A westernised discourse of sexuality in Africa – an analysis of the biased authorship in The Conversation Africa

To understand who contributes to the topic of sexuality in Africa, authorship in The Conversation Africa, an Australian online media outlet was systematically reviewed.

Methodology

The review covered articles published in The Conversation Africa up to 26 May 2024 that included the words LGBT and Africa. Results showed 51 articles published in English between 2023 and 2014. These 51 articles were screened by reading the title, subtitle and scanning or reading the full article. Of the 51, 21 were excluded because their content did not cover the two search words. Therefore, data was extracted about first author’s affiliation, country and funding from 30 articles.

Why the study was important?

The topic of sexuality is an important one because on the differences of values between the west and Africa. The west has taken a colonising role against African values, and often the voices of Africans are not heard or listened to. This has been a major challenge that results in disdain for western media. Is The Conversation different? Please read and view the data and statistics below and make your own conclusions.

Results

Only 6 of the 30 first authors writing on the selected issue under the period were Black, 24 were White. Of the 6 Black authors, 5 worked in Africa, one outside and 5 were funded by western institutions. A research institution where 5 of the Black researchers were affiliated had 56 funders on its website but only 2 funders were African.

What this means

The obvious sentiment from all the included articles devalues African voices on sexuality. The other worrying findings from the data are:

• Funding African writers to write from a western perspective. Funding, donations and grants are therefore provided, in unethical ways, to suppress African voices. This is often the trend on the continent, those advocating or writing in support of western-framed sexuality do so because there is funding, not because of personal, family or societal conviction.
• Western authors are contributing to African issues in disproportional quantities. This makes media outlets biased.

The positive aspect is that the majority of African authors are not being manipulated to advance western values.

What can social workers and development practitioners do?

1. Media literacy: Encourage communities across Africa to identify biases, and to critically evaluate information disseminated.
2. Promote alternative voices: Support journalists, bloggers, and activists who strive to offer a comprehensive view on African issues.
3. Engage with media outlets: Challenge biased narratives by contributing articles to present African perspectives.
4. Community education: Organise educational initiatives to empower communities with accurate information to counteract biased media.
5. Advocacy and lobbying: Advocate for media, editorial and funding policies that promote fairness and balance in coverage.
6. Cultural sensitivity: Reflect local customs, traditions, and sensitivities.
7. Storytelling and narrative change: Use personal narratives, stories and testimonials for challenging western stereotypes.

Social workers and development workers can contribute to creating a media landscape that respects not devalue and colonise the narratives of Africa. The Conversation is just one media outlet, but there are many, including book and journal publishers, that do not provide fair debate on African issues mainly because of biased authorship.