Examining Sexuality in the Context of HIV/AIDS Knowledge among Students of the North-West University Mafikeng Campus

The study investigated gender differences in attitudes towards sexuality in the context of HIV/AIDS among undergraduate students. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,498 randomly selected students. The majority of the students interviewed were females at 53.9% (M= 20.24, SD=2.98) compared to 46.1% males (M=21.67, SD=3.35). More Males (16%) responded in the affirmative with regard to having more than one sexual partner than female students (10%). Also, more male students (32.7%) than female students (18.6%) indicated that using condom reduces sexual pleasure and over 40% of both sets of respondents indicated that sexual intercourse should only be done between married couples. This study underscores the need to strengthen HIV/AIDS programmes to include issues on sexuality and encourage undergraduate students to attend these programmes.

Education, Gender, and Child-Rights

Promoting and improving quality education is one of the core missions of the United Nations at ensuring sustainable future; hence, the slogan: Change towards a better quality of life starts with education. This paper examined the place of education, gender and child rights within the current status of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ado-Odo/Ota local government of Ogun State, Nigeria. Questionnaire and interviews were used as instruments of data collection. School children between ages 7 and 18 in both private and public schools formed the study population. A sample size, 1000 respondents, was drawn from the population out of which 976 responded effectively to the questions. The findings revealed that education and child rights remain in a precarious state in the local government. There was a limited awareness about child rights among children in primary schools and secondary schools; teaching materials and instructors were grossly inadequate in many of the schools sampled and basic needs such as water and electricity were unavailable. It was also observed that the number of enrolled male children in schools is 24% higher than the females. These challenges should be put into consideration when formulating policies for education in developing countries. There is therefore the need to prioritize education, especially female education, as well as child rights in general in the local government through adequate funding, investment in teachers and creation of awareness about the rights of the child.

Discourse and Multimodal Analysis of Netizens' Reactions to the Nigerian 2015 Presidential Elections

Words and images are channels through which identities and realities are created. In the traditional mass media the power to do this is controlled by management in accordance to prescribed rules and stakeholder desires. This concept shifts with newer media forms like Facebook which transforms the power into the hands of the netizens. This is considered in relation to postings on the Facebook pages of the Osun Political Parrot with regards the Nigerian Presidential Election. The chapter builds its analysis on the liberty netizens have through the internet and the limited monopoly the encoder has over their uploaded comments. It examines the quality of comments netizens make based on their application of intertextually derived knowledge from other media texts. Using Discourse Analysis and Multimodal Methods, examinations of word and image associations in uploaded posts and comments made on March 22-28, a week to the Nigerian 2015 Presidential Elections is done.

Role of ICT in Socio-Economic Development in Kenya

The growth of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has empowered communities in diverse ways. Both males and females use ICTs to transact businesses and carry on relationships. Access and use of mobile phones have changed people's lives. This chapter discusses the magical revolution of mobile telephony in Africa and specifically in Kenya. Innovations such as MPESA have transformed people's lives in Kenya and in other emerging economies. Both males and females have used the innovations to bring about development that has enriched their lives. Secondly, the role of gender socialization is discussed in relation to how the ICTs have eliminated the long-held belief that females are not participants in societal development. Thirdly, the role of the media in development is examined because they socialize people into the gender roles. Through mobile telephones, females perform diverse roles. Positive portrayal of men and women in development acknowledges that men and women must be active members of the process.

An Assessment of Media Contribution to Behaviour Change and HIV Prevention in Nigeria

This chapter explores media influence on behaviour change and its implication for HIV prevention programmes in Nigeria. Using the agenda setting, and the uses and gratifications theories, it analyzes how the media set agenda for public opinion and the gratification that audience receive from media information vis-a-vis behaviour change initiatives in reducing HIV epidemic in Nigeria. The chapter through a descriptive and literature review approach assesses effective communication framework for behaviour change and some of the factors contributing to HIV prevalence in Nigeria. The chapter sums up case studies of interventions that have documented the effectiveness of the media in HIV prevention initiatives. The chapter concludes on the positive influence of media intervention in sexual behaviour change programmes but notes that behaviour change still lies with individual decisions. Therefore it recommends other forms of communication like interpersonal communication, community mobilization and advocacy to support media strategies for effective HIV prevention initiatives in Nigeria.

