Media, Identity and the Public Sphere in Post-Apartheid : An Introduction

ABEBE ZEGEYE* AND RICHARD HARRIS**

The essays in this collection reveal that the social and political development of post-apartheid South Africa depends to an important degree on the evolving cultural, social and political identities of its diverse population and on the role of the media of mass communications in the country's new multicultural democracy. The popular struggle against the country's former apartheid regime and the on-going democratisation of South African politics have generated enormous creativity and inspiration as well as many contradictions and unfulfilled expectations. In the present period of social transformation, the legacy of the country's past is both a source of continuing conflict and tension as well as a cause for celebration and hope. South Africa is undergoing a complex, far-reaching and multifaceted process of social transformation. The country's media of mass communi- cations are playing an important role in this process. They are not only important sources of public information and channels of communications; they also serve as important conveyors of the identities and interests of the different social groups within South Africa society. In this capacity, the media help to determine the relative power, status and influence of these groups. In addition, they provide an important forum for public de- bate and opinion formation in South African society. Thus, they arc an important element in the on-going democratisation of the political system.

* Department of Sociology, University of South Africa. ** Global Studies Program, California State University, Monterey Bay. The contributors to this collection of essays provide invaluable informa- tion on the role of the mass media in the social transformation of South African society and on the evolving identities of the diverse array of peo- ple who make up the population of this important country. These two elements are interrelated both in the contemporary social reality of South Africa and in the focus of most of the essays. The identities and interests of the different groups within the population are represented by the mass media in the 'public sphere' of South African society. The values, laws, policies, rules, codes of conduct, norms, morals and public attitudes that govern how people live together are formulated, expressed and determined in this important sphere of social life. All the essays in this collection focus in some manner on this important sphere. Some of the essays focus primarily on the role of the mass media in the country's current cultural, social and political development while others focus largely on the formation and representation of social and cultural identities in post-apartheid South Africa. Most of the essays also reveal how the media represent and shape the disparate identities and changing social relations in contemporary South Africa. All the essays provide an invaluable contribution to the existing body of knowledge on the nature of contemporary South African society. Moreover, the insights and implications that can be derived from these analyses have relevance for the rest of Africa and for societies with similar conditions in other regions of the world.

Post-Apartheid South Africa

South Africa is a highly diverse society with a population of some 44 million people. In the 1996 census, the population was asked to classify themselves in terms of racial categories. As a result, 76.7% of the population classified themselves as African; 10.9% as White; 8.9% as Colored; and 2.6% as Indian/ (South Africa Yearbook, 2001/02). In terms of ethnic classification, the country's diverse population consists of the following ethnic groups: the Nguni people who include the Zulu, Xhosa and Swazi (these groups represent two-thirds of the population); the Sotho- who include the Southern, Northern and Western Sotho (Tswana); the Tsonga; the Venda; the ; the English; the Coloreds; and the Indians. There are also immigrants from other parts of Africa, Europe and Asia, and a small number of people from the Khoi and the San ethnic groups. The 1996 constitution provides for 11 official languages, namely: Afrikaans, English, isindcbclc, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. These languages correspond to the major ethnic groups in South Africa. Freedom of worship is guaranteed by the