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Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006. / Faustin Chongombe Djongana

Swansea University Author: Faustin Chongombe Djongana

Abstract

This thesis seeks to respond to the on-going complaints from both African and western scholars that Africa is negatively represented in the western media. The findings showed that news stories, opinions and commentaries expressed throughout the coverage of the Congo, including editorials and letters...

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Published: 2012
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42657
first_indexed 2018-08-02T18:55:14Z
last_indexed 2018-08-03T10:10:44Z
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recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2018-08-02T16:24:30.0085919 v2 42657 2018-08-02 Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006. 92f59b8ba5155ad1b0ea1277a83f3807 NULL Faustin Chongombe Djongana Faustin Chongombe Djongana true true 2018-08-02 This thesis seeks to respond to the on-going complaints from both African and western scholars that Africa is negatively represented in the western media. The findings showed that news stories, opinions and commentaries expressed throughout the coverage of the Congo, including editorials and letters and from pre-colonial to modern Congo, were written by western journalists and correspondents from the London Times and associated correspondents, while four other news agencies Agence France Press (AFP), Associated Press (AP), the Belgian news agency (Belga) and Reuters were the main sources for The Times newspaper. News makers in Pre-Colonial and Colonial periods were almost exclusively westerners and references to the Congolese people appeared in generic terms. In Post-Colonial and Modern periods, Congolese people did appear by name but only in a limited capacity. The thesis also identifies differences between the coverage in each period, for example highlighting the critical engagement with the Congo that characterised the reporting of 1908. The Congo was represented over the periods sampled with negative stereotypes such a 'primitive', 'backward', 'barbaric, 'dangerous destination,' 'place for business,' 'natives to be civilised, evangelised and educated.' Recurring themes such as forced labour, civil war, corruption, child exploitation, poverty, refugees, witchcraft, dependency and mismanagement prevail in the reporting. The research investigated the changing representations of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the western media by examining its coverage in the London Times from a historical context that included four key historic years in the Congo's development, namely 1885, 1908, 1960 and 2006, referred to as the Pre-Colonial, Colonial, Post-Colonial and Modern Congo periods. The London Times, which used to be one of the leading western newspapers and the British newspaper of record, was selected. Content and discourse analysis were used to evaluate and categorise the news items published in the sampled periods to distinguish the emerging themes, to identify the sources, and to interpret the language used in the coverage. The findings have shown that since its inception to the modern period, the reporting of the Congo in The Times has avowedly been through western eyes, and, as with much journalism, has not offered any real context to the stories. The poor benighted heathens thus continue in their war-torn arbours. E-Thesis Mass communication.;Journalism.;African studies. 31 12 2012 2012-12-31 COLLEGE NANME History COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Doctoral Ph.D 2018-08-02T16:24:30.0085919 2018-08-02T16:24:30.0085919 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - History Faustin Chongombe Djongana NULL 1 0042657-02082018162511.pdf 10805433.pdf 2018-08-02T16:25:11.7070000 Output 8905573 application/pdf E-Thesis true 2018-08-02T16:25:11.7070000 false
title Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
spellingShingle Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
Faustin Chongombe Djongana
title_short Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
title_full Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
title_fullStr Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
title_full_unstemmed Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
title_sort Africa through British eyes: The changing representation of the D. R. Congo in the London Times, 1885-2006.
author_id_str_mv 92f59b8ba5155ad1b0ea1277a83f3807
author_id_fullname_str_mv 92f59b8ba5155ad1b0ea1277a83f3807_***_Faustin Chongombe Djongana
author Faustin Chongombe Djongana
author2 Faustin Chongombe Djongana
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2012
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - History{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - History
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description This thesis seeks to respond to the on-going complaints from both African and western scholars that Africa is negatively represented in the western media. The findings showed that news stories, opinions and commentaries expressed throughout the coverage of the Congo, including editorials and letters and from pre-colonial to modern Congo, were written by western journalists and correspondents from the London Times and associated correspondents, while four other news agencies Agence France Press (AFP), Associated Press (AP), the Belgian news agency (Belga) and Reuters were the main sources for The Times newspaper. News makers in Pre-Colonial and Colonial periods were almost exclusively westerners and references to the Congolese people appeared in generic terms. In Post-Colonial and Modern periods, Congolese people did appear by name but only in a limited capacity. The thesis also identifies differences between the coverage in each period, for example highlighting the critical engagement with the Congo that characterised the reporting of 1908. The Congo was represented over the periods sampled with negative stereotypes such a 'primitive', 'backward', 'barbaric, 'dangerous destination,' 'place for business,' 'natives to be civilised, evangelised and educated.' Recurring themes such as forced labour, civil war, corruption, child exploitation, poverty, refugees, witchcraft, dependency and mismanagement prevail in the reporting. The research investigated the changing representations of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the western media by examining its coverage in the London Times from a historical context that included four key historic years in the Congo's development, namely 1885, 1908, 1960 and 2006, referred to as the Pre-Colonial, Colonial, Post-Colonial and Modern Congo periods. The London Times, which used to be one of the leading western newspapers and the British newspaper of record, was selected. Content and discourse analysis were used to evaluate and categorise the news items published in the sampled periods to distinguish the emerging themes, to identify the sources, and to interpret the language used in the coverage. The findings have shown that since its inception to the modern period, the reporting of the Congo in The Times has avowedly been through western eyes, and, as with much journalism, has not offered any real context to the stories. The poor benighted heathens thus continue in their war-torn arbours.
published_date 2012-12-31T04:22:12Z
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score 11.090445

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