Article Written by Kgati Mogashoa 02 April 2023.

Africa Media Barometer

A detailed and thorough description and measuring mechanism for national media ecosystems on the African continent is the African Media Barometer (AMB). The African Media Benchmark (AMB), in contrast to other press surveys or media indices, is a self-assessment exercise based on domestic standards derived from African Protocols and Declarations, such as the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights' Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa (2002). The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and fesmedia Africa, the Friedrich-Ebert-(FES) Stiftung's media project in Africa, collaborated to develop the tool in 2004.

The AMB is a practical lobbying tool for media reform while also serving as an analytical exercise to assess the state of the media in a certain nation. The AU-Declaration and other African standards are used as benchmarks as its findings are given to the public of the relevant country to encourage an improvement of the media environment. The activities of the 19 FES country offices in sub-Saharan Africa and the advocacy initiatives of other local media organizations like MISA then incorporate the recommendations from the AMB reports.

The Afrikaners (60%) who are descended from Dutch settlers, the French Huguenots, the German Protestants, and the English-speakers who are descended from British settlers make up the population of European descent. Moreover, South Africa takes in refugees from several countries, particularly Zimbabwe, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Nigeria. Between four and eight million are thought to be illegal immigrants, the most of whom live primarily in the townships of the big cities. The many cultures of South Africa are reflected in the country's languages, food, music, and dance. South Africans are still incredibly rooted in their past. The variety of lifestyles is influenced by location and money. Cities were split into townships and white cities during Apartheid. The white population left the urban cores after apartheid and relocated to the inner suburbs. Unaffected by race, upscale apartment complexes with security were built for the middle and upper classes.