Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Program
Liberal Studies
Advisor
Herman Bennett
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities
Keywords
Africa, Nigeria, Advertising, media, western media, African advertising
Abstract
Images of skyscrapers, well-built roads, and deluxe model cars are often absent in the mindset of Western audiences when it comes to Africa. This is because the popular image of Africa in the western world is that of a backward and impoverished continent. Western media is largely responsible for this image. On the other hand, African advertising and advertising produced in Africa reveal a different image of the continent. This image focuses on the technological changes, social improvement, and modernization that are taking place in many African countries. This paper examines television and print advertising produced in different African countries for this rarely seen aspect of the continent they reveal. This examination is done using the “Reflective Hypothesis” which postulates that advertising mirrors the target community in terms of values, culture, beliefs and lifestyle. I argue that businesses in other to sell their product or services market a more sophisticated image of contemporary Africa. What western media representation of Africa does not take into account is the presence of a consumer market in the continent. This consumer market is the target of businesses both foreign and local, who traffic a more appealing image of the continent. Although it is evident that poverty is a serious issue in the continent, a study of advertising opens up the possibilities of seeing the continent in a different light.
Recommended Citation
Afolabi, Rachael F., "The Untold Story of Africa: What Advertising from Africa Reveals to the Rest of the World About the Continent" (2017). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2042