The African Writer at Digital Cross-Roads: A Preliminary Interrogation of Literary Production in Nigeria/the Global South within 21st Century Media Convergence

Abstract

The 21st century convergence of media through technological, industry and market conflations has altered the traditional work environment of the creative writer in Africa and the Global South due principally to problems/issues of digital divide/negotiation or migration which have altered modes/technologies for the creation, production, distribution, and consumption of letters. The global visibility of the African writer, like many academics in African universities, is challenged by digital migration, digital illiteracy or aliteracy. This study problematizes this digital exclusion from the contemporary digital world on account of the multiple dimensions of digital divide; and social and intellectual denial of access to the global literary forum. This preliminary study re-articulates the Nigerian writer's creative environment, production process and distribution of the literary product; using interviews, ethnographic interactions, and observations, to assess the writers’ (n: 62) digital literacy, competence, and issues of digital migration. Findings which were analyzed descriptively preliminarily point to the fact that media digitization actually challenges the Nigerian writer in ways that have impacted on his/her competence for literary creation/production,access and distribution within the ‘global literary forum’; a situation that may probably be seen as a common ‘disempowering’ experience for many creative writers in developing Global South.

Keywords

• Media Globalization
• Digital Humanities
• Cultural Production
• Digital/Electronic Divide
• Nigeria