The Battle of the Airwaves: The Role of Radio in Mission and Colonialism/Apartheid

Abstract

Defining technology according to Aristotle’s idea of “techne” refers to both a practical skill and the systematic knowledge or experience that underlies it. Technology can be described as a means to achieve specific objectives. This article will investigate the role of the radio during the missionary era and the accompanying colonial project. Firstly, the study will consider the genesis of radio broadcasting and its relation to the church and its mission. Furthermore, the study will focus on the ambiguous relationship between the radio during the colonial and apartheid periods in Southern Africa. The article presupposes that the World Council of Churches enabled the African National Congress to operate radio freedom through its Programme to Combat Racism and Special Fund. The article concludes with an overview of how radio served as a tool of social control during apartheid by briefly discussing the battle of the airwaves between Radio Republic South Africa and Radio Freedom.