In this research the contemporary art of the !Xun community in Platfontein, Kimberley is used as a case study to ascertain whether contemporary Bushman art, contrary to the mid-nineteenth century perception that it was child-like, and the present-day sense that it belongs to the past, is based on recognisable aesthetic principles. A functional-semiotic approach is applied, which takes the signs in painting, separates and categorises them in order to locate a painting’s iconic, indexical and symbolic signs. This analysis is done to assess whether or not contemporary Bushman art can be validated as a valuable area of contemporary art and whether creative individuals among the !Xun community may be viewed not as relics of a past people but as legitimate contemporary artists. This argument is revealed through post-structuralist analysis of the individual artworks of two particular !Xun artists. Interviews with !Xun artists uncovered the ways in which they represent themselves in their art, not only for themselves but for the viewers of that art. The constituents of the power relations between art dealers and the artists are also considered. The problematics of ‘authentic Bushman art’ is discussed and ‘authenticity’ in this regard is shown to be a contestable issue. The research then moves to an examination of the impact of modernity on the Bushmen and their art. Mindful of the economic exploitation of these artists in the present day, recommendations are made concerning forms of development which include teaching the artists about art markets, in order to empower them to engage effectively with dealers. Further recommendations are made toward the creation of a code of conduct which would apply to indigenous arts and the relationships between artists, dealers and consumers of the art. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This dissertation examines youth consumer culture in South Africa through a case study of cellular phone consumption. The hypothesis is that it is possible to draw some conclusions about identity formation, particularly among young people, by examining how they use cellular phones. Two methods were employed to understand three key research questions regarding the youth (aged 18-25). They were: Why do youth use cellular phones and what gratifications do they experience? From a marketing perspective, what web promotions are in place to target this youth market? How do the youth respond to these messages? The first method utilised a questionnaire investigating young people‟s perceptions, sampled from a group of students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). This objective was to reveal why young people have cellular phones and how they respond to marketed messages encouraging cellular phone consumption. The second method applied a semiotic analysis of the South African oligopolistic cellular networks' websites. This showed how marketers perceive their youth segment and how they harness the Internet as a marketing medium. Significant findings that foster consumption were presented regarding this youth sample. One such finding is that self expression is articulated through consumption. This is particularly evident in the purchasing of cellular phones and airtime and how the purchasing decision reflects the individualisation of self. Further, the importance of social institutions emerged with family instilling or attempting to instil discernment regarding diligent and necessary spending. The opposite is evident with peer pressure influencing unnecessary consumption. Lastly, advertising emerged as a central driver in creating brand awareness and stimulating the consumption of cellular phones and packages amongst this youth segment. Against the research results discussed, relevant literature gave support and further insights into youth consumer culture. This dissertation provides, and concludes with, a deeper understanding into the dynamics of youth and their cellular phone consumption in South Africa, particularly in an area where there has been very little research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The under-representation of women in the media has been contested by gender activists the world over. Studies have indicated that women are more likely to be portrayed as models on advertising bill-boards than as serious news sources. Why are women continually portrayed in a narrow range of roles? If visual representation is a means of how we make sense of the world and women are continually portrayed in a narrow range of roles and particularly as second-class citizens, does that not shape our understanding of the world? One of the critical areas of concern of the study was the construction, selection and production of gender images in the print media. In the case of Post newspaper, it is the media workers who, in order to boost the sales of the newspaper, select a model with a “pretty face” for their front pages. Surely there is more to these women than their physical beauty? According to the findings, models are selected for their attractive features. Photographs are carefully composed, enhancing the model?s appealing attributes. Thereafter the selection of photographs is done by the photographer, sub-editor and editor and produced in weekly editions of Post. At the time of the interview, the team of selectors was entirely male. Does this have a bearing on the selection of photographs? According to the findings, it does! When women journalists offer their suggestions during the selection process, they are completely disregarded. Based on the findings regarding the selection of photographs, it is evident that there is a bias towards the opinions of the males in the newsroom, in particular the editor. It is evident that the Post does not reflect Indian women on the cover of Post, instead it contributes to the gender stereotype of women depicted as models rather than news sources. