, COM3715
ASSIGNMENT 3 (EXAM
PORTFOLIO) 2026
DUE OCTOBER 2026
SECTION A: THE NATURE OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATION FROM AN AFRICAN AND DECOLONIAL
PERSPECTIVE
1.1 Introduction
Global communication refers to the transnational flow of information, ideas and cultural products
across national boundaries, increasingly shaped by digital technologies and international media
organisations. From an African and decolonial perspective, however, the contemporary global
communication order cannot be understood merely as a neutral marketplace of ideas. Instead, it is
viewed as a historically constituted system marked by unequal power relations inherited from
colonialism and sustained by Western economic and technological dominance (Mudimbe, 1988). A
decolonial lens foregrounds the ways in which knowledge production, media representation and
information flows have been structured to privilege Northern perspectives while marginalising
African voices and epistemologies (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2013). This section examines the nature of
global communication from this critical standpoint, focusing on information flows through
international media organisations and the media policies that govern mediated modes of
communication, before drawing conclusions about the implications for Africa.
1.2 Information Flows Through International Media Organisations
A central concern in the decolonial critique of global communication is the direction and character
of information flows through international media organisations. The New World Information and
Communication Order (NWICO) debates of the 1970s and 1980s, articulated prominently through
the MacBride Report, exposed the imbalances in global news flows, whereby a small number of
Western news agencies dominated the production and dissemination of international news
(MacBride, 1980). This one-way flow meant that African events were frequently reported through
foreign lenses, often emphasising crisis, conflict and poverty while neglecting developmental and
cultural narratives (Galtung and Ruge, 1965). Scholars such as Thussu (2006) argue that despite the
proliferation of digital platforms, these asymmetries have persisted, with global media
conglomerates headquartered in the United States and Europe continuing to set the agenda for
what constitutes newsworthy content. The concept of media imperialism, advanced by
Boyd-Barrett (1977), captures how the export of media products and formats from the North
shapes cultural identities and consumption patterns in the South. From a decolonial perspective,
this constitutes a form of epistemic violence, as African audiences are positioned as consumers
ASSIGNMENT 3 (EXAM
PORTFOLIO) 2026
DUE OCTOBER 2026
SECTION A: THE NATURE OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATION FROM AN AFRICAN AND DECOLONIAL
PERSPECTIVE
1.1 Introduction
Global communication refers to the transnational flow of information, ideas and cultural products
across national boundaries, increasingly shaped by digital technologies and international media
organisations. From an African and decolonial perspective, however, the contemporary global
communication order cannot be understood merely as a neutral marketplace of ideas. Instead, it is
viewed as a historically constituted system marked by unequal power relations inherited from
colonialism and sustained by Western economic and technological dominance (Mudimbe, 1988). A
decolonial lens foregrounds the ways in which knowledge production, media representation and
information flows have been structured to privilege Northern perspectives while marginalising
African voices and epistemologies (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2013). This section examines the nature of
global communication from this critical standpoint, focusing on information flows through
international media organisations and the media policies that govern mediated modes of
communication, before drawing conclusions about the implications for Africa.
1.2 Information Flows Through International Media Organisations
A central concern in the decolonial critique of global communication is the direction and character
of information flows through international media organisations. The New World Information and
Communication Order (NWICO) debates of the 1970s and 1980s, articulated prominently through
the MacBride Report, exposed the imbalances in global news flows, whereby a small number of
Western news agencies dominated the production and dissemination of international news
(MacBride, 1980). This one-way flow meant that African events were frequently reported through
foreign lenses, often emphasising crisis, conflict and poverty while neglecting developmental and
cultural narratives (Galtung and Ruge, 1965). Scholars such as Thussu (2006) argue that despite the
proliferation of digital platforms, these asymmetries have persisted, with global media
conglomerates headquartered in the United States and Europe continuing to set the agenda for
what constitutes newsworthy content. The concept of media imperialism, advanced by
Boyd-Barrett (1977), captures how the export of media products and formats from the North
shapes cultural identities and consumption patterns in the South. From a decolonial perspective,
this constitutes a form of epistemic violence, as African audiences are positioned as consumers
