Religion and global media: Impact of Arabic TV channels on lowland Eritrean youth

Eritrea is a tiny north-eastern African nation that attained statehood during the postmodern period. This ancient seat of culture and civilization was subjected to a series of colonial aggressions and invasions, leading to the emergence of revolutionary warring fronts that waged fierce guerilla warfare for 30 years to attain independence. Eritrean society is highly diversified in terms of geography, language, ethnic nationalities, religion and culture. Colonial rulers brought modern means of mass communication such as the printing press, radio, TV and films to Eritrea. Eritrea fell into the hands of an authoritarian regime on attaining independence and the media in Eritrea is strictly under government control. Satellite TV channels from the Middle East started beaming into Eritrea from 1996, and the Eritrean youth are avid consumers of the global messages from across the borders. Following an in-depth interview method as a research technique, using an unstructured, openended questionnaire, the present study presents how ethnicity and religion play a role in making meaning out of the messages of Middle East-based Arabic TV channels among lowland Tigre-/Arabic-speaking Eritrean youth aged 18–25 years. The researchers have observed the way foreign TV channel programmes have influenced family norms, social roles for women, sexual norms, lifestyles and music preferences of young Tigre viewers. The study concludes that Islam and Arabic language are two important factors influencing the lowland Tigre youth in picking up Arabic channels as they reinforce the same culture and traditions apart from creating Pan-Arab identities among the Arabic-/Tigre-speaking youth, at the same time preserving the indigenous culture from the influence of the West.