African Newspapers and the Development of the Private Press in Rhodesia

Abstract

This chapter looks at the role played by African Newspapers Limited in the growth of newspapers for Africans in Rhodesia. It looks at the production of the earliest newspapers by the company that culminated in the birth of the African Daily News, which later became the flagship newspaper of the company and the first daily newspaper in the country. The story of the birth of the African Daily News can never be complete without looking at the early newspapers like the Bantu Mirror and the African Weekly, which were later merged into the daily newspaper. In addition, issues of alliances between the newspaper’s proprietors and the political powers of the day will be discussed as it greatly shaped the trajectory of newspapers for Africans. Finally, I question the whole high-sounding slogan of these newspapers being “for Africans and by Africans.” In essence, I question the role played by Africans in the production of newspapers.