Don advises against misuse, misinterpretation of media in Africa

A professor of Comparative Media Studies, Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences, Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, Jendele Hungbo, has advised against the misuse and misinterpretation of media for the betterment of Africa.

Hungbo made the call while delivering the first inaugural lecture of the university with the theme: ‘Metaphors of the Self: New Epistemological Landscapes in African Media.’

The professor lamented that media in Nigeria, and in most parts of the Africa, has been pilloried, most of the time, by the same individuals and groups, who deployed them for individual and group benefits in the course of seeking advantages.

He said: “It is, therefore, important for society to appreciate this fact and fashion out media literacy programmes that expose more citizens to a critical understanding of the ways in which media deployment continually creates images or semblances of individuals and situations that are at variance with reality because they are tailored towards specific objectives.

“Media messages are, therefore, more like metaphors, which require proper and consistent literacy for decoding.”

He stated that mass media literacy has to be undertaken on a massive scale for the problems bedeviling the media landscape to subside, saying: “Such a literacy programme must be technology-driven and requires relevant infrastructure.

Hence, the learner in Hillbrow, if he must be ahead of the pupil in Ajegunle or Oja Oba, must not be overly advantaged such that when they reach the information superhighway that now levels them all one becomes a laggard and the other a flyer.”

He added: “This literacy is the responsibility of all stakeholders whose agency must combine to fight all forms of misuse and misinterpretation troubling the media landscape. That is the way the ever growing and mutating media can serve us all better in Africa.”

Speaking, the VC, Prof. Adeniyi Olatunbosun, said the lecture was the beginning of other things to come in terms of academic activities.

He lauded Professor Hungbo for using his practical and theoretical experiences to show the relevance of the media in national development.

“We appreciate the industry and efforts of Professor Jendele who has put in practical and theoretical experiences over the years which culminated to what he has brought today to showcase what he has done in the media space and to tell us things we need to improve in our media space,” the VC said.

The lecture attracted a host of academics including the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olajumoke Morenikeji; the Registrar, Mr. Haruna Adetu; traditional rulers and others.