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Diagnosis with HIV disease is associated with a negative life event which impacts on health, longevity, reproduction and sexuality. Given the impact of disease stigma on prevailing constructions of masculinity and femininity, gender expectations are found to play an increasingly important role in prevention. In contexts in which increasingly more young people are living with HIV there is a need for appropriate sex-education, support for dealing with sexuality and self-identity with HIV. This calls for a prevention approach that gives a voice to those who have previously been marginalised and necessitates a move away from prevention approaches that are didactic and use top-down shifts in policy and regulation as a means of encouraging risk reduction. This study explores DramAidE’s Health Promotion project which locates young people who live openly with HIV in the centre of an HIV/AIDS mitigation project so that they can provide leadership and engage campus communities in HIV/AIDS related activities and events. Unlike most higher education stigma reduction efforts which draw on a model of "liberal enlightenment" in which communications experts design projects with the intention of correcting inappropriate thoughts and actions, this project avoids, what Paulo Freire (1972a) calls a ‘banking’ approach to health (Maluwa, Aggleton, and Parker, 2002). Participatory action research is associated with democratic struggles and is used in this dissertation to encourage resistance to stigmatising attitudes which are encoded within current prevention approaches. The findings suggest that peers exposed to the Health Promotion project engage with gender and prevention issues in a highly critical way. Peers living and affected by HIV have developed a context specific set of norms which encourage testing. An innovative approach to prevention has been adopted in which peer leaders living with HIV provide an alternative model of care and support which is community supported. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

RN/AIDS has had a particularly devastating effect on sub-Saharan nations, including South Africa. Thus, a national rollout of antiretroviral drugs - capable of mitigating the effects of the epidemic - has been vigorously demanded by the South African public. Eventually bowing to public pressure, the Government began to implement the rollout of the drugs at public health facilities in early 2004. The University of KwaZulu-Natal announced in 2004 that it too would provide access to antiretroviral drugs for all students who require them. Thus, there is an urgent need for the institution to develop promotional campaigns that not only promote the service but that also deal with the fall-out from the problematic national rollout, and that address the complicated nature of antiretroviral therapy. The focus of this dissertation is on a promotional needs analysis for the antiretroviral rollout at the University. Specifically, the primary research aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the general student population on the topic of antiretrovirals, and by doing so, identify the needs of this audience that will have to be addressed by future promotional campaigns. The theoretical framework used to inform the research design and questions is that of social marketing; a relatively new approach to social change that uses principles of commercial marketing to achieve results among target audiences. The results of the research suggest that future promotional messages and campaigns directed at the general student population will need to focus on the following issues: clarifying the distinctions between different contexts of ARV use; increasing the awareness of the rollout at UKZN as a prerequisite to stimulating demand; addressing negative beliefs and misconceptions regarding ARVs; emphasising complementary practices to be used by individuals with RN/AIDS; addressing issues of stigma and discrimination and encouraging students to act as sources of support and information for other students. In the case of certain messages, segmentation - on the basis of race and campus - may result in a more effective dissemination of information to the target audiences. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

In South Africa, community radio is a growing phenomenon and over 100 radio stations have been licensed since the establishment of the Independent Broadcasting Authority. Ever since their emergence, their number has been growing dramatically and they have managed to attract 10% of the radio listenership in the country (NCRF charter). The proliferation and increasing demand for community radio broadcasting in South Africa and elsewhere demonstrates their significance and contribution to the socio-economic and cultural development of society in general, and to communities in particular. Nonetheless, despite their substantial contribution, communjty radios face challenges, especially with regard to resources and finance. As non-profit making institutions, they are funded by donors and subscribers and thus often suffer due to lack of reliable financial resources. The South African National Community Radio Forum (NCRF) states the decline of donor support as the main bottleneck to the proper functioning of community radio stations in the country (NCRF: July 2002). Thus, as with other commercial and public broadcasting stations, community radios in South Africa are expected to incorporate advertising as a source of income to cover some of their expenses without becoming dominated by profit motives. This study takes Radio Maritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal as a case study and attempts to explore the main financial sources of the station and its management. As its main. objective, the research in particular assesses the contribution of advertising as a financial source to the radio station and the way the station attracts advertisements without jeopardizing its mandate. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The idea the South African Indian community as a homogenous has derived from the apartheid ideology of separate development. From the time of their arrival in 1980, indentured labourer has endured a series of processes that have shaped the deve1opment of this ethnic minority. With the determination to belong and endure at any cost, the South A frican Indian celebrated 134 years in South Africa on the 16th of November 1994. In 1987, the introduction of a two-hour ethnic broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, to cater for the Indian community in South Africa seen as a means to 'satisfy a need' of the community. As a member of the Indian community and having some knowledge of the complexities of Indian culture, curiosity was awakened to the fact that can a programme of two-hours in duration accommodate not only the complex nature of Indian culture, but how is such a broadcast constructed to cope with the diversities that exist within the community? This study will examine the way in which Indian culture is imaged in the electronic media. It will proceed with the assumption that no matter what the material or technological, position of ethnic minorities, or where they are geographically located, or what historical time they live in, their objectives and actions derive from a specific cultural reference that is different to other ethnic minorities. / Thesis (M.A. (Cultural and Media Studies))-University of Natal, 1994.