Awareness and Education on Viral Infections in Nigeria Using Edutainment

Researches in clinical and medical science have shown that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B, and to some extent Hepatitis C viruses, constitute a major public health challenge in the Sub-Saharan Africa. This is without prejudice to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) that is more deadly than the other three put together, and had affected some countries in West Africa- Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. There is little awareness and education via the mass media on some common viral infections in Nigeria like Hepatitis compared to HIV. Therefore, there is dire need for information, sensitisation and education on the viruses, means of transmission, preventive measures and also therapy. Edutainment is the fusion of education into entertainment programming which can come in form of drama, music, poetry and lots more, and it had been used as a platform to create awareness for positive reproductive health and HIV/AIDS by leading health organisations like WHO, USAID, DFID, SFH, and UNFPA. This paper therefore, examines why edutainment should be used and how it can be used to educate media audience in Nigeria on some viral infections that pose serious health risks and how they can live healthy lives.

Portrayal of Women in Nollywood Films and the Role of Women in National Development

This study investigates how women are portrayed in Nollywood films, as well as the interpretation of their representations. It aims at understanding how the images of women are reflected in films, with a focus on investigating the influence of such portrayals on their role in national development. The methods adopted were Quantitative Content Analysis (five Nollywood films were content analysed) and Focus Group Discussion (three sessions of FGD were organised). Data collected and analysed show that over two-thirds of major female characters analysed were portrayed as dependent, 80% were depicted in such situations of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, while only 30% of the major female characters were portrayed as career professionals and intellectuals. It was observed from the analyses that portrayals and representations of women have negative influences on their contributions towards national development. The study concludes, therefore, that positive portrayal of women in Nollywood films should be encouraged. This can only be made possible through changing the narrative style of the film scripts. This is a call for more female script writers and directors to be involved in charting the narratives that will adequately give women a voice, new roles, and the right representation in Nollywood films.

Social Media Uses and Effects

This chapter aims at analysing the effects of social media on African society by focusing on WhatsApp usage. The chapter will; one, show how usage of WhatsApp is affecting interpersonal relationships in Africa. Two, evaluate the common uses of WhatsApp in Africa. Three, scrutinise the reasons people in Africa prefer using WhatsApp. Four, add theoretical perspectives on how social media is impacting on the communication landscape of the region. The chapter will also introduce two concepts, one; medium veracity wherein different media have varying levels of trust or credibility and two; the social media domino effect, wherein social media platforms are mutually dependent and have a symbiotic relationship. By examining why people are using WhatsApp, this chapter seeks to add to the empirical conversation on futility and the transformative potential of social media.

Press Freedom and Socio-Economic Issues in the Nigerian and Ugandan Democratic Landscape

Press freedom is a global concept that encourages the freedom of the press from external influences or interferences. In Africa, press freedom is enshrined in the constitutions of most countries. However, there are several factors and issues that limit press freedom in Africa. Using Nigeria and Uganda as examples, this chapter explores press freedom and socio-economic issues in a democratic media landscape. Furthermore, the chapter was organized in a number of rubrics; it x-rayed the concept of press freedom. It also examined the constitutional basis of press freedom in Uganda and Nigeria. The chapter concludes that Press freedom promotes transparency and flourishes more in countries where there are constitutional and legal provisions are greatly promoted because of the democratic principles and ideals which are conducted with openness.

Nigerian Government's Attempts at Removing Fuel Subsidy and the Attendant Mass Protests

The Federal Government of Nigeria made several unsuccessful attempts at stopping petrol subsidy by arguing that the policy is unsustainable. Seven unsuccessful attempts were made between 1999, when the country returned to democratic rule, and 2012. Though the government might have good reasons for removing petrol subsidy, it was clear that there was an obvious disconnection between the government and the people as the people were not in support of the policy. This chapter examined coverage of petrol subsidy removal by three national dailies. Content analysis was adopted as the research method. It was discovered that 49.4% of the stories published by the selected newspapers in the study period were not in favour of petrol subsidy removal. It was therefore recommended that government should endeavour to carry Nigerian citizens along ever before introducing such kind of policy and that media practitioners should set an agenda for fighting corruption in the oil industry.