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Author
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Grace Msauki, Nancy Kwangwa
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Year
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2023
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Publisher
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IC4ML
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Abstract
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The Media and Information Literacy (MIL) concept has been widely used by librarians and information and knowledge practitioners to refer to three often clearly distinguished literacies: media literacy, information literacy, and digital literacy. MIL empowers people to develop themselves and their societies through enhanced capacities in communication and information in the digital age. The complexity of the digital and information society demands that citizens and learners possess information and digital literacies and competencies for lifelong learning, civic engagement, democratic participation, sustainable societies, and building and nurturing trust in media. While MIL seeks to build and nurture critical thinking and understanding skills amongst the populace as they navigate the information society, its application in development initiatives leaves much to be desired in most countries in the Global South.
This article explores how MIL can be embraced as a key enabler of community development and social justice initiatives and contributes to the ongoing debate on the centrality of media, technological change, innovation, and education in advancing social justice. The study adopts a multisectoral approach by bringing together different information and communication practitioners, educators, and communities to advance social justice in Sub-Saharan Africa. Guided by UNESCO’s five laws of Media and Information Literacy, the study employs a qualitative research approach through document analysis and key informant interviews with MIL leaders in selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings of the study contribute to strategies that can be used to integrate media and information literacy skills into community development initiatives.