https://en.sputniknews.africa/20251003/reclaiming-africas-ai-story-becomes-imperative-amid-western-hype-1079040392.html
Reclaiming Africa’s AI Story Becomes Imperative Amid Western Hype
Reclaiming Africa’s AI Story Becomes Imperative Amid Western Hype
Sputnik Africa
In every society, the stories people tell about new technologies shape how those tools are understood, embraced, or resisted. Narratives do not just describe... 03.10.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-10-03T15:30+0200
2025-10-03T15:30+0200
2025-10-03T15:30+0200
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Reclaiming Africa’s AI Story Becomes Imperative Amid Western Hype
Sputnik Africa
In every society, the stories people tell about new technologies shape how those tools are understood, embraced, or resisted. Narratives do not just describe change — they guide it. When innovations like artificial intelligence emerge, the framing of the conversation becomes as influential as the technology itself.
In Africa, this framing is often inherited rather than homegrown. Much of the media coverage comes directly from Western newswires, centering the ambitions of global tech companies while ignoring the innovations happening within African labs, startups, and classrooms. Professor Sisanda Nkoala, an associate professor of media studies and research chair of media inclusion and diversity at the university of Western Cape, South Africa, explained that this reliance on external narratives risks narrowing Africa’s vision of AI, because the stories shaping public understanding do not always reflect the continent’s realities or priorities.
In Africa, this framing is often inherited rather than homegrown. Much of the media coverage comes directly from Western newswires, centering the ambitions of global tech companies while ignoring the innovations happening within African labs, startups, and classrooms. Professor Sisanda Nkoala, an associate professor of media studies and research chair of media inclusion and diversity at the university of Western Cape, South Africa, explained that this reliance on external narratives risks narrowing Africa’s vision of AI, because the stories shaping public understanding do not always reflect the continent’s realities or priorities.She argued that Africa cannot afford to be a passive consumer of imported narratives. If journalists simply recycle Western frames, local concerns, from language preservation to ethical debates unique to African societies, are pushed aside. She emphasized that African media must not only report on AI but claim ownership of how it is contextualized, debated, and integrated into daily life.She pointed to initiatives like Masakhane, a grassroots research collective creating AI tools in African languages, as proof that Africans are not waiting for permission to shape the future. For her, such projects demonstrate how reclaiming the narrative can go hand in hand with building technology rooted in local knowledge.To listen to what else the researcher had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, and Mave Stream.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole.
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podcasts, south africa, africa, artificial intelligence (ai), research, west, google, sovereignty, technology, digital technology , propaganda, аудио, journalist, journalism
Reclaiming Africa’s AI Story Becomes Imperative Amid Western Hype
Aliyu Bello
Correspondent, Podcast Host
In every society, the stories people tell about new technologies shape how those tools are understood, embraced, or resisted. Narratives do not just describe change — they guide it. When innovations like artificial intelligence emerge, the framing of the conversation becomes as influential as the technology itself.
In Africa, this framing is often inherited rather than homegrown. Much of the media coverage comes directly from Western newswires, centering the ambitions of global tech companies while ignoring the innovations happening within African labs, startups, and classrooms. Professor Sisanda Nkoala, an associate professor of media studies and research chair of media inclusion and diversity at the university of Western Cape, South Africa, explained that this reliance on external narratives risks narrowing Africa’s vision of AI, because the stories shaping public understanding do not always reflect the continent’s realities or priorities.
She argued that Africa cannot afford to be a passive consumer of imported narratives. If journalists simply recycle Western frames, local concerns, from language preservation to ethical debates unique to African societies, are pushed aside. She emphasized that African media must not only report on AI but claim ownership of how it is contextualized, debated, and integrated into daily life.
“So what we found from this or what we're arguing is that this matters because these Western views can overshadow local concerns and priorities. If an entity sitting somewhere outside the continent is really driving content to the audiences in the continent, they may miss the important concerns of locals, the important perspectives of locals. And these African entities end up carrying these perspectives and the voices of the locals end up being less than what they should be,” Nkoala explained.
She pointed to initiatives like Masakhane, a grassroots research collective creating AI tools in African languages, as proof that Africans are not waiting for permission to shape the future. For her, such projects demonstrate how reclaiming the narrative can go hand in hand with building technology rooted in local knowledge.
To listen to what else the researcher had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole. 
