual Lens................................................................................4
Research Design and Methodology.............................................................................................................5
Ethics, Positionality and Feasibility..............................................................................................................5
References...................................................................................................................................................7
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Decolonising Communication through Indigenous Storytelling: Exploring the
Role of Community Radio in Preserving Local Knowledge in South Africa
Introduction and Background
Community radio has emerged as an important communication platform that enables
communities to share local experiences, preserve indigenous knowledge and participate
actively in public discourse. In South Africa, colonial and apartheid media systems
largely privileged Western knowledge systems and dominant languages, often
marginalising indigenous cultures and community voices. Although the democratic era
has expanded media freedom, unequal representation and knowledge hierarchies
remain evident across many communication platforms. Community radio provides
opportunities to challenge these inequalities by encouraging participatory
communication, promoting indigenous languages and strengthening locally generated
knowledge. Investigating its contribution to decolonising communication is therefore
important because it highlights how African-centred communication practices can
promote epistemological diversity, cultural identity and meaningful community
participation within contemporary South African society (Kamwangamalu 1999; Fourie
2008; Reid 2018).
Research Problem and Significance
Despite the growth of community radio stations across South Africa, there remains
limited understanding of how these platforms actively contribute to decolonising
communication by preserving indigenous knowledge and transforming dominant
communication practices. Much communication research continues to rely on Western
theoretical perspectives that inadequately reflect African experiences and local realities.
Consequently, indigenous storytelling traditions, community knowledge and culturally
embedded communication practices remain underrepresented in scholarly discussions.
This study addresses this gap by exploring how community radio promotes African
knowledge systems and facilitates community participation in knowledge production.
Understanding these processes is significant because it contributes to the broader
project of epistemic justice by recognising indigenous voices as legitimate sources of
COM3714 Assignment 2 2026 (Answer Guide) - Decolonising Communication
Research
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2026
Contents
Introduction and Background......................................................................................................................2
Research Problem and Significance.............................................................................................................2
Aim, Objectives and Research Questions.....................................................................................................3
Aim..........................................................................................................................................................3
Objectives................................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions.................................................................................................................................4
Preliminary Literature Direction and Conceptual Lens................................................................................4
Research Design and Methodology.............................................................................................................5
Ethics, Positionality and Feasibility..............................................................................................................5
References...................................................................................................................................................7
, 2|Page
Decolonising Communication through Indigenous Storytelling: Exploring the
Role of Community Radio in Preserving Local Knowledge in South Africa
Introduction and Background
Community radio has emerged as an important communication platform that enables
communities to share local experiences, preserve indigenous knowledge and participate
actively in public discourse. In South Africa, colonial and apartheid media systems
largely privileged Western knowledge systems and dominant languages, often
marginalising indigenous cultures and community voices. Although the democratic era
has expanded media freedom, unequal representation and knowledge hierarchies
remain evident across many communication platforms. Community radio provides
opportunities to challenge these inequalities by encouraging participatory
communication, promoting indigenous languages and strengthening locally generated
knowledge. Investigating its contribution to decolonising communication is therefore
important because it highlights how African-centred communication practices can
promote epistemological diversity, cultural identity and meaningful community
participation within contemporary South African society (Kamwangamalu 1999; Fourie
2008; Reid 2018).
Research Problem and Significance
Despite the growth of community radio stations across South Africa, there remains
limited understanding of how these platforms actively contribute to decolonising
communication by preserving indigenous knowledge and transforming dominant
communication practices. Much communication research continues to rely on Western
theoretical perspectives that inadequately reflect African experiences and local realities.
Consequently, indigenous storytelling traditions, community knowledge and culturally
embedded communication practices remain underrepresented in scholarly discussions.
This study addresses this gap by exploring how community radio promotes African
knowledge systems and facilitates community participation in knowledge production.
Understanding these processes is significant because it contributes to the broader
project of epistemic justice by recognising indigenous voices as legitimate sources of
