TOMORROW FIDES DOSSIER ON TELEVISION IN AFRICA PART TWO

Vatican City (Fides Service) – Despite the diffusion of programmes from the West most people in Africa are not reached by foreign cultural influences due to a lack of adequate electricity service in vast areas of the continent. What is more television sets are still too expensive for most Africans, not to mention the variety of languages and local dialects which prevent the enjoyment of programmes in English or French. Nevertheless Africans want to find on the blue screen something which responds to the expectations of an audience with precise historical and cultural identity. New technology makes it possible to receive many satellite channels for a minimum cost. These themes are addressed in a Fides Dossier by Miela Fagiolo d’Attilia of which tomorrow 13 December we publish Part Two (in Italian only) with information of audience expectations, foreign pay channels, not only audience, international windows, the reality in South Africa. Part One of the Dossier, available on our web site www.fides.org. was published on 6 December. (S.L.) (Fides Service 12/12/2003 – lines 14; words 175)