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Editorial

Editorial EDITORIAL In the last Ž fteen years, throughout Africa there has been a marked rise of Pentecostal-charismatic and Muslim movements which have been able to attract great numbers of followers. A characteristic feature of these movements is their successful and creative appropriation of elec- tronic media such as radio, TV, video, cassettes and the Internet. The proliŽ c use of electronic and even digital mass media by religious groups all over Africa is fascinating and stimulates the development of new research avenues. Yet it would be mistaken to assume that the link between religion and media is entirely new, or even that it entails antag- onisms between spirituality and technology. If religion is understood as engaging in practices of mediation between the transcendental, invisible world and the material, visible world, it is easy to realize that the rep- resentation of the invisible necessarily depends on media, be they spirit mediums, books, photography or electronic/digital devices like radio, TV or (video) Ž lm. Against the background of this perspective it makes as little sense to focus on media technologies as such as to assume that the religious message will get through irrespective of its medium. The point is to http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Religion in Africa Brill

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2003 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0022-4200
eISSN
1570-0666
DOI
10.1163/15700660360703105
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

EDITORIAL In the last Ž fteen years, throughout Africa there has been a marked rise of Pentecostal-charismatic and Muslim movements which have been able to attract great numbers of followers. A characteristic feature of these movements is their successful and creative appropriation of elec- tronic media such as radio, TV, video, cassettes and the Internet. The proliŽ c use of electronic and even digital mass media by religious groups all over Africa is fascinating and stimulates the development of new research avenues. Yet it would be mistaken to assume that the link between religion and media is entirely new, or even that it entails antag- onisms between spirituality and technology. If religion is understood as engaging in practices of mediation between the transcendental, invisible world and the material, visible world, it is easy to realize that the rep- resentation of the invisible necessarily depends on media, be they spirit mediums, books, photography or electronic/digital devices like radio, TV or (video) Ž lm. Against the background of this perspective it makes as little sense to focus on media technologies as such as to assume that the religious message will get through irrespective of its medium. The point is to

Journal

Journal of Religion in AfricaBrill

Published: Jan 1, 2003

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