CIRS Lunch Talk: A Local East African Newspaper v. The State and Market Forces

On Monday, March 11, 2019, Phoebe Musandu, an Assistant Professor and scholar of African history at GU-Q, was invited to deliver a CIRS Lunch Talk on her research into the history of mass media in Kenya. Speaking to an audience of faculty, students and staff, Musandu gave an overview of her most recent research project which resulted in a book titled Pressing Interests: The Agenda and Influence of a Colonial East African Newspaper Sector (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2018).

Musandu’s  book examines the establishment and influence of various secular newspapers in East Africa between 1899 and the 1960s. She began by presenting the historical context of that time period—when the majority of present-day Kenya was under the control of the British Empire. According to Musandu’s research, while the first paper in the country was owned by influential British settlers, rising tensions between European and Asian immigrants, the British colonial administration, and the African “petite bourgeoisie” led to the emergence of several new secular newspapers.

In her book, Musandu explores how these publications served a purpose far beyond simply providing facts and  information. In reality, these newspapers were wielded by the colonial government and ruling elites to shape economic and political realities for their own benefit.

“Newspapers were not about public opinion. They were not an end, but a means to an end. The end being the protection and consolidation of economic interests outside of the papers themselves,” said Musandu.

Tracing the stories of these newspapers establishment, and the people involved, Musandu’s analysis shows how owners, investors, journalists, editors, and publishers, all played important roles in Kenya’s economic and political history.

Professor Musandu’s book Pressing Interests is included in the GU-Q 100, a celebration of the first 100 books published by GU-Q faculty and staff since the university opened in 2005.

Faculty Seminars

The GU-Q Faculty Seminars are an annual series in which GU-Q faculty and guests present research in progress and receive feedback from other faculty members. The central goal is to further faculty’s research by offering opportunities both to present ideas and to learn from the ideas of others from GU-Q, Education City, and beyond.