Community Radio as a form of Ethnic Minority Media: A Critical Analysis of Identity, Ethnic Audiences and Community.

By Thomas Hart

ABSTRACT (Introduction)

The Bushmen or San, the last aboriginal people of Southern Africa, are the most known and documented people in anthropology. Traditionally the San lived in small bands of hunter-gatherers, migrating with the seasons in search of water and food. Yet, of the approximately 100 000 Bushmen alive today in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, few live off the land as their forefathers did (Lee & Hitchcock, 2001). This is because the majority of the San in Southern Africa have come in contact with other societies and in varying degrees have been absorbed by them (Bannister, 1984). The San present a wide spectrum of social, economic and political conditions, with some ethnic groups still continuing to experience injustice and cultural loss, while others are striving successfully towards political mobilization, and a new spirit of community resistance (Lee & Hitchcock 2001; Saugestad, 2001). An example of this mobilisation is the struggle by some groups to retain their languages, cultures and religious beliefs as well as their sense of community. Bearing this in mind this study will look at the story of the Planfontein San community living near Kimberly, in the Northern Cape, consisting of two San ethnic groups, !Xu and the Khwe. In particular, I shall be looking at the role played by the community radio station, XK fm.

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