1994 Volume 8 No. 3 Press Freedom and Political Development in Africa by Chris W. Ogbondah Population Information Campaign in Swaziland: Balancing Individual Values and National Develop ment Goals by Eronini R. Megwa Sensitizing Policy Makers on Population Issues: the PIP Experience in Ghana by A. F. Aryee Copyright ©1994 (ACCE) African Council for Communication Education Nairobi, Kenya ISSN 0258-44913 Africa Media Review provides a forum for the study of communication theory, practice and policy in African countries. It is published three times a year by the ACCE Institute for Communication Development and Research, P. O. Box 47495, Nairobi, Kenya. Telephone: 227043/216135/ 215270/334244 ext. 28068 Telex: 25148 ACCE KE. Correspondence and Advertising Authors should send contributions to the Managing Editor, ACCE Institute for Communication Development and Research, P. O. Box 47495, Nairobi, Kenya. Books for review, book review articles and all other matters regarding AMR should be sent to the same address. Annual Subscription Rate Africa US$ 45:00 Outside Africa US$ 60:00 These rates include packing and postage. Single copies are US$ 15:00 within Africa and US$20:00 outside Africa. Cheques or money orders should be made payable to African Council for Communication Education and sent to the above address. Special arrangements will be entered into where applicable for suscribers in Africa through their nearest ACCE national co-ordinator. ACCE insti- tutional and and individual members receive AMR as part of member- ship privileges. Managing Editor Editorial Assistants Circulation Dr. Charles Okigbo, African Coun cil for Communication Education, Nairobi, Kenya. Charles Ongadi Nyambuga, Mona Fetouh, African Council for Com munication Education, Nairobi, Kenya. Wachango Kimani, African Council for Communication Education, Nairobi, Kenya. ACCE President Dr. Francis Wete, University of Yaounde, Cameroon. Table of Contents 1 Press Freedom and Political Development in Africa, by Chris W. Ogbondah 40 Participation or the Popular: Where to Find a Nest for the Restless Minds of Rural Transition? by Ullamaija Klvikuru 78 Sensitizing Policy Makers on Population Issues: The PIP Experience in Ghana, by A. F. Aryee 95 Population Information Campaign in Swaziland: Balancing Individual Values and National Develop ment Goals, by Eronini R. Megwa 110 Integrating Nutrition Education and Communication Programmes: Nutrition Assessment in Zomba, Malawi, by Charlotte A. Pratt and C. Bababunmi Pratt Comments on This Issue This issue of AMR is largely a result of the great out-pouring of intellectual materials that we witnessed at the 9th Bien- nial and 20th Anniversary Conference of the ACCE which was recently held in Accra, Ghana. All of the five papers published in this issue were selected from the corpus of 93 papers accepted and presented at the conference. In the first unit, Professor Chris W. Ogbondah, writing on "Press Freedom and Development in Africa" argues that the suppression of press freedom hampers African political development. The presentation is enriched by an extensive review of literature on the role of the media in national development. Ullamaija Kivikuru's contribution on "Community Media for Rural Development" is an interesting illustration of how the ideals of rural development planning do not always lead to desired results. Major factors responsible for suboptimali- sation in community development are noted and attention drawn to the relevance of Paulo Freire's ideas on liberation from illiteracy. Professor A. F. Aryee's contribution on population policies is a detailed examination of the Population Impact Project (PIP) at the University of Ghana. The PIP example can, and indeed needs to, be replicated in other African countries that are interested in the scientific management of population issues. Dr. Eronini Megwa's contribution focuses on the vagaries of population campaign management. Asynergistic approach to the design of intervention strategies and communication campaigns is recommended. Professors Charlotte and C. Bababunmi Pratt argue that nutrition education is an important aspect of social develop- ment. They recommend the adoption of community-based approaches in integrating nutrition education and develop- ment communication. Each unit in this issue makes an interesting and signifi- cant contribution to the theme of the 9th Biennial, "Media and Sustainable Development." ii