International Journal of Language & Literature

The Mass Media and the Perpetuation of Despotism in Hama Tuma’s Selected Short Stories
Odhiambo G. Otieno; Edwin Mosoti (PhD); Elizabeth Odhiambo (PhD)

Abstract
The African continent continues to grapple with challenges of despotic leadership. Since the citizens of various African countries have adopted a host of responses to counter despotism, the despots have reengineered the craft of despotism into a sly and manipulative form of leadership where countries project a hoodwinking façade of democracy while the masses remain oppressed. Ethiopia is one of the African countries which have been run by dictators yet she has steadily exhibited a backcloth of democracy. Modern despots recognize that one of the hallmarks of democracy in society is a free press hence they attempt to manipulate it in order to present a false front of democracy to influence the citizens‟ perception. This paper investigates the contribution of Hama Tuma‟s selected short stories in engaging the rampant and evolving phenomenon of despotism in the continent so as to unpack the new face of despotism. It particularly explores how the author exposes the mass media as a pliable tool used by despots in enhancing authoritarianism. Hermeneutics of suspicion is used for the critical reading and analysis of the selected short stories.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v6n2a16