This thesis examines the use of the participatory forum theatre methodology for HIVIAIDS education ina factory setting in Durban, 2003. The paper explores the field of Entertainment Education (EE), which is the strategic use of entertainment forms for health education and behaviour change. This thesis offers an overview of some of the modern theories of behaviour change and how EE is used in development communication. I investigate participatory communication theory, the work of Brazilian educationalist Paulo Freire, and the principles that inform Augusto Boats forum theatre methodology. EE strategies and communication and behavioural change theories inform the design and practice of the PST (problem solving theatre) projec( which is the case study for this thesis. This thesis outlines the process of the PST project, researching the environment at the chosen factory site, and the prevailing knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS, the creation of an appropriate forum theatre play, as well as observations and comments on the performance at the factory. Final summative research investigates the impact that the forum theatre had on the audience. The conclusion points to the tensions in theory and practice that were highlighted through the PST project, and suggests how forum theatre, as an EE strategy, can be further used in a factory setting. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The present project evaluates and examines a communication campaign carried out at the University of Durban-Westville (UDW) in 2003, which publicized the introduction of a HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) facility on campus. Drawing on theories 'of entertainment education (EE) and behaviour change, the campaign's effectiveness is analysed in relation to (1) audience reception; (2) take-up of the service promoted; and (3) visibility and penetration of the media employed. The thesis is that the message in campaigns of this nature benefits from avoiding claims of bringing about behaviour change by the mere fact of commurlication or information transfer. Instead, it is proposed that anti-H1V behaviour-change messages focus on urging audiences to act in presenting for VCT, because the ongoing counselling of VCT is a proper communicative forum for such changes. In conclusion, the present campaign's shortcomings are noted, and considered in the context of how to address these in relation to the opportunities offered by the merger ofUDW with the University of Natal from 2004. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal,Durban,2003.

The focus in this project is on the analysis of empirical evidence collected from the #Khomani and Ngwatle communities relating to representation, theories of reflexivity and research methodology, as well as responses to The Healing Land (2001) by Rupert Isaacson, in relation to research methodology, representation and ethical concerns. This project will examine if and how research can be beneficial to the San, and interrogate whether auto-ethnography/reflexivity as research methodology can be used as a way of representing indigenous people in ways that empower them. Films and books often give little indication of how, by whom and for what reasons they were produced, which imposes limitation on the knowledge gained by the reader/viewer. Reflexivity is a methodology that incorporates the producer and the production process into the final product. Reflexivity directs attention to the' process and the power relations involved in constructing cultural texts. Representation of the San Bushmen has had a long history of othering, of perpetuating colonial domination. The "Other is never simply given, never just found or encountered, but made" (Fabian, 1990:755). The application of reflexive methodology could have the potential to undo the perceptions and stereotypes projected by unidimensional films, writing and pop-anthropology which give no indication of/attempt to disguise the relationship between producer, process, product and viewer in the representation of indigenous people. Awareness of the interaction between observer and observed also leads to consideration of ethics, power relations and responsibility of academics and filmmakers towards their subjects. This project discusses encounters in the Kalahari in relation to research methodology, auto-ethnography and representation. The primary text critiqued is Rupert Isaacson's book The Healing Land (2001). The application of reflexivity to my own project incorporates discussion of methodology, the nature of the encounter, and negotiating my own subjectivities. "To be reflexive is to structure a product in such a way that the audience assumes that the producer, the process of making, and the product are a coherent whole. Not only is an audience aware of these relationships, but they are made to realise the necessity of that knowledge" (Ruby, 1977:4). Unrealistic and disempowering representation of the San is related to their political and social marginalisation. This also relates to the issue of responsibility of researchers to the subject communities which are their sources of images and information. The subject communities have certain expectations of academics and filmmakers. If these expectations are not met or fulfilled in some way, the local informants tend to feel that they are being exploited. The San often have unrealistic expectations and are unaware of the differences between profit-making films and research; financial constraints on academics, writers and filmmakers; and the processes by which policy is implemented that prevent their hunger and thirst being immediately alleviated (Tomaselli, 2001a). I attempt to test these kinds of assertions and examine whether there are instances where the San feel that they have benefited from and are satisfied by the encounter, and how the principles allowing for a mutually beneficial encounter can be developed. Thus this project will deal with empowerment and development for the San. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.