Journal of African Media Studies - Volume 17, Issue 1, 2025

Human organ trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and medical ethics. The intricacies of illicit human organ trade and their socio-economic drivers in Africa are understudied due to the very little empirical information on the extent of this crime. Against this backdrop, this article examines media insights into human organ trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa with reflection on Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania and Mozambique. A critical textual analysis of mass media reportage is undertaken to measure public opinion on the subject matter. Thus, based on the content analysis of media documentation, official records and the extant literature, it concludes that human organ stealing is a multifaceted issue rooted in socio-economic disparity and the ethical crisis in the medical cultures of sub-Saharan Africa.

Before COVID-19-dominated news media, the world was gripped by another public health emergency: Ebola. Infectious disease outbreaks and their ability to cross borders capture media and public interest. The United States recorded its first Ebola diagnosis and fatality in 2014 when a traveller from Liberia arrived in Dallas. This was immediately followed by chaotic and prominent news coverage that disrupted effective public health communication about the disease. Researchers previously found that the media’s framing of such health emergencies can influence public policy and public perception and response. However, little is known about what narrative techniques US media employed in their Ebola coverage. In this framing analysis, the authors uncovered six dominant frames: foreign vs. local intervention; reliance on western experts; harmful characterizations of illness; illusions of control; misrepresentations of Africa and patient privacy norms. Findings hold implications for journalists who cover public health emergencies.

Like other West African countries, Senegal has not been spared from the adverse political, social, cultural and economic effects of misinformation. Although the country stands out as a pioneer in West Africa for introducing media literacy education within the school system in the early 1960s, it has not yet established a national strategy for promoting media literacy. At the same time, media literacy has been touted as one way to address misinformation. This study surveys media professionals to capture their understanding of ‘media literacy’ and explores their views on implementing a national media literacy policy. A thematic analysis of 22 in-depth interviews shows that although media professionals are not particularly knowledgeable about media literacy, they view the Senegalese government, the media and opinion leaders as potential agents of change in promoting media literacy in schools, mosques, markets and other public spaces where information circulates.

The purpose of this study is to extend a scholarly reading of Jide Okonkwo’s digital illustrations, which he referred to as the Daily Bible Illustration Challenge (DBIC). The study aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between art, religion and the social interventions that occur between them. It problematizes the limited academic engagement with these relationships in Nigeria and Africa. Here, ‘the artistic’ and ‘the religious’ refer to a set of cross-mediated biblical renderings through which Jide Okonkwo, a prominent Nigerian digital artist, posed a social media challenge. The concept of a ‘challenge’ alludes to the ‘ALS Ice Bucket Challenge’ that gained widespread traction on social media in 2014. This article’s context of socio-religious mediation and visuality is framed within social semiotics as an interpretive tool. The compositions are analysed based on their visual properties and accompanying texts. Ultimately, Okonkwo’s works serve as a valuable medium of communication and engagement on religion, art and social mediation, with their relevance extending beyond Nigeria to a global audience.