Is British Broadcasting Corporation Reclaiming Hegemonic Control of African Media Landscape Through Indigenous Language-Based Programming Approach? An Analytical Discourse

Language seems to be one of the major tools used in asserting hegemonic control in different parts of the world. The use of language in the process of cultural infiltration and domination has recorded huge successes as many languages in the world, especially in Africa, have been relegated to minority statuses by dominant languages, with some going into extinction. Most African languages have been battered and made unpopular, with no globally-used African language like the English, French, Spanish and German languages. The use of language to assert hegemonic control is a continuous process through which powerful nations conquer weaker ones. Most colonized countries in Africa may have achieved their physical independence and have control over their resources but they still use the language of their colonial masters thereby ensuring the gradual extinction of their own indigenous languages. In what seems to be an attempt to rescue some of the dying African indigenous languages from extinction, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), an international media organization owned by the British government, introduced indigenous language-based programming contents in various parts of Africa. It would be recalled that the British colonized a large chunk of the continent. One therefore wonders the motives behind this act by BBC. Is it another step towards reclaiming hegemonic control of Africa? The need to provide answer to this question necessitated this study. Using the analytical discussion method, the paper explores available literatures and links BBC's indigenous languagebased programming approach to the hegemonic control of the African media landscape.