Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Everyday Africa (Paperback)

~ Mirjam de Bruijn (Editor), Francis Nyamnjoh (Editor), Inge Brinkman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

'We cannot imagine life now without a mobile phone' is a frequent comment when Africans are asked about mobile phones. They have become part and parcel of the communication landscape in many urban and rural areas of Africa and the growth of mobile telephony is amazing: from 1 in 50 people being users in 2000 to 1 in 3 in 2008. Such growth is impressive but it does not even begin to tell us about the many ways in which mobile phones are being appropriated by Africans and how they are transforming or are being transformed by society in Africa. This volume ventures into such appropriation and mutual shaping. Rich in theoretical innovation and empirical substantiation, it brings together reflections on developments around the mobile phone by scholars of six African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Sudan and Tanzania) who explore the economic, social and cultural contexts in which the mobile phone is being adopted, adapted and harnessed by mobile Africa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Langaa RPCIG (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9956558532
• ISBN-13: 978-9956558537
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,279,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at on-the-ground reality, June 14, 2009

By	Tom Elliott (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

The essays/papers in this book give an excellent view of the way mobile phones are actually being used - or in some cases, not used - by real people living real lives in a number of African countries. Includes a number of very helpful pictures to give a non-African a sense of what, for example, a cellular phone hut might actually look like.

The only real negative is that some of the research is by now a few years old, which is a long time given the rapid development of the mobile industry in Africa.