African Communication Paradigms Between Yesterday and Tomorrow: Preserving and Enhancing Africanity in the Digital Age

Abstract

One of the innate characteristics of innovation is that it is disruptive, and the main attribute of innovation-induced disruption is generally positive in some respects and negative in others. The current revolution in information and communication technology (ICT) is no exception. On the contrary, the disruptiveness of this revolution has been particularly pervasive and far-reaching. This chapter examines some of the disruptive effects of the ICT revolution on African communication paradigms that are central to African communitarianism, itself a primordial component of African civilization. Those are the socio-philosophical, culturological, and axiological paradigms. The chapter stems from the postulate that Africans are ultimately responsible for making the new ICTs an instrument for building viable communities, creating knowledge, and solving problems while preserving authentic African values.