Minority Languages and Audio-Visual Content in Africa

This book examines audio-visual content production in Africa, highlighting the ways in which the rise of social networking platforms has combatted the marginalisation of minority languages across the continent.

Colonial languages have tended to dominate audio-visual narratives in Africa, and although postcolonial film and video production initiatives have tried to counter this, in practice they perpetuate the marginalisation of minority language groups by favouring major indigenous languages such as isiZulu in South Africa, Shona in Zimbabwe, Yoruba or Igbo in Nigeria. This book demonstrates the ways in which the internet and the accompanying boom in popularity of visual social networking applications such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X, and Vimeo have disrupted dominant language video productions and traditional media marketing models. As audiences have fragmented, seeking out content produced in their own languages, traditional gatekeepers have been challenged. Drawing on studies from across the continent, the book demonstrates the varied and multifaceted ways in which minority language audio-visual content creators are using these platforms to negotiate with or contest dominant languages.

This timely investigation into the political economy of contemporary audio-visual production in minority languages in Africa will be of interest to researchers across media studies and sociolinguistics in Africa.

Limukani Mathe (PhD) is a Research Associate at the University of South Africa. He was a Research Fellow and Lecturer at North-West University in South Africa. Prior to that he was Lecturer and Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg and Guest Lecturer at the University of Fort Hare. His research interests are at the intersection of digital culture, journalism practices and indigenous text in the Global South. Mathe has edited books, contributed book chapters and published in high impact journals. He recently published African Radio and Minority Languages: Participation and Representation (Routledge, 2025).

Oswelled Ureke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media at University of Johannesburg. His research interests are in screen media studies, political economy of the media and digital media studies.

Dumisani Moyo is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at North-West University (South Africa). He is Professor of Media and Communication Studies, and his research interests include media policy and regulation; and media, politics, culture and technology in Africa, and he has published widely in these areas.