*CFP* "MEDIA AND THE CORONA PANDEMIC IN AFRICA", SPECIAL ISSUE, THE JOURNAL OF AFRICAN MEDIA STUDIES

The Journal of African Media Studies is cordially inviting you to  submit a paper to be included in a thematic issue on Media and the Corona Pandemic in Africa. Since its outbreak in China, the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has brought the world into a standstill, through various forms of lockdown, social distancing and self-quarantine. In Africa, as in other parts of the world, the pandemic is affecting every sphere of life including travel, education, business, informal sector, religion, health and entertainment. The public demand for information is unprecedented. The pandemic is attracting a huge amount of attention in media. Conversation issues in social media revolve around Covid-19. 

We  invite articles that focus on the unfolding corona-crisis in Africa. What are the stories emerging from the continent? How is the media depicting the coronavirus pandemic? Articles for this special issue will focus on a number of issues around the Covid-19 pandemic and the media in Africa.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Media coverage and representation of the pandemic
• Mainstream media and alternative narratives about Covid-19
• Indigenous language media and Covid-19
• User-generated images and memes on Covid-19
• The use of satire, music and comedy
• Social media and proliferation of fake news, dodgy health advice and fake ‘cures’
• Conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic
• Discourse about poverty, migration, racism, religion and xenophobia
• Minority voices in the media
• The role of micro-celebrities
• Media and information literacy
• Rooted cosmopolitans and support networks
• International relations, post-colonialism
• Screen media and creativity

All articles submitted should be original work and must not be under consideration by other publications. Articles published in JAMS are subjected to a blind peer-reviewing process and should not normally exceed 6,000 words in length. For more information on requirements and submission procedures see the website.

If interested, please send a 300-word abstract and short biography to Martin Ndlela martin.ndlela@inn.no by 30 April 2020. The deadline for full articles is 1st September 2